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!
Easy Chicken Divan
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 condensed cream of mushroom soup or condensed 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.
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Repin this Creamy Casserole
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I love this recipe but lost my original copy, so thanks for posting it. I frequently.come to your website for delicious recipes that don’t break the bank; they are always dependable, so double thanks!
I DO often have trouble with the “skip to recipe” tab on your website. Maybe it’s my phone, but it’s a little tiresome when I’m in a rush. I mean, scrolling through probably costs me 5 more seconds . . . ;) Many thanks for a great, dependable recipe repository.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Miriam! I’m so happy you are enjoying our recipes!
Delicious, made it for the second time and very yummy. The only extra thing I did was put some extra bread crumbs on top, for a little extra crunch.
Update: still our favorite! My daughter is a vegetarian so we swap 8 ounces of cooked pasta with the chicken. It comes out perfectly! My husband and I still prefer it with chicken. I upped the spices a bit too. I’ve never used seasoned salt before and it works so well in this recipe! Thank you so much
I wish I’d watched the video before making.You added great extras and your assembly method was completely different!
Tasted great though
I am glad you enjoyed it, Karen! Sorry for any confusion.
One of my favorite comfort food meals, and this recipe was delicious! My only changes were that I had slow-cooked, shredded chicken on hand instead of diced, and I used Ritz crackers instead of panko. Served over mashed potatoes – so good! I might consider 2 cans of soup for extra sauce next time. Thank you!
Wonderful tasting recipe! It is so easy to make!
My husband loved it! Will put it in my 2 week rotation!!
ThaNks Holly!
Love this delicious and simple recipe!
My husband loved it! Will be making it over and over!
Thanks so much Holly!
Yum!!! I did saute half an onion, some fresh garlic and a handful of sliced mushrooms and added it to the mixture. Delicious!
A favorite dish. I add green onions, bacon pieces and skip the bread crumbs. Yummy!
Thank you!
This is a delicious recipe and easy to prepare, but I gave it only 3 stars because no way could I have added 1 1/2 lbs of broccoli and 3 cups of chicken listed in the ingredients.
I was only able to add 12 oz of broccoli and half the listed chicken. If I had added the amount of broccoli and chicken listed I would not have had enough sauce. I followed the instructions for the sauce very careful. I took a picture but I cannot submit it.
That said it was absolutely delicious! And I will make it probably once a week.
Delicious!
This is one of our favorite recipes! The spices are perfect and add so much to the dish. We make it exactly as it’s written. My daughter became a vegetarian so we will make it for her without the chicken and it’s turns out great! Makes a nice side dish as well.
Delicious!! I was looking for this recipe, thank you.
I thought the recipe part said to mix the chicken and broccoli into the soup mixture & then pour into dish, so that’s what I did and it was amazing! Usually it’s layered (like one part of your directions say) but mixed was so good too. Then I topped with cheese & Panko/butter. Sooo good, I can’t stop taking bites!
so excited to try this tonight. I’ve made different versions of this dish. some call for curry powder. this is one of those dishes that you can use whatever you have on hand or any “cream of” soup. I put French’s onions on top bc I was out of bread crumbs. so yummy! making potatoes for the side