Broccoli Chicken Divan with Curry

Create a delicious Chicken Divan casserole, by layering tender pieces of cooked chicken in a baking dish. Next, arrange fresh broccoli florets on top of the chicken. Finally, cover everything with a luscious homemade sauce with a hint of curry, and bake it in the oven until it’s golden brown and bubbling. This comforting dish is a crowd-pleaser and incredibly simple to prepare, making it the perfect weeknight dinner option.

This Chicken Casserole is Amazing!

Chicken Divan is one of those old-fashioned casserole recipes that’s an easy and comforting meal to serve for a weeknight dinner. It’s great to make ahead and freeze, too, whether to enjoy later on a busy day or as a meal to share with a friend in need.

While the recipe your grandmother made was a family favorite, this one is next level with a homemade sauce that will have you licking the pan.

It originated in the Chatham hotel in New York city at the Divan Parisien restaurant in the late 50’s and was considered a fancy dish to serve for company.

The sauce originally was a cross between a béchamel sauce and a mornay sauce. Homecooks soon replaced the sauce with cream of mushroom soup making it bland and not very interesting. The sauce in this recipe has been updated with no canned soup and some additions that really set it apart. It starts out the same as the sauce in poppy seed chicken casserole but has some unique additions.

It’s super creamy and packed with flavor. Ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, curry powder, onions, and white wine make a scrumptious sauce to cover the chicken and broccoli. With a crispy breadcrumb topping and a little melted cheddar cheese, this easy chicken divan recipe is great for a Sunday dinner but easy enough to make on a busy weeknight.

Making this classic recipe with homemade cream of chicken soup instead of using a canned soup is a super easy way to elevate it. Once you make it from scratch, I promise you’ll never buy a can of soup again. This recipe calls for cooked and shredded chicken. You can cook it ahead of time or use a rotisserie chicken to make your life easier and get dinner on the table in a flash. 

The sauce sets it apart from a traditional broccoli chicken casserole or chicken and biscuit casserole. So while it might seem like just another chicken casserole recipe, it’s different and interesting enough that you won’t get tired of it.

Chicken Divan freezes beautifully, you can double or even triple the recipe. Assemble it in a disposable foil casserole pan, and you can freeze it for another day. This casserole is always a crowd-pleaser, which makes it a personal favorite of mine for meal trains– drop one off for someone who just had a baby, along with a bag of egg noodles, and I promise your recipients will be thrilled. 

What to Serve with Chicken Divan

Chicken Divan is traditionally served over egg noodles to catch more of that delicious sauce, but that’s optional. You could also serve it with mashed potatoes or rice. Add a spinach salad for a lighter side dish – but however you serve it, Chicken Divan is a chicken casserole recipe that needs to be on your dinner rotation.

What’s the best way to make shredded chicken for a casserole? 

Cooked and shredded chicken breasts are a staple ingredient in many casserole dishes. There are two easy and quick ways to make shredded chicken at home, both take about 30 minutes. The first is in the  Instant Pot, and the second is to roast the chicken in the oven. You can also poach chicken or cook it in a slow cooker, but I find the oven or Instant pot are my favorite methods. Once it’s cook, check out this post about my favorite way to shred chicken – it’s mess-free and super easy to do. 

Should I use fresh or frozen broccoli for Chicken Divan?

Both fresh and frozen broccoli will work in this casserole, but the outcomes will differ. Frozen broccoli is going to be softer than using fresh. You want the broccoli to have a little bite but not be crunchy. To achieve this, try steaming the fresh broccoli just a bit in the microwave before adding it to the casserole.

If using frozen broccoli, thaw and drain completely, you will not need to microwave it, just add it directly to the casserole.

Add Chicken Divan to your dinner rotation!  

•  It’s great for busy days. Make it in the morning, the night before, or weeks in advance and freeze it. This casserole is great for making ahead when you know you have a busy day or when you have an unexpectedly hectic afternoon and need to get dinner on the table quickly. With a rotisserie chicken and some pantry ingredients, you can have dinner on the table in an hour. 

• It’s savory, creamy, and satisfying. The elements of this dish are simple, but they work together to make a seriously satisfying meal. It’s the perfect balance of cheesy, creamy, crunchy, and savory for a meal that everyone will enjoy. 

Ingredients for Chicken Broccoli Divan

• Shredded chicken: Cooked shredded chicken makes up the bulk of the casserole.

• Broccoli: You can use either fresh or frozen broccoli florets. For a crunchier texture, use fresh broccoli.

• Butter and flour: These are used to make the roux which forms the base of the sauce.

• Milk and chicken broth: Using a mixture of milk and chicken broth makes the soup flavorful but not too rich – there’s plenty of creaminess coming from the sour cream and mayonnaise.

• Sour cream and mayonnaise: I use less mayonnaise than many other Chicken Divan recipes and substitute some of it with sour cream, which I think improves the taste. I recommend using the full-fat variety of both. 

• White wine: White wine adds a little flavor, you can leave it out, if so, add a little lemon juice instead.

• Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire sauce brings a savory flavor to the casserole. 

• Curry powder: Just a little bit of curry powder adds to the flavor of the sauce without overpowering it.

• Onions: Onions add flavor to the casserole. I like a white or yellow onion for this recipe. 

• Parmesan and Cheddar: Use two types of cheese , the cheddar in the casserole and parmesan combined with the topping.

• Panko breadcrumbs: Panko gives the casserole a super airy and crisp topping. You could use plain breadcrumbs or crushed Ritz crackers.

What does curry powder do in Chicken Divan? 

Curry powder is a blend of spices inspired by the flavors of Indian curry dishes. The curry powder you probably have in your pantry has coriander, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, bay leaves, celery seed, nutmeg, clove, onion, ginger, and red pepper. YOu don’t see it in most chicken divan recipes but was always included it ours. It’s definitely a unique addition, but it’s subtle in this dish and just adds to the flavor profile – I promise it won’t taste like a curry dish. 

How To Make Chicken Divan with Curry

Step 1: Prepare the broccoli. 

Trim a head of broccoli into bite-size florets, then place them into a microwave-safe bowl and add a little water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for a couple of minutes until it has soften just a bit.

Step 2: Start building the casserole. 

Add shredded chicken to the bottom of a casserole dish, then drain the broccoli and add it on top of the chicken. 

Step 3: Make the homemade cream of chicken soup. 

Melt some butter in a skillet or saucepan, and cook the diced onion until softened. Add the flour and cook for a minute before you slowly add in the milk and chicken broth. Whisk until it has thickened. 

Step 4: Make the sauce. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, curry powder, and the homemade soup mixture. Mix in the cheddar cheese, and then pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli. 

Step 5: Make the topping. 

Mix together the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and melted butter. Sprinkle the topping over the casserole. 

Step 6: Bake the casserole. 

Bake the casserole uncovered until golden brown and bubbly. You can broil it at the end, too, if you want an extra crispy topping. Serve the Chicken Divan with egg noodles, and enjoy. 

Tips for Making Broccoli Chicken Divan

• Don’t worry if the soup seems thinner than canned– it will thicken up as it bakes in the oven.

• Cook the flour for at least one minute before adding the broth and milk. Cooking the flour thoroughly ensures the final dish doesn’t have any raw flour taste.

How To Make this Chicken Divan Recipe Ahead of Time 

If you want to make the casserole in advance, wrap the casserole in plastic wrap and foil and freeze. An unbaked casserole will last 4-5 months if you keep it wrapped tightly. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bake as instructed.

Common Questions about Broccoli Chicken Divan

Can I use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth?

Vegetable, chicken, or turkey broth will all work for this recipe.

What other veggies can I add to the casserole?

Chicken Divan is traditionally made with just broccoli, you can add spinach and it’s then called chicken florentine.

What’s the best cheese to use for the cheese sauce?

Cheddar is used in this recipe but you can also use Swiss or Gruyere.

More Quick and Easy Chicken Casserole Recipes 

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