Chicken and Broccoli Braid

This is one of my favorite meals to make and eat! It looks so fancy and like you've taken a lot of time--but it's SO simple. My neighbor brought this to me after I'd had my baby a couple of years ago. I had never had anything like it before and I pretty much ate the whole thing. I had been home from the hospital for a couple of days and had just begun the whole nursing thing and will never forget how HUNGRY I was that day. It tasted like the best thing I'd ever eaten--especially since I'm sick for seven of the nine months of pregnancy. I still find it crazy that I remember this one particular meal from all the other meals I've eaten. Yes, it's that memorable. It is the perfect meal to take to friends or have at a party. It's also great to just make for your family--my kid's love it! It looks so nice displayed, too. This braid has the perfect combination of flavors. The slight taste of dill combined with the chicken, cheese, and red bell pepper is such an awesome combination. And then you add the flakiness of the crescent and it is phenomenal.

Chicken & Broccoli Wrap from The Pampered Chef "All The Best"

2 (8oz) packages refrigerated crescent rolls

2 C coarsely chopped cooked chicken (I usually used canned chicken and you can't taste the difference in this recipe)

1 1/2 C coarsely chopped broccoli

1/2 C diced red bell pepper

1/3 C mayonnaise

2 tsp dried dill weed

1/4 tsp salt

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1/4 C slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, cheese, bell pepper, mayonnaise, dill, salt and garlic. Mix well.

2. Scoop filling over crescent rolls (see below). When finished making wrap, brush with egg white. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

*I always use the reduced fat crescent rolls, fat free mayo, and fat free cheese and I can never taste a difference from the full fat version.

How to make the wrap

Lay the crescent rolls on a cookie sheet (or pampered chef rectangle stone). Don't separate. Push the seams together with fingers or small rolling pin. Cut the sides of the dough into eight strips on each side (leave about 4 inches uncut in the middle). The middle will be for the filling.

Scoop the filling into the middle of the dough (can you see the slits in the dough on either side of the filling?)
Starting at the end opposite you, lift one strip of dough and then the alternating strip to make the braid

Sometimes I just lay the dough flat and braid it that way. Other times (depending on my mood), I twist the dough one turn and lay over the filling. Either way looks good.

Continue repeating until you finish the braid.

All done. Brush the egg white over it and sprinkle almonds on top. Fold the bottom edges up at the ends of the braid. This is sooooo good!