One of my favorite dinners is Chicken Broccoli Casserole, also known as Chicken Divan. Layers of broccoli, chicken, the most creamy, cheesy delicious sauce and then crunchy stuffing on the top make this chicken bake a treat! My mum used to make this all the time when we were growing up so this is a handed down recipe that takes me back to my childhood. There is something about hot, melted, creamy cheese over anything just makes my mouth happy. Also, putting broccoli in it makes you feel like you served up something somewhat healthy, (but no-one complains because it’s drenched in cheese.)
A couple of suggested shortcuts to make cooking dinner even easier:
- I love to use the meat off a rotisserie chicken to make this dinner come together even faster than it is, (but if I don’t have that, I will season 2-3 good size chicken breasts with some salt and pepper, cut them in to cubes and then cook them until they just start to brown in a frying pan.)
- For the broccoli I usually just buy a bag of pre-cut fresh broccoli florets, (not frozen, it’s not as nice), so use that shortcut to save chopping time.
- I have adapted the recipe to include double the topping from what my mum used to serve because it’s our favorite part, so feel free to do one box of stuffing or 1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs or crackers with 3 Tbsp butter instead if you don’t want as much crunchy goodness on there. It works just great that way too.
- As a note, if you are feeding a small family or are empty nesters, you can quite easily half this recipe and bake it in a 9×9 pan.
Ingredients:
- 12-16 oz fresh broccoli florets, blanched
- 2-3 chicken breasts, seasoned, cubed and cooked, (or use the meat off a a rotisserie chicken – my fav)
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cups sharp cheese, shredded
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 6 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 boxes of dry chicken Stove Top stuffing mix, (or sub 2-3 cups panko breadcrumbs or crumbled Ritz crackers)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- To blanch the broccoli florets, place them in a saucepan with about an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil, tossing the broccoli in the water. Boil for one minute, then immediately remove the broccoli from the saucepan and place in a large bowl of iced water then drain.
- For the chicken, either cut the meat off a rotisserie chicken and cube it or cut 2-3 good size chicken breasts in to cubes, season with salt and pepper and pan fry until browned.
- Place blanched, drained broccoli in casserole dish, and then layer the cooked chicken on top.
- In a mixing bowl, stir the cream of chicken, mayo, sour cream, sharp cheese, lemon juice and curry powder together then spread that mixture on top of the broccoli and chicken.
- Toss the melted butter with the dry stuffing mix, (or breadcrumbs or Ritz cracker crumbs.) Sprinkle it all over the casserole.
- Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 mins then serve!
Photos updated March 2021
Chicken Broccoli Casserole (Chicken Divan)
Chicken Broccoli Casserole or Chicken Divan is a chicken bake with layers of broccoli, chicken, creamy cheesy sauce and then crunchy stuffing on the top.
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz fresh broccoli florets, blanched
- 2-3 chicken breasts, seasoned, cubed and cooked (or use the meat off a a rotisserie chicken – my fav)
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cups sharp cheese, shredded
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 6 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 boxes of dry chicken Stove Top stuffing mix (or sub 2-3 cups panko breadcrumbs or crumbled Ritz crackers)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- To blanch the broccoli florets, place them in a saucepan with about an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil, tossing the broccoli in the water. Boil for one minute, then immediately remove the broccoli from the saucepan and place in a large bowl of iced water then drain.
- For the chicken, either cut the meat off a rotisserie chicken and cube it or cut 2-3 good size chicken breasts in to cubes, season with salt and pepper and pan fry until browned.
- Place blanched, drained broccoli in casserole dish, and then layer the cooked chicken on top.
- In a mixing bowl, stir the cream of chicken, mayo, sour cream, sharp cheese, lemon juice and curry powder together then spread that mixture on top of the broccoli and chicken.
- Toss the melted butter with the dry stuffing mix, (or breadcrumbs or Ritz cracker crumbs.) Sprinkle it all over the casserole.
- Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 mins then serve!
Notes
A couple of suggested shortcuts to make cooking dinner even easier:
- I love to use the meat off a rotisserie chicken to make this dinner come together even faster than it is, (but if I don’t have that, I will season 2-3 good size chicken breasts with some salt and pepper, cut them in to cubes and then cook them until they just start to brown in a frying pan.)
- For the broccoli I usually just buy a bag of pre-cut fresh broccoli florets, (not frozen, it’s not as nice), so use that shortcut to save chopping time.
- I have adapted the recipe to include double the topping from what my mom used to serve because it’s our favorite part, so feel free to do one box of stuffing or 1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs or crackers with 3 Tbsp butter instead if you don’t want as much crunchy goodness on there. It works just great that way too.
- As a note, if you are feeding a small family or are empty nesters, you can quite easily half this recipe and bake it in a 9×9 pan.
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