Classic Chicken Divan Recipes

CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large straight-sided skillet, simmer 1/2 cup water over medium-high heat, then add broccoli and a pinch of salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain well, then transfer to a large bowl; set aside. Wipe out skillet.
• Pat chicken dry; season with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken; set aside.
• 3. In same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter, then add onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and starting to brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Slowly add milk, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 9 minutes. Add 2 cups cheese, Dijon, Worcestershire, cayenne, and sour cream; stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add cheese sauce to bowl with broccoli, followed by chicken and accumulated juices; toss to combine. Transfer to a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
• In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, panko, and remaining 1 cup cheese. Sprinkle over broccoli-and-chicken mixture. Bake until bubbly and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes, then serve over noodles or rice.

CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 °F. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
• Steam the broccoli in the microwave for 4 minutes, until tender crisp. Remove and drain well.
• Place the broccoli and chicken into a large bowl.
• Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan. Sauté the onion until soft and translucent. Add in the garlic, sauté until fragrant, around 2 minutes.
• Stir in the soups, the milk, the sour cream and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli and mix well.
• Spoon out the mixture into the prepared pan.
• Top with the remaining cheese.
• Combine the ingredients of the panko topping together completely.
• Sprinkle over the top of the casserole in an even layer.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes OR until the mixture is heated and bubbling through. The topping should be brown and crispy.
• Remove and let cool for 5 minutes, then serve over rice or pasta.

CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 3-quart casserole dish.
• Arrange cooked broccoli in prepared baking dish. Arrange chicken over broccoli. Add mushrooms and water chestnuts (see Cook's Note).
• In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry powder, and melted butter. Mix together and pour sauce mixture over chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes.

TRADITIONAL CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Steam broccoli for 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Alternatively, place broccoli in a shallow bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 2-5 minutes (depending on the strength of your microwave) until crisp-tender. Drain in colander.
• In a medium frying pan, saute chicken breasts in olive oil until lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from heat and drain on paper towls.
• In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to eliminate the taste of raw flour. Then gradually whisk in chicken broth, sherry and milk or half and half, until incorporated. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until the sauce is the consistency you desire. Add just a dash of nutmeg. Add 3/4 of the cheese blend and whisk until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• In a 9x13 dish arrange chicken breasts (either whole or sliced) and broccoli. Pour sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Make several slits in the aluminum foil to allow the steam to escape.
• Note: At this point, the dish can be frozen or refrigerated.
• Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, taking off the aluminum foil for the last 10.

OLD TIME CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add broccoli, and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water to chill. Place drained broccoli into a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour begins to turn from white, to a pale beige, about 3 minutes. Whisk in sherry, chicken broth, and heavy cream until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• Pour half of the hot cream sauce over the broccoli and top with chicken slices. Stir Parmesan cheese into the remaining sauce, and pour over the chicken slices. Sprinkle top with extra cheese, if desired.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until heated through, then broil for a few minutes until top has turned golden brown.

CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Using a little olive oil or cooking spray, coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish for easy release after baking.
• Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet (at least 12 inches in diameter, with a lid) over medium-high heat. Season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper. Once the oil shimmers, place the chicken breasts into the hot skillet all tucked in next to each other (like socks in a drawer!). Brown the first side for about 6 minutes. Flip each chicken breast to the other side for additional browning, another 6 minutes. Add the 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet, pop on the lid and turn the heat down to medium low. Leave it alone for 3 minutes. Make sure the internal temperature of each chicken breast is 165 degrees F, then remove to a plate and let them rest for a minimum of 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining 1/2 teaspoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms, stirring continuously, until they are a light brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and transfer to a large bowl (at least 6 quarts in size). Add the mushrooms, broccoli, both cans of soup, mayonnaise, sherry, lemon juice and curry powder. Mix together thoroughly, then transfer to your prepared baking dish. Evenly sprinkle the cheese on top and set aside.
• Combine the graham crackers with the parsley and melted butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the cheese.
• Place the casserole on a sheet pan and bake in the oven until the top is browned and the casserole is bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve over your favorite cooked rice.

CLASSIC CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Cook broccoli until tender-crisp.
• Arrange broccoli in a 9x13 inch baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
• Place chicken on top.
• Combine soup, mayo, lemon juice and curry powder; pour over chicken.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Combince bread crumbs and melted butter.
• Sprinkle over all.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

CHICKEN DIVAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt butter in a large heavy bottom skillet. Sauté onions and garlic in melted butter until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until most water from mushroom evaporates. (3-4 minutes)
• Add wine and cook until most liquid evaporates. (2 minutes) Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and cook stirring often for one minute.
• Add chicken stock, milk, cream, salt. Mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook stirring occasionally until sauce thickens to coat back of a spoon. ( about 6-7 minutes)
• Take mixture off heat. Add all but 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, curry powder, mustard, lemon juice, and black pepper. Stir mixture until cheese melted in the hot sauce.
• Stir in broccoli florets (see note 1) and chicken. Transfer mixture to a 3 quart casserole. Top with any remaining sauce in skillet. Sprinkle remaining cheese and parmesan on the top.
• Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until sauce is bubbling on the sides, cheese has melted and slightly brown on the top. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs (optional) before serving.