This easy Chicken Divan recipe is a favorite quick and easy dinner!
Chicken and broccoli florets are smothered in a rich and creamy sauce, topped with cheese, and baked until warm and bubbly.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights For Chicken Divan
Chicken Broccoli Divan is an easy casserole originating in the Divan Parisien restaurant in New York. This version uses broccoli in a shortcut sauce.
- Flavor: This casserole is cozy with a homey flavor.
- Difficulty: Since the sauce starts with condensed soup, it’s quick and easy to prepare.
- Make it from scratch: You can replace the canned soup in this recipe with homemade condensed soup.
- Budget tip: Stretch this recipe a little further with extra broccoli.
- Time-saving tip: If you’re short on time, buy a bag of fresh or broccoli florets—they’re usually already washed and ready to go. Rotisserie chicken is great in this recipe.
Ingredient Tips For This Recipe
- Chicken: This recipe uses cooked chicken, so it’s great for leftovers or rotisserie chicken. Poached chicken is also great for casseroles.
- Broccoli: Fresh steamed broccoli gives the best flavor and texture. Frozen broccoli works as well, but tends to be a little bit softer.
- Sauce: Chicken Divan sauce is a shortcut sauce made with condensed mushroom soup, sour cream, milk, and seasonings.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese adds flavor, pre-shredded cheese works well in this recipe.
- Topping: Butter and Panko breadcrumbs give this Chicken Divan casserole a little crunch. No Panko? Try seasoned bread crumbs or crushed Ritz crackers instead!
Variations
- Veggies: You can add other vegetables, such as cauliflower or asparagus. Cook just until tender-crisp.
- Seasonings: Change the seasonings and add your favorite herbs. ½ teaspoon curry powder is a delicious addition.
- Soup: Any “cream of” soup will work in this recipe, including cream of chicken soup or homemade condensed soup.
- Topping: Add a biscuit mix topping like in our chicken cobbler recipe.
How To Make Chicken and Broccoli Divan
- Steam broccoli: Steam the broccoli until tender-crisp (it will cook more in the oven). Drain it very well.
- Mix sauce: Combine the divan sauce ingredients (recipe below). Add the chicken and broccoli.
- Bake: Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with breadcrumbs. Bake until browned.
Served alongside a fresh green salad and some bread with homemade garlic butter.
Serving and Storage
I serve this easy Chicken Divan recipe with rice, egg noodles, or creamy mashed potatoes.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Chicken Divan reheats and freezes well. Add a splash of milk for reheating if needed.
More Easy Chicken Casserole Recipes
Did your family enjoy this Chicken Divan recipe? Leave us a rating and a comment below.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds broccoli florets cut into bite size pieces
- 3 cups cooked chopped chicken
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup or condensed chicken soup, 1 can
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
Topping
- 3 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs or seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2-3 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain well and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup cheddar cheese, condensed soup, sour cream, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, pepper, and seasoned salt.
- Stir in drained broccoli and chicken. Transfer the mixture to a 9×13 casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
- In a small bowl, mix the butter and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the chicken mixture.
- Bake for 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Chicken, Main Course
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Very similar to the one I’ve made for years (decades). I use Cream of Broccoli soup, and put French Fried onion rings on top, instead of panko crumbs with butter. Delish either way! Thanks!
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.