Chicken Divan
You’ll love this Chicken Divan! It’s a creamy chicken and broccoli casserole baked with cheddar and topped with golden breadcrumbs. A family favorite!
AN EASY CHEESY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
Chicken Divan is the ultimate cozy casserole. Tender chicken, fresh broccoli, all mixed in a creamy, savory sauce then baked under a cheesy breadcrumb topping. Talk about belly filling and DELICIOUS! It’s a hearty weeknight dinner that comes together quickly with a handful of ingredients and is such an easy family dinner hit. Don’t like broccoli? Leave it out or switch it out with another favorite veggie!
Made it tonight & it definitely is a comfort food repeat!!
Thank you for sharing
– Nona
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Yes. If you use frozen broccoli, allow it to defrost and drain to remove all the liquid before adding to this dish.
You bet. Casseroles are great for those kinds of needs. As is, this recipe makes enough for a family of 4. You can double this recipe and make it in a 9×13 baking dish if you wish to have more servings or leftovers.
You can serve it over rice or maybe with some pasta. I think this would go nicely with your favorite salad. I like to toss together a salad and use my favorite Olive Garden Copycat Salad Dressing. It would pair nicely with Breadsticks or Texas Toast Garlic Bread and some steamed veggies too.
The cheese is easily swapped in this recipe. Instead of cheddar, you can try gouda, pepper Jack, or mozzarella.
Yes, I don’t see why you couldn’t use precooked chicken to save some time. If you still want the onion in it, you would need to sauté the onion in oil first to soften them. Then you could season the rotisserie chicken or just use whatever seasonings it may already have on it.
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can try to freeze leftovers in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. Additionally, if you wanted to prep this and freeze it for later use, you could. I would assemble before baking and then freeze it safely. Then thaw and bake when ready to serve.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- boneless, skinless chicken– You could use chicken thighs or other chicken, just make sure it is cooked properly.
- yellow onion – need to speed things up? Buy the pre-diced chicken in the produce section of the grocery store or pick up a bag of frozen diced onion.
- garlic powder, onion powder, paprika – the trifecta of seasoning I always use but please feel free to use your favorite seasoning blend.
- fresh broccoli florets– if you don’t like big chunks of broccoli, you can dice it up into smaller pieces, or use less broccoli. This dish is even good if you omit the broccoli altogether if it’s not your thing.
- cream of chicken soup – pick up a can at the store or make Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup.
- milk
- mayonnaise – if you don’t love mayo or want to make this with a touch of tanginess, you can use sour cream instead of mayo. But this recipe is a great option for those who hate sour cream in these types of casseroles.
- shredded cheddar cheese – I shared other cheese options to try in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) section above.
- Italian breadcrumbs – regular bread crumbs can be used and/or panko breadcrumbs.
- salted butter– you can use unsalted butter
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN DIVAN
Preheat the oven to 400° F. To a skillet add the oil over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken and onions. Cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika over the chicken. Stir until coated.
Add the broccoli, cream of chicken soup, milk, and mayonnaise. Stir.
Cook for 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken mixture to an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch baking dish. Top the dish with cheddar cheese.
Mix the breadcrumbs and butter together. Top the dish with the breadcrumb mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Optional: sprinkle the parsley on top.
Serve and enjoy.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Chicken Divan
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- ¼ cup diced yellow onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ mayonnaise
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more to taste)
- ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 Tablespoons melted salted butter (can use unsalted)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. To a skillet add 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat for about a minute.
- Add 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed and 1/4 cup diced yellow onion.
- Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir until coated. Cook until chicken is fully cooked (internal temperature of 165F degrees.)
- Add 4 cups fresh broccoli florets, 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 mayonnaise. Stir. Cook for about 4 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken mixture to an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Top the dish with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- In a separate small bowl, mix 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs with 2 Tablespoons melted salted butter together. Top the dish evenly with the breadcrumb mixture.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Optional: sprinkle 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley on top. Then serve.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Can you use corn or a different vegetable?
You can leave it out if you don’t like broccoli. I haven’t tested it with corn or any other vegetable yet 🙂 But if you decide to experiment, please let me know how it goes for you!
This Chicken Divan is the Best
love chicken divan…just hate dealing with raw chicken lol
LOL – you are not alone! Lots of folks feel like that! You can make it with rotisserie chicken if you prefer to use a cooked chicken. I give a bit more detail above in the Frequently Asked Questions section 🙂
Thanks a bunch!
Made it tonight & it definitely is a comfort food repeat!!
Thank you for sharing
Thank you so much for giving this a try Nona! I truly appreciate you coming back to comment!