Chicken Cheddar Broccoli Braid

With Christmas behind us and the New Year to look forward to, I'm giving myself permission to indulge in a few more comfort foods to feed our house guests that are simple yet crowd-pleasing.  I've already told the kids that after our guests leave we are going to get back to our balanced eating routine, which means no grazing on holiday treats like we have been since family arrived for the holidays.

Today I'm sharing with you a recipe for a Chicken Cheddar Broccoli Braid.  Perfect for brunch, lunch, dinner, or while cheering your favorite football team to victory (Go Seahawks!), this recipe is always a hit with my friends and family.  In case you're wondering, it tastes as good as it looks and is very easy to pull together. Don't let the braid intimidate you, it is really quite easy and kids could do this without any problem. Just lay both crescent roll sheets down on a baking pan, being careful that the roll does not pull apart at any of the scored seams. With the sheet intact place both sheets side by side to make one long sheet of dough. Next, you will want to cut fringe strips (along two opposing sides) just deep enough so there is plenty of uncut dough to contain the filling.  

Once you spoon the filling down the center of the dough all you need to do is pull each strip up and over the center of the filling in an overlapping pattern. When done cinch the remaining strips and bottom edge together. After brushing on an egg white wash the braid is ready to go into the oven. When pulling the braid out of the oven it's hard not to feel somewhat impressed with what you've made, even though it is surprisingly simple. If you plan on hosting people in a casual setting for a get-together consider adding this to your menu. Serve it alongside a salad and you will have yourself a very satisfying meal.