Chicken Broccoli Cheese Braid

My Aunt and I made this 12 years ago after she had attended a pampered chef party where it was served. It was great then and it’s even better than I remembered it now. The only thing I would change is instead of putting the raw freshly chopped vegetables into the mix, I’d prefer they be sauteed in butter until softened a bit first. It’s delicious either way! Try it soon, super easy and semi-healthy dinner My almost 3 year old helped me assemble this recipe…her tiny hands shown in a picture below “hepping Mom-Mom cook deener”

Ingredients:
2 Cups chopped chicken meat (I baked mine in the oven with some black pepper, salt and a little bit of garlic powder until 160°)
1 Cup of chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped.
1 crushed garlic clove
2 cups of shredded sharp or medium cheddar cheese
1/2 Cup of mayonnaise
2 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons slivered almonds (optional, adds a little crunch and flavor)
1/4 cup diced onion
2 (8oz) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, beaten

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375°
In a large bowl combine your chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlice, cheese, mayo, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion. (everything except your dough and egg white)

(Little tip here…Line your baking sheet with parchment paper ,as you would do baking cookies, to avoid burning the bottom of your braid)
Unroll your crescent roll dough and arrange flat on a large baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough.

Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center. There should be a solid three inch wide strip down the middle, the cut strips will form a fringe down each side.

Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal. The goal here is to keep a few spaces in between so you can see what’s inside your braid without the filling spilling out. I had my two year old help me so ours is far from perfect, however, it didn’t effect the taste whatsoever Encourage your kiddos to cook with you, they’ll have a ball!

Brush the braided dough with your egg white. Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Voila!

If you’re not a fan of the ingredients, try this method with ingredients you do like and explore other combinations. Like a big fat homemade calzone or something? Sounds good to me!

*note to self: must start cooking more during the day so colors in pictures are true to the entree and not a product of low lighting conditions The end.