Description
Comforting chicken divan brings classic Southern charm to dinner tables with creamy sauce and tender broccoli. Cheesy, herb-infused goodness promises a satisfying meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
Vegetables:
- 16 ounces (454 grams) frozen broccoli, cooked and chopped
Dairy and Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup milk
- 10.5 ounces (298 grams) cream of chicken soup (or homemade version)
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted (optional)
Seasoning and Topping:
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the oven by heating it to a high temperature of 450°F, ensuring it’s fully preheated before cooking.
- Follow the package instructions to cook the broccoli, then carefully chop it into bite-sized pieces for even distribution.
- Arrange the cooked broccoli pieces evenly across the bottom of an 8×8-inch baking dish, creating a green foundation.
- Distribute the cubed chicken uniformly over the broccoli layer, covering the entire surface.
- Create a creamy sauce by whisking together milk, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup in a mixing bowl until the mixture becomes smooth and well-integrated.
- Gently pour the velvety sauce over the chicken and broccoli, ensuring complete and even coverage.
- Generously sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese across the top, creating a golden blanket of flavor.
- For added texture, combine melted butter with bread crumbs and delicately scatter the mixture over the cheese layer.
- Enhance the dish’s flavor profile by seasoning with a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper to personal taste.
- Transfer the prepared dish to the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, watching for the cheese to melt and become gloriously bubbly.
- Once removed from the oven, allow the casserole to rest for 5 minutes, enabling the flavors to settle and the dish to cool slightly.
- Serve the chicken divan warm, revealing its layers of comfort and flavor.
Notes
- Customize broccoli’s texture by blanching instead of package instructions for a fresher, crispier vegetable base.
- Reduce calories by substituting low-fat dairy products like Greek yogurt for sour cream and using reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup.
- Enhance protein by adding extra chicken or incorporating diced ham for a heartier meal variation.
- Create a gluten-free version by using almond flour or gluten-free breadcrumbs and checking soup ingredients for wheat-based thickeners.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg