by Holly
Chicken Divan is one of our favorite go-to dinner options, and it couldn’t be more delicious. In this easy divan recipe, Chicken and Broccoli are mixed with a rich and creamy sauce then baked until all warm and bubbly.
This recipe is a classic with one of my favorite flavor combos… chicken, broccoli and cheddar cheese. It is definitely no surprise that this Chicken Divan recipe has been enjoyed by so many families for decades!
Easy Chicken Divan
Chicken Broccoli Divan is a quick and easy casserole, making it the perfect dinner option for busy weeknights. If you use leftover baked chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken, you can have it on the table in under 30 minutes. Served alongside a fresh fresh green salad and some bread with Homemade Garlic Butter, this is one meal your family will request over and over.
What is Chicken Divan?
SAUCE: Chicken Divan gets its signature rich and creamy flavor from a mixture of cheddar cheese, milk, condensed mushroom soup, and sour cream. If you don’t have cream of mushroom soup handy, cream of chicken, cheddar or broccoli also taste amazing in this recipe! Some recipes do make Chicken Divan with mayo, however I prefer to use sour cream.
BROCCOLI: I always steam fresh broccoli for Chicken Divan but you can also add in cauliflower or asparagus (and we sometimes make it with a pinch of curry powder too)!
CHICKEN: The chicken is cooked before it goes into the recipe so if you have leftover chicken (or turkey) it’s perfect in this recipe. If not I usually make and shred poached chicken because it’s SO easy.
TOPPING: The butter and breadcrumb topping on this Chicken Divan casserole really gives it the perfect finishing touch. Just bake until the topping is golden and everything else is hot and bubbly!
How To Make Chicken and Broccoli Divan
I always make Chicken Divan with fresh broccoli, it has the best flavor and doesn’t end up watery or mushy as frozen broccoli sometimes does.
- Steaming your broccoli for a few minutes to get it slightly tender-crisp (it as it’ll cook more in the oven). Drain it very well (to keep your sauce from getting watery)
- Combine the divan sauce ingredients.
- Add chicken and broccoli to a dish, top with the cheesy sauce and buttery breadcrumbs
Bake about 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly! Easy peasy.
I usually enjoy Chicken Divan with rice (or Garlic Butter Rice), but it also tastes amazing served over noodles or even some creamy mashed potatoes!
If you don’t eat the whole casserole (which we usually do around here, it’s SO good), it reheats perfectly. Simply place the Chicken Divan in the microwave, or reheat it in the oven or on the stovetop. Before reheating, I usually add a splash of milk to keep it nice and creamy.
More Chicken Casserole Recipes
- Homemade Chicken Spaghetti – Reader favorite recipes!
- Chicken Parmesan Casserole – Delicious twist on a classic.
- Cheesy Chicken Casserole – Creamy, cheesy and delicious.
- Salsa Chicken Casserole – Quick and flavorful
- 4 Ingredient Chicken Rice Casserole – Vintage recipe, no need to precook the rice!
Broccoli Chicken Divan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 cups cooked chicken cubed
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- ½ cup milk
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- 10 ½ ounces can condensed Cream of Mushroom or chicken soup
- ½ teaspoon each garlic powder onion powder, dry mustard and pepper
- ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt
Topping
- 3 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place broccoli in a large pot boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes or just until tender crisp. Drain well.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup cheddar cheese, milk, condensed soup, sour cream and seasonings.
- Stir in broccoli and chicken and spread into a 3qt casserole dish (or a 9x13 pan). Top with remaining cheese.
- In a small bowl, mix the butter and bread crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the chicken mixture.
- Bake 18-20 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned and the mixture is bubbly and hot.
- Serve over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes, as desired.
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Repin this Creamy Casserole
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I can see why it was so popular back in the day. Your recipe is delicious as written. This time I added two thinly sliced leeks that I sautéed until caramelized. I also added a couple splashes of Worcestershire and I upped the spices and Panko. In place of the seasoned salt I used Emeril’s Essence which is very similar to your seasoned salt recipe. Thanks for this keeper!
Sounds amazing! So glad you love the chicken Divan!
Hi Holly! How do you cook the chicken for this recipe?
If you have leftover chicken (or turkey) it’s perfect in this recipe. If not I usually make and shred poached chicken because it’s SO easy. Enjoy Kim!
One of the best dishes you’ll ever make. I steam some Sliced carrots and Vidalia onion with the broccoli and add some chicken blend spice mix for flavor. A company worthy dish.
Added asparagus and sun dried tomatoes, really brightened it up! Served on edamame pasta with red pepper flakes and husband enjoyed it so that’s enough for me ☺️
Decent beginner recipe, but definitely double or triple the seasonings plus add add some salt.
This recipe is extremely bland, perfect for children who don’t demand flavor, lol.
It’s a keeper but I will tweek it a bit.
Glad you enjoyed it Amanda. We do not find the flavor bland, but it’s easy increase the seasonings to your liking.
Made once before, whole family loved this and so quick and easy. I mean even garlic and onion flavouring from jars!
One question, would it be OK if I were to make the entire dish early morning, including topping so it’s oven ready, then place in fridge once cooled a little.
Would the dish flavour or texture be spoiled in any way?
Thanks, Graham
Yes Graham, the chicken divan can be prepared ahead. I would place the topping in a separate dish (or even a sandwich bag) and sprinkle it on just before baking to ensure it stays crisp. Enjoy!
This recipe is amazing!
This came out great, but I followed some of the suggestions that called for more seasoning. I season the chicken with curry powder and fried it. I also had a parsley bunch on hand that I diced and put in, as well. This was a big hit!
First off this meal is delicious! I put my shredded rotisserie chicken, soup, milk and seasonings in crockpot on high then steamed broccoli for just a few min added to recipe and at the end topped off with sharp cheddar cheese OMG! SO GOOOD! The flavor is so good and we put ours over white rice. I am curious to throw in chopped up ham steak next time for sure . I would make no alterations I just cooked it a different method. Crockpot and airfryers are my favorite in this house so I make use of them quite often. Hands down a great meal! We also served with salad
Can this receipe made with leftover ham instead of chicken?
I do think it would work however the ham can be salty as are the soups so I would recommend skipping the seasoning salt (or using reduced-sodium soup).
My wife’s family has made something very similar for quite a while. I’m trying to pick up the gauntlet, and I think it tastes pretty darn good. If one were to attempt “meatless,” how do you think tuna would fare in the recipe?
It would be a bit similar to a tuna casserole with broccoli, I think it would work. Let us know how it goes!
your recipes are amazing.
looks good
You forgot curry powder inside of your melted butter!! It makes the entire meal. I promise
That sounds delicious, Layne!
A delicious and easy to make chicken broccoli divan recipe i have ever tried so far. Thanks for sharing this chicken broccoli divan recipe with all of us.
I haven’t tried your version yet, I will in a couple hours, lol! I was looking for a different recipe and I found it. Just a few ideas from how I’ve cooked this and other things like it.
I use Campbell’s Cream of Broccoli and Cheese Soup (yum) when I have it, otherwise I use cream of mushroom. I also put French Fried Onion Rings (the ones that are usually on green bean casserole) on top of it, in the last 5 mins, otherwise they will burn.
I steam the fresh broccoli in the Ziplock Zip and Steam bags. I under cook it since it’s going in the oven. No water is used, but I’ll still put it on paper towels to sop up any water from the cooked broccoli.
Lastly, anytime a recipe calls for sour cream, I substitute 0% fat Greek Yogurt. I switched to this after my husband had a quadruple bypass, and actually no one has really noticed the difference! I use Fage Yogurt, it’s so thick and creamy, you’ll never miss the sour cream. Greek yogurt has that same tang the sour cream does.
I signed up for your emails, it looks like you have quite a loyal following and some awesome recipes. I’ll be making this tonight!
Thanks for the ideas, Patti! Let us know how this recipe turned out for you! :)
This is an easy recipe to make and is just delicious. I use precooked chicken from the grocery store and frozen broccoli cooked and placed on paper towel to remove excess water. It is such a flavorful recipe. Yummy!!!!!
This is cooking the oven as we speak… I researched out to cook chicken breast perfectly and that helped ! I used all the left over cheddar in the fridge and it was the best way I knew how to use up a whole lot of broccoli before it turned… I’ve made your Chicken ala King before and that was good too… I usually make Chicken Divan with parmesan and lemon so this will be a change … I plan to serve it over rice basmati kind that I just made with chopped up pieces of red pepper and green chives in the rice … Thanks for the inspiration !!!
Hope you love this version too Janet!
Very good but not as easy as advertised as you have to cook the chicken and steam the broccoli first!
Glad you enjoyed it! We use rotisserie chicken to keep the prep time quick.