This is not your average canned-soup chicken divan recipe. My version has all of the hallmarks of a classic chicken divan – a creamy sauce enveloping juicy chicken and broccoli and finished with a crunchy panko topping – but it comes together in just one casserole dish. Your dinner guests will love it, and you’ll thank yourself while you clean up the dishes.
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I have to be honest, this chicken divan recipe took me several tries to get right. I wanted to give you a one-dish casserole and SO MANY of the other chicken divans out there call for: cooking the chicken, steaming the broccoli, making a soup, and THEN adding it all together for a final bake in the oven. As a very busy mom of 3 kids under 5, that just feels like way too much work for dinner. So, I worked on some hacks that also included a few whole-food ingredient upgrades.
One dish, healthy casseroles, like this confetti chicken casserole recipe and this chicken caprese casserole are a big part of my dinner-time routine, and I wanted my version of a chicken divan recipe to fit right into the rotation, which is why I’m pretty proud of this final product. And have to tell you, my husband (Austin, who’s the opposite of a foodie) WOW’ed his way through his bowl of my chicken divan. He loved it, I loved it, even my girls (1, 2, and 4) loved it.
The best part about this version is that the chicken bakes in the same casserole dish you’ll use for the final assembly. By pre-baking the chicken, you allow a lot of the moisture to release early so that your casserole stays nice and thick. The broccoli is added to the dish raw, and will release some liquid, so if that bothers you, you can steam it separately (check out this guide for steaming broccoli) and add it to the mix already cooked.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It comes together in one casserole dish – I worked out a lot of the kinks in this recipe to make this chicken divan recipe as simple as possible to cook on even the busiest weeknight.
- It’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner and elegant enough to serve at a weekend dinner party – my chicken divan recipe is a lighter, more elevated version of the classic chicken divan with the many whole ingredient upgrades I’ve made.
Chicken Divan Ingredients
You won’t find me calling for canned soup here! Follow along to find out what whole ingredients I added to take this chicken divan recipe to the next level. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Chicken – I bake the chicken in the casserole dish before assembling the casserole to keep the juices from watering down the final casserole. Leftover chicken would also work well in this recipe.
- Broccoli – for this recipe, fresh broccoli is best – frozen broccoli tends to release too much water and turn mushy when baked in the casserole.
- Sour cream – the sour cream thickens the sauce, makes it creamy, but also provides that tangy flavor you think of when you think of chicken divan.
- Panko Breadcrumbs – you can swap for a different crunchy topping if you prefer. Crushed crackers, grated parmesan, whole-wheat bread crumbs would all work well here.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Make it gluten free – swap panko for parmesan cheese, quinoa flakes, or gluten free panko (that’s what we used) if you can find it.
- Make it vegetarian – swap chicken for cubed, firm tofu here for a vegetarian twist on this classic chicken divan recipe.
- Use rotisserie or leftover chicken – use 3 cups of leftover cubed chicken breast or rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your chicken from scratch here!
How to Make Chicken Divan
While developing this recipe I discovered a few hacks and shortcuts to make cooking this chicken divan recipe a cinch. To find out how to make it yourself, follow along below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and bake in a 9×13-inch casserole dish for 18 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F at the thickest part.
Step 2: Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Step 3: Add the diced chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, sour cream and seasonings to the casserole dish. Stir together to combine. Bake the chicken divan casserole, uncovered, for 25 minutes.
Step 4: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saute pan, add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 5: Sprinkle the cheese and toasted breadcrumbs on top of the casserole.
Step 6: Bake for 10 minutes more or until the cheese is bubbly, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Chicken divan can be made ahead of time. Assemble the casserole up to the baking stage, then wrap and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.
- If broccoli isn’t your thing, you could swap the broccoli for cauliflower or asparagus for a different take on chicken divan.
How to Serve
Chicken Divan can be served as is if you’re looking for a lower carb option or over rice (white or brown) if you want to add a starchy side. You can also add a nice green salad (like this easy Italian salad, a strawberry spinach salad, or this simple arugula salad) if you’re looking for an extra veggie.
How to Store and Reheat
To store: Store any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stored this way, it’ll last for up to 5 days.
Alternatively, You can absolutely freeze Chicken Divan! I’d actually recommend assembling the casserole (leaving off the breadcrumbs) and freezing it *before* it heads into the oven. If you’re going this route, these freezer-safe casserole dishes are great.
To reheat: remove from the refrigerator and microwave or transfer to an oven-safe container and bake until warmed through.
To reheat your frozen Chicken Divan casserole, simply pop it in a 350°F oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until heated through. While the casserole is baking, make the crispy breadcrumb topping – when there is about 10 minutes left on the timer, add the breadcrumbs to the casserole, and bake until finished.
Frequently Asked Questions
Funny you should ask! We (Team Fed & Fit) actually didn’t know how to pronounce “divan” until quite recently! The correct pronunciation of the word “divan” is: duh-van (van like the vehicle).
Besides just plain delicious, Chicken Divan is a mix of broccoli, chicken, mushrooms (in this case), and a creamy sauce. So, it tastes just like those ingredients + a few spices and seasonings – it’s simple and so, so yummy.
More Favorite Casserole Recipes
If you tried this Chicken Divan recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Chicken Divan Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken breast
- 9 ounces broccoli florets
- 1 cup sour cream
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces shredded cheese
- 1 tablespoon curly parsley chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Sprinkle the chicken breast with ½ of a teaspoon of salt and bake in your 9×13 casserole dish for 18 minutes (or until it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F at the thickest part). Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, then chop into bite sized pieces.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- To the casserole dish, add the chopped chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, sour cream, and seasoning, and stir together.
- Bake the Chicken Divan casserole uncovered for 25 minutes.
- While the casserole is baking, toast the breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a saute pan, then add the bread crumbs and toast (stirring occasionally) until golden brown (about 5 minutes).
- Add the cheese and breadcrumbs to the top of the casserole, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
- Serve, garnish with the optional parsley, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Use leftover chicken – use 3 cups of leftover cubed chicken breast instead of cooking your chicken from scratch here!
- Make it dairy-free – use dairy-free sour cream and omit the cheese for a dairy-free option.
- Make it gluten-free – use gluten-free breadcrumbs (like we did!) to make your Chicken Divan casserole gluten-free.
Nutrition
I LOVE this recipe. It’s very clean and so much healthier than the traditional recipe I grew up on.
Awww yay! We are so so happy you love it, Laurel!
This method of doing chicken for a casserole is genius!! With precut broccoli and mushrooms, this comes together so quick. I added some spice blends I had on hand and some crispy onion topping for fun. I also burnt the breadcrumbs on the stove, so I ended up just topping the casserole with cheese, then bread crumbs, then a bit of oil and broiled for a few min for the last step until they were golden. Will definitely make again and probably riff on the method!
Awwww that is so sweet, Katie! We are so so happy you enjoyed it!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share!
Loved this recipe! It was so delicious and easy to make.
Yay! We are so happy you enjoyed it, Rebecca!
What would you use for bread crumbs if you are gluten free?
Hi Janean! We used a gluten-free breadcrumb made by Panko!
oh my gosh, this is SO good! We love all the recipes we’ve made from Fed & Fit (and we’ve made a lot) but this may be my favorite, we are definitely adding this to the regular rotation!
What a compliment, Samantha! We are so glad to hear that this recipe was such a hit! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. We really appreciate it. -Team FF
Made this last night and the flavor is delicious! Like another commenter, I’m used to seeing curry in a divan recipe, but my husband was happy to see it out. Made it exactly as described. Even microwaved the broccoli for about 1.5 mins to precook a bit (and drained water out of that) which made them the perfect doneness, I think. The only thing I ran into was a lot of water in the bottom of the pan. May tweak things a bit next time to try to keep that in the sauce. But other than that, it was loved by all!
We are so glad that you enjoyed this dish, Karen! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience and feedback with us. We really appreciate it! -Team FF
Just made this tonight for my family and it was loved by all!! I used what I had on hand…subbed chicken thighs instead of breasts, and plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Also didn’t have any fresh veggies but I used some frozen peas and broccoli. Other than being a little extra watery from the frozen veggies I didn’t thaw in advance, it was awesome! It didn’t take long to complete start to finish. I’ll be making this again! Thank you!
We are so glad to hear that you and your family loved this recipe, Heather! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience (and thoughtful substitutions) with us! We really appreciate it. -Team FF
This looks delicious and a dish I’ve never heard of before, so interested to try! We aren’t big on mushrooms, so is there a good replacement for them or would you just omit them entirely? Usually I would just omit, but it looks like they are used pretty heavily in this dish and thought omitting would make the ratios off.
Hi Kendall! You can omit them, and the casserole will still be delicious (and maybe even a little extra creamy!), or you can replace them with more broccoli. Hope you enjoy! We would love to hear when you try. -Team FF
Can we freeze this to bake later? How would you suggest making this for a future meal? Thanks!
Hi Deb! You can absolutely freeze this casserole to enjoy later. You can prepare and then freeze prior to the final bake (leaving off the breadcrumbs and cheese to add when you plan to eat it) or you can prepare and assemble to casserole and freeze it (after cooking the chicken, but prior to baking with the broccoli and mushrooms), then allow everything to come together when you defrost and bake it. Let us know if you have additional questions! -Team FF
Can’t wait to try this but this is the first chicken Divan recipe I have seen without curry powder. Any reason y’all didn’t include that?
Interesting, Caroline! When we were formulating this recipe, we found the hallmark ingredients to include chicken, broccoli, a creamy sauce, and a crunchy topping of some kind, so that’s what we stayed true to with our own twist. -Team FF