Chicken Divan: The Classic Broccoli Casserole (Easy Recipe)

What Is Chicken Divan (and Why the Fancy Name)?

Chicken Divan is the original cheesy chicken-and-broccoli casserole — invented in the 1930s at the Divan Parisien restaurant inside New York’s Chatham Hotel, then democratised in the 1950s when Campbell’s cream-of-mushroom soup made the sauce a five-minute stir. As Holly at Spend With Pennies notes, the “divan” means a long sofa in French — the restaurant’s signature banquette gave the dish its name.

The formula is fixed: broccoli on the bottom, chicken next, cheese-sherry-curry cream sauce on top, cracker-crumb blanket, into the oven until molten. It’s the casserole your grandmother made, and it still tastes exactly right on a Tuesday in November.

Ingredients (Serves 6)

The 45-Minute Method, Step by Step

1. Preheat + prep pan. Heat oven to 190 °C / 375 °F. Butter a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish. Boil a large pot of salted water.
2. Blanch the broccoli (2 min). Drop florets into the boiling water for exactly 2 minutes. Drain and shock in ice water so they stay bright green and snappy. Spread evenly across the bottom of the dish.
3. Layer the chicken. Scatter shredded rotisserie chicken over the broccoli in an even layer. Pull the meat into bite-sized pieces — nobody wants to saw a slab in a casserole.
4. Whisk the sauce (3 min). In a bowl, whisk the soup, mayo, sour cream, 1 cup cheddar, sherry, lemon juice, curry powder, salt, and pepper until smooth. Pour it over the chicken and smooth to the corners with a spatula.
5. Build the crust. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar across the top. Toss crushed crackers with melted butter, then scatter over the cheese. That butter-cracker layer is what gives Divan its signature golden crunch.
6. Bake 30 minutes. Place uncovered on the middle rack. It’s done when the top is deep golden, the cheese sauce bubbles hard around the edges, and a fork glides through the broccoli. Rest 5 minutes before serving — as Paula Deen’s classic version reminds us, the sauce needs a minute to settle so it scoops instead of runs.

Times, Temps & Doneness Cues

Watch: The Classic Chicken Divan in Action

If you want to see the layering, the sauce whisk, and the finished crust from oven to table, this walkthrough covers it end-to-end:

Common Questions, Answered

Can I use frozen broccoli instead of fresh?

Yes, and honestly it’s foolproof. Thaw a 1 lb (450 g) bag, squeeze out the excess water in a clean towel, and skip the blanch entirely. The extra moisture is the enemy — a soggy Divan is what happens when you dump frozen broccoli straight in without draining.

What can I use instead of cream of mushroom soup?

Make a 3-minute scratch version: melt 3 tbsp butter, whisk in 3 tbsp flour for 60 seconds, then add 1 cup warm milk and ½ cup chicken stock. Simmer 2 minutes until it coats a spoon. Season with salt and a pinch of nutmeg. Uses exactly the same volume as one can.

Does Chicken Divan freeze well?

The assembled casserole freezes beautifully for up to 3 months — wrap tightly, freeze without the cracker topping. Thaw overnight in the fridge, add the topping, and bake as usual. Add 15 minutes to the bake time if it’s still cold at the centre. Leftovers keep 4 days refrigerated.

What do I serve with it?

Classic: fluffy white rice underneath and a green salad on the side. Also excellent over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or a split baked potato. For a low-carb plate, skip the starch and just add a lemony arugula salad — the casserole is rich enough to stand alone.

Chicken Divan lives in that sweet spot between weeknight easy and Sunday-supper special. Once you have a rotisserie bird and a can of soup on hand, dinner is 45 minutes and one dish away. Play with it — add sautéed mushrooms, swap the sherry for white wine, top with panko instead of Ritz. The bones of the recipe are strong enough to carry your own twist. — Emma