BROCCOLI AND CHICKEN BAKE
The story behind this dish is such a cool memory to me. When my daughter was little she wouldn’t touch broccoli. So I found a dish by a well known supermarket and because it was packaged as a “take-away” she gulped it down (if you’ve met a kid, known a kid, had a kid, you’ll know what I mean). She was 5 years old at the time. Now she’s 11, and she knows I’m the one who’s been making it for years now, but she still refers to that specific ready-made meal when she asks for it.
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 400 g chicken strips
- 400 g broccoli, chopped roughly
- 2 cups cheese sauce (I made my own but you can buy it if you don’t have time)
- 5 ml thyme
- 5 ml oregano
- 10 ml crushed garlic
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup grated cheese
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Don’t muck around with too many things. Apart from the grated cheese, mix all of the ingredients together and place the mixture into an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the grated cheese over and place the dish into the oven for 30 minutes.
- QUICK CHEESE SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon cake flour
- 250 ml milk
- 125 ml grated cheese
- salt and black pepper
Melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Gradually pour in the milk and keep whisking to prevent lumps from forming. Once all the milk has been added keep whisking and if the mixture gets too thick just add a bit of water. Finally, add the cheese and season to taste. Stir till all the cheese has melted.
Photo and recipe: Zita Harber
