How to make broccoli, chicken and cheddar braid (video)

The recipe below is a fantastic party dish that's impressive to serve and super delicious to eat. While it can be tempting to buy store-bought shredded cheese, we suggest shredding the cheese at home. It's usually more economical to do it yourself, and pre-shredded cheese often contains a bit of starch to keep it from clumping together, which can end up being a bit gritty when melted. Shredding your own cheese at home ensures you get that ooey-gooey deliciousness.

You can easily do some of the steps for this dish in advance. You can mix the filling and store it in the refrigerator up to three days ahead of time, and you can even prepare the entire thing up until the egg-wash step the night before. Simply cover in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until you're ready to bake it.

Broccoli, Chicken and Cheddar Braid

10 minutes

45 minutes

55 minutes

2 cans crescent roll dough

1 cup medium-diced broccoli florets

2 cups chopped chicken meat

1 tablespoon butter or oil

1/4 onion, chopped

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup cream cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Unroll the crescent dough on a nonstick baking sheet so that the long sides of each roll of dough line up. Press them together to seal the seam. You should have one larger piece of dough. Set aside.

Heat the butter or oil in a pan. Add the onion. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the broccoli, chicken, mayonnaise, cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Fold in the cooked onion.

Spread the filling in the center of the dough, in an even line down the middle. Leave about an inch at the top and bottom.

Slice strips in the dough about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Cut them so that there is about 1/2 inch between where the filling ends and the cuts begin.

Fold the strips over the filling, alternating so that you get a braid shape. Before folding over the first and last strips, tuck in the top and bottom, so that the filling does not spill out during baking.

Beat the egg yolk with a touch of water. Using a pastry brush, spread the egg wash over the entire dough.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.