This Chicken Divan recipe makes a glorious casserole filled with juicy bite-sized chicken, crunchy broccoli florets, a ridiculously creamy sauce, and a crumbly and buttery topping, to boot.
This is what casserole dreams are made of!
The look, the textures, the flavors – each department gets a perfect 10.
It’s a dish you won’t mind eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all on the same day.
Getting bored with your usual rotation of chicken dinners? Add this to the mix for an exciting meal the whole family will enjoy!
What is Chicken Divan?
Chicken Divan is a timeless dish that goes way back into the 1930s. It was created at the Chatham Hotel’s Divan Parisian restaurant, hence, the name.
It’s a casserole that combines chicken and broccoli and ties them together in a creamy bechamel sauce.
The casserole is topped with cheese and a crumble mixture of butter and breadcrumbs and baked to perfection.
It doesn’t get any better than this.
Ingredients
- Broccoli – Fresh is best but if in a pinch, frozen florets will work, too. Let them come to room temperature and pat them dry.
- Chicken – Use already-cooked chicken for convenience. I like to use leftover rotisserie chicken for this recipe. Any cut works.
- Condensed Cream Of Broccoli Soup – This is poured over the chicken and broccoli and serves as its thick and creamy sauce.
- Milk – It’s added to the condensed broccoli soup to thin out its consistency.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese – If a casserole recipe doesn’t have cheese in it, skip it! Grate your own cheese if time permits. It melts and tastes so much better than pre-shredded cheese in a bag.
- Butter and Breadcrumbs – Together, they’ll create the crisp and crumbly mixture that goes on top.
How to Make Chicken Divan
1. Boil the broccoli. You’ll want the florets to just be barely cooked as they’ll cook further in the oven. Just 5 minutes in boiling water will do.
2. Prepare the sauce. Whisk milk and condensed broccoli soup in a bowl. Done.
3. Prepare the topping. Combine the melted butter and bread crumbs. Easy.
4. Assemble the casserole. It goes broccoli – chicken – sauce – grated cheddar – bread crumb topping.
5. Bake the casserole. Just 15 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and voila.
Tips for the Best Chicken Divan
- This recipe is a great way to use leftover rotisserie chicken! In case you don’t have any, though, just boil some chicken breasts and shred them.
- You can use frozen broccoli. Just be sure to let it come to room temperature first, and pat it dry.
Make-Ahead Chicken Divan
Chicken divan tastes better the next day, which makes it a great make-ahead dish.
Assemble the casserole up to 2 days in advance. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Add an extra 15 minutes to the total baking time if cooking chicken divan straight from the fridge.
How to Store Leftovers
Let the dish come completely to room temperature before storing. Place the leftovers in an air-tight container and refrigerate them for up to 3-5 days.
Or, place the chicken in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat Chicken Divan
Cover the refrigerated casserole with foil and reheat at a 350-degree-Fahrenheit-oven for 30 minutes.
For smaller portions, reheat them in the microwave.
To reheat frozen Chicken Divan, cover the dish with foil and bake it at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake it for 5 minutes more.
What to Serve with Chicken Divan
For a hearty meal, you can’t go wrong with Chicken Divan and rice or pasta!
But if you’re looking for a healthier option, you can also go for quinoa and cauliflower rice.
For a lighter option, pair chicken divan with roasted veggies or fresh fruit salad.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Chicken Piccata
- Crisco Fried Chicken
- 3-Ingredient Orange Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls
- Melt In Your Mouth Chicken
Easy Chicken Divan Recipe
6
servings20
minutes20
minutes186
kcalIngredients
1 pound fresh broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken meat, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of broccoli soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the broccoli in a saucepan and fill it with water. Bring the water to a boil. Cook the broccoli for 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
- Transfer the cooked broccoli to a 9-inch pie plate. Top with sliced chicken.
- In a bowl, whisk together the condensed soup and milk. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
- In a separate bowl, combine melted butter and bread crumbs until it looks like wet sand. Sprinkle the mixture over the cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly. Serve and enjoy!
I much prefer a can of mushroom soup in this recipe!
I made this casserole again today with a twist. I used the Caribbean blend of vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) and also added noodles. My husband loved it…me too!
Hi Kathy!
What a fun twist – I’ll have to give that a try ๐
that sounds so good
Kim – Any air fryer recipes??
Hi Mark!
We have a bunch of air fryer recipes ๐
Here are some of my faves (you can find them all by searching ‘air fryer’ in the search bar at the top of the home page)
https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/air-fryer-fried-pickles/
https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/air-fryer-scallops/
https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/air-fryer-zucchini-fries/
https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/air-fryer-steak-bites/
SO good, comforting and easy. I like to make more difficult recipes but sometimes cook for people who like simple yet perfection. This has become a go-to when needed. Thanks!
I made this with fresh broccoli picked from our garden. I also made gluten free cream of broccoli soup instead of using canned (which has wheat). Commercial gluten free bread crumbs were used, also.
This is a delicious recipe. I will be making it again.
I do not see an easy way to print your recipes.
Hi, Judy!
If you’ll hit that “jump to recipe” button at the top, it’ll drop you down to the recipe card at the bottom. (Or just scroll until you see it.) If you’ll look at the picture above the “Ingredients” section of the recipe card, you’ll notice a print button in the lower righthand corner. That should simplify the recipe into an easily printable format for you. ๐
You are about ready to lose a me. I want to save your recipes to my email, but I can’t any more.
Hi, Dawn!
We are currently experiencing a glitch with the website provider that has made that feature stop working. Kim has been working on it for several days, but so far, she’s been unable to fix the problem. I promise you it is definitely at the top of her list, though!
So sorry for the inconvenience!!
If you’re looking for a way to save recipes in the meantime, jump down to the recipe card. In the image above the ingredients, there’s a “print” button. You can click that but instead of printing, change the printer settings to “save as pdf.” That will let you save the recipe in a folder on your computer. I know it’s not as convenient, but hopefully that will help until Kim gets the email feature up and running.
<3