Chicken Divan

Chicken, broccoli, rice and cheese combine for this comforting classic – this Chicken Divan recipe is a dinner that the whole family will love.

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This Chicken Divan is the ultimate comfort food! If you love comforting casseroles, you can also try this Penne Pasta Bake, Tuna Casserole, or this Beef Enchilada Casserole.

Sometimes, you just need to throw it back to an old school comfort casserole. I’m definitely not too good for a good casserole, and this Chicken Divan has to be up there among those comfort food casseroles that I love. This one definitely wouldn’t be put in the healthy every night category, but this is just pure comfort food, through and through. This casserole recipe is super easy to throw together, so there’s not a ton of time spent prepping. And it’s always gobbled up by the family, which is a huge selling point!

I think that Chicken Divan is one of those dishes that most of us have had – or at least a version of it – at one time or another in our lives.  I can tell why, because it is a delicious, family friendly meal.  This is probably a great way to get your children to eat their veggies! (Even though I’m not claiming it’s a healthy meal overall!!)

What Is Chicken Divan?

Chicken Divan is a dish that was originally made in the early 1900s – created in a restaurant in New York City called the Divan Parisienne Restaurant. It was served as their signature dish, a chicken casserole served with broccoli and a mornay sauce.

Today, it is a comforting casserole dish, consisting of chicken, rice and broccoli in a creamy sauce. It is often made with condensed cream of chicken soup and mayonnaise (although this version has neither!)

Ingredients

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: you’ll cut these into bite-sized pieces.
• Salt and Pepper: I always say the seasoning can make or break a dish!
• Heavy Cream: yeah, it’s not healthy. But it’s oh, so good. You can try to use half and half instead, or even milk, but the end result won’t be as creamy.
• Chicken Broth: I always get low-sodium.
• Dijon Mustard: I say don’t skip this because it brings in such a great flavor!
• Instant Rice: I’m not usually a lover of instant rice, but it works so perfectly in this recipe! If you want to use regular long-grain rice, you’ll most likely need to add in a bit more liquid.
• Frozen Broccoli: Thaw and chop it. You can sub in fresh broccoli, if desired. If you chop it small enough, you can add it as is, but if it’s not cut small, you’ll want to par-boil it first.
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese: I like to use sharp because it adds more flavor.
• Ritz Crackers: The cracker top is my favorite! Crush these into crumbs for the topping. It’s also delicious if you mix a couple tablespoons of melted butter into the crumbs, but it’s not required. If you don’t love the crackers, try panko breadcrumbs instead.

How to Make Chicken Divan

1. Place the chicken in a casserole dish and season with salt and pepper.
2. Combine the cream, chicken broth and mustard and bring to a boil.
3. Add the rice to the boiling mixture.
4. Pour this over the chicken, and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the casserole dish from the oven.
6. Add the broccoli and the cheese.
7. Stir to combine everything. Your dish will be pretty full, so stir carefully.
8. Crush the crackers into rough crumbs. I like to do this in a ziplock bag, then use my hands to turn them into crumbs.
9. Pour the crumbs over the top, then bake the whole casserole for 5-10 more minutes.

Tips and Tricks

This freezes well. You can freeze the leftovers, or make an extra casserole dish and freeze the whole thing. If freezing the whole casserole, I suggest wrapping it and freezing it before the final bake, and wait to add the cracker crumbs on until you are ready to bake it. Thaw the whole casserole dish in the refrigerator overnight, then add the crackers and bake until it is heated through and bubbling on the sides.

Any leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Make sure they are in an airtight container. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave.

I think this is pretty perfect as is, but if you want to make it saucier, feel free to add in sour cream or cream of chicken soup when you add in the broccoli and cheese. These are common ingredients in chicken divan, but I love this version without either!

Both the chicken and the rice go into the casserole raw and will cook as the casserole bakes.

More Favorite Chicken Recipes

Chicken a la King
Butter Chicken
Chicken Pot Pie
Poppy Seed Chicken
Chicken Tamale Casserole
Chicken Paprikash
Chicken Chimichanga Recipe
Skillet Chicken with Garlic and Herbs

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Chicken Divan

4.50 from 4 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 38 minutes minutes

Total Time: 48 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

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Chicken, broccoli, rice and cheese combine for this comforting classic – this Chicken Divan recipe is a dinner that the whole family will love.

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ 2 cups heavy cream
• ▢ 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ▢ 2 cups instant rice
• ▢ 2 10-oz packages frozen broccoli, thawed and chopped
• ▢ 2 cups 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ▢ 36 Ritz crackers crushed to coarse crumbs

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450ºF.  Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Spread the chicken pieces into the bottom of the prepared pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Combine the cream, chicken broth and dijon in a large saucepan and cook over medium-high until boiling, about 8 minutes.  Alternately, you can do this in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave.
• Add the rice to the boiling mixture, then pour over the chicken in the baking dish.  Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
• Pat the broccoli dry, then add it and the cheddar cheese to the chicken mixture in the baking dish, stirring to combine.  Sprinkle the Ritz crumbs over the top.  Return the pan to the oven and continue to bake until the edges are bubbling and the crumbs are browned, about 5-10 minutes.

Recipe Notes:

source: America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use milk instead of cream, but it won’t be as thick or rich. Long grain rice can be used, but you’ll need to increase the liquid. Fresh broccoli can be used instead of frozen. If it is chopped pretty small, you can add it in raw. Any bigger and you’ll want to par-boil it first. You can also use panko breadcrumbs instead of the crackers.

FREEZE: This makes a lot, so feel free to freeze any leftovers or make a second one to freeze for later. If freezing, I suggest waiting to add the cracker crumbs until it is ready to be baked.

STORE: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can reheat in the oven (covered with foil) or you can reheat individual portions in the microwave.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8 of recipe, Calories: 707kcal (35%), Carbohydrates: 42g (14%), Protein: 36g (72%), Fat: 45g (69%), Saturated Fat: 23g (144%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 164mg (55%), Sodium: 995mg (43%), Fiber: 24g (100%), Sugar: 4g (4%)

Keywords: chicken divan, chicken divan casserole, chicken divan recipe