Name: Easy Southern Chicken Divan
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 rotisserie chicken (all meat removed and chopped or shredded) (or use 3-4 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or chopped); 10 oz frozen broccoli florets, steamed-in-bag; 1 can cream of mushroom soup; 8 oz sour cream; 1/4 cup dry white wine (or milk); 1 tsp lemon juice; 1/2 tsp curry powder; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs; 2-3 tbsp melted butter

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Chicken Divan is a classic casserole made with chicken and broccoli, baked with a sour cream and cream of mushroom soup mixture with a hint of curry and dry white wine, then topped with cheddar cheese and panko bread crumbs. Dinner is ready in about 40 minutes and makes 6 servings.

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Welcome to My Kitchen Serenity! Are you a casserole fanatic (like me)? I mean, who doesn’t love the delicious comfort food combination of a creamy casserole! In fact, you may notice that I have several chicken and beef casserole recipes on the blog. They’re just so delicious!

My other casserole recipes include:

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo with Penne Pasta

Rotel Chicken Spaghetti (#1 recipe on the blog)

Beef Noodle Casserole

What I particularly like about this recipe is how extremely easy it is. First, I’m a huge fan of store-bought rotisserie chicken. It’s a super time saver and tastes great, too! The only prep work needed is to simply pull the meat off the bones and rough chop. Some grocery stores go a step further and sell the rotisserie chicken already pulled from the bones.

We use frozen broccoli florets that you steam in the bag. Super simple! Do you like crunch? Add some slivered almonds for a delightful nutty crunch.

Panko bread crumbs are popular as a topping because they’re more crunchy and hold up better than regular bread crumbs. They’re widely available at grocery stores. If you do your shopping online, you can find panko bread crumbs on Amazon.

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Ingredient List

Substitutions and Variations

You can use 3-4 chicken breasts instead of the Rotisserie chicken. Just cook the chicken breasts till done and shred or chop.

Use leftover turkey instead of the chicken. Use cauliflower or asparagus instead of broccoli. Throw in some sliced mushrooms for a wonderful addition!

It’s perfectly fine to substitute the dry white cooking wine with milk. You can use cream of chicken soup instead of the cream of mushroom soup. If you don’t have any condensed soups, or don’t want to use the soups, scroll down for an easy and delicious alternative.

Variations for the topping include regular bread crumbs or crushed crackers instead of panko crumbs. I’ve also seen people using crushed corn flakes. You can omit the topping altogether if you want to. I’ve done this sometimes when I wanted to lower the carbs, and this casserole is delicious with or without the bread crumb topping.

Easy Directions

STEP 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Gather all your ingredients. Pull meat from chicken and rough-chop or shred. Steam the broccoli in the microwave per the package directions, till tender-crisp. Mix the soup, sour cream, lemon juice, and wine in a bowl.

STEP 2: Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Lay the broccoli and chicken at bottom of dish.

STEP 3: Pour the soup and sour cream mixture on top.

STEP 4: Sprinkle the seasonings on top. Blend well.

STEP 5: Sprinkle cheese and bread crumbs on top. Pour melted butter over cheese and bread crumbs and bake uncovered at 350F for about 30 minutes or until the topping is slightly browned.

Side Dish Suggestions

This casserole is pretty filling as is, but if you need to stretch it further, it’s wonderful served on top of rice or mashed potatoes. In addition, you can serve this casserole with a simple green salad and garlic bread. For a change of pace, serve with my Creamy Corn Salad.

Make-ahead Tips

You can make this casserole up to 2 days in advance. Assemble the casserole, without the cheese and panko crumbs. Cover the casserole dish and place in the refrigerator. Then, when ready to bake, take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (20 to 30 minutes). Proceed to Step 5 of the recipe card.

No Canned Soup Version

You can certainly leave out the condensed soup and sour cream but you’ll need to replace them with something! I suggest using the same easy, base homemade sauce that I use for my chicken alfredo. You’ll need:

Butter (2 Tbsp)
Cornstarch (2 Tbsp)
Whole Milk (2-1/2 cups)

Instructions: Melt butter in a pan, add cornstarch, and milk. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Pour on top of chicken & broccoli, proceed with recipe steps 4 – 5.

Storing Leftovers in the Refrigerator

Store any leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I prefer to use BPA-free glass containers with locking lids. Check out this 20-piece set of glass food storage containers with locking lids.

Storing Leftovers in the Freezer

Be sure to freeze in an airtight container to prevent ice crystals from forming. When you’re ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then heat in a 350F oven (or heat in the microwave) until piping hot.

If you try this chicken and broccoli divan, let me know. I’d love to hear from you!