Chicken & Broccoli casserole

Hmmm...doesn't this look yummy? Look at that nice white sauce and toasted parmesan cheese on top. Are you getting lost in deliciousness? Hmmm...

Let me first off say that when I came upon this recipe from another website I was very intrigued by the list of ingredients and of course the photo. So I decided to give this a try the other night. As I was putting this recipe together, I noticed the sauce was going to be this rich and thick sauce. And definately not a very healthy one I might add. But everything in moderation, right? And the recipe had several steps to it. I continued to plug along and after several pans, bowls, etc... and some oven time we finally had dinner. Let me just say, we ate mouthfuls of white sauce richness that night. We all loved the flavor of it, but it was too thick. I also discovered that it made quite a bit so we had plenty of leftovers the next night. Which may not be the case with some larger families. For us I ended up diluting the sauce with some milk and boiling a pot of spaghetti to go along with it. I mixed up the spaghetti with the sauce and served it with some toasted garlic bread. So I believe this recipe fits perfectly under the "cook once, serve twice" concept. I also need to mention that the recipe I'm posting here isn't the actual recipe I made on this night. I'm giving you the revised version with the more practical way of making it. And of course, you can subsitute any of the ingredients for fat-free or low-fat versions.
Chicken & Broccoli casserole

3 quarts water
3 cups chopped broccoli
4-5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tbls. butter or margarine
1/4 c. flour
2 cups milk
1/4 teas. salt
1/4 teas. ground pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1 teas. worchestershire sauce
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 - 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 - 1 cup crushed butter crackers

Preheat oven to 400 (F) degrees.

Cut broccoli into small florets and set aside. Cube chicken into 1 inch pieces and set aside. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Place broccoli into water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove quickly and set aside. Keep water boiling and place cubed chicken into the water. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Do not over cook or chicken will become rubbery. Remove from water and set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, worchestershire sauce, soup and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

In a large sauce pan or deep skillet. Melt butter or margarine. Using a whisk, stir in flour and whisk until flour is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Slowly pour in milk and continue to whisk until it reaches a thick consistency. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour into the sauce the mayonnaise mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Fold in broccoli and chicken and stir to completely coat. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and top with crushed crackers and grated parmesan. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until sauce is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with a side salad. Store leftovers in fridge.