Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Braid

First of all, let me apologize for these pictures- I know they're terrible.

I'd gotten a late start on dinner, my natural light was gone, and I decided just to snap a few pictures rather than getting my whole crazy nighttime setup pulled out.  To be honest, I considered not even posting this recipe because they really weren't up to par.  

However this recipe is one that is definitely worth sharing so I decided to to forge ahead.  :-)

Back when my son was a baby I was on this kick where I would find a recipe I liked, multiply it by like 5, and freeze the extra portions for easy meals later.

It really did make life easier.  I called it my "soup file."  Chili, soup, whatever- I'd cool the excess, portion it in freezer bags, lay them flat in the freezer, and then store them vertically in the freezer to save space and for easy access.

Remind me why I stopped doing this??

Anyway, I didn't stop at just soups and such- I also prepped things like orange chicken (I'd store the fried chicken pieces in a gallon freezer bag and tuck a smaller freezer bag of sauce in with it) and the filling for this dish- Chicken and Broccoli Braid.

It starts with a base of crescent rolls- and seriously, is there anyone who doesn't like those things?

My daughter is definitely a fan and even my finicky-eater of a son enjoys them.  

They're laid flat and seams are pressed closed (look for these seamless sheets to save yourself a tiny bit of work!), strips are cut into the sides of the crescent dough, the filling goes down the middle, and the whole thing is braided up and baked.

YUM.

Ok, so I can honestly say that the filling sounds a little...different.

It all kind of comes together in a delicious amalgam of goodness after it bakes.

Cheesy and creamy, but not goopy.  The chicken and broccoli are of course yummy together.  All tied together in a beautiful, ready crescent braid.    It's just a really nice, relatively simple, family meal- even on a weeknight.  

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

From Allrecipes.com

2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat

1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove crushed garlic

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise Hellmann's and Best Foods Mayonnaise 

2 teaspoons dried dill weed

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

1/4 cup diced onion

2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls

1 egg white, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F).  In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion.

2. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium 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, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. 

3. 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.

4. Brush braided dough with the egg white. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.