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Is anyone else in a cooking rut right now? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with this easy creamy chicken divan recipe.
Chicken Divan Recipe
If you love dinners that are quick, easy, filling, creamy, hearty, with a vegetable already included and then topped with buttery crushed ritz crackers, this chicken divan recipe is for you! I know that list got extremely specific, but this take on a chicken and broccoli casserole is the best quick dinner you’ll taste this week.
Chicken divan is one of those dinners that tastes like you spent all day making it when it actually took you less than 25 minutes! With a quick, homemade replacement for cream of mushroom soup, this is ultra creamy and tastes, well, divine. With other time-saving hacks like using rotisserie chicken and steaming frozen broccoli in the microwave, you’re going to be impressed with yourself for getting this yummy dish on the table so quickly!
Ingredients in Chicken Divan
- Salted butter, divided
- All-purpose flour – The butter and flour combo at the beginning is called a roux – this will help thicken the sauce.
- Chicken broth
- Heavy cream – A lot of chicken divan recipes use cream of mushroom soup, but we do everything from scratch here which is way better IMO and just as easy!
- Garlic powder – Feel free to season how you want here!
- salt
- Paprika
- Oregano
- Black pepper
- Steamed Broccoli – I just toss my broccoli in the steamable bag in the microwave while I put the sauce together.
- Shredded rotisserie Chicken – I use rotisserie chicken because it makes this dish SO fast and easy. But you can also use other shredded cooked chicken.
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese – Cheese both thickens and flavors the sauce here so don’t skimp.
- Ritz crackers, crushed – The ritz on top is literally my favorite part of this dish. You can also use club crackers or panko crumbs if you’d rather.
How to Make Chicken Divan
- In a large saucepan, melt 2 tbsp of butter completely.
- Add the flour and let the roux cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly add the chicken broth to the pan while whisking.
- Add the heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, paprika, oregano and black pepper to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil. The sauce should thicken slightly.
- Add in the steamed broccoli and shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Reduce heat until just simmering. Add in the shredded cheeses while stirring. Stir until the sauce has thickened.
- Pour the contents of the pan into a 2 qt casserole dish.
- Turn on your oven to the ‘broil’ setting.
- Sprinkle the crushed ritz crackers on to the top of the casserole.
- Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and drizzle onto the ritz crackers.
- Broil the casserole until the ritz crackers are golden brown and crispy.
- Serve over pasta or rice. Enjoy!
Can I prepare Chicken Divan in advance and bake it later?
Yes, you can! After making the chicken divan mixture, store in your casserole dish in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, heat in the oven until warm and then top with the ritz cracker/butter combination and broil until golden brown and crispy.
What side dishes pair well with Chicken Divan for a complete meal?
I love to serve this with a green salad (Olive Garden style is perfect here) and a fruit, like strawberries or fresh peaches. Even though there is broccoli in the casserole, you can also serve this with another vegetable like green beans.
More Rotisserie Chicken Recipe
Chicken Divan
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp salted butter, divided
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 (scant) tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 (heaping) tsp salt
- 1/4 (heaping) tsp paprika
- 1/4 (heaping) tsp oregano
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups steamed broccoli
- 2-3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 sleeve ritz crackers, crushed
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter completely.
- Add the flour and let the roux cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly add the chicken broth to the pan while whisking.
- Add the heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, paprika, oregano and black pepper to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil. The sauce should thicken slightly.
- Add in the steamed broccoli and shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Reduce heat until just simmering. Add in the shredded cheeses while stirring. Stir until the sauce has thickened.
- Pour the contents of the pan into a 2 qt casserole dish.
- Turn on your oven to the ‘broil’ setting.
- Sprinkle the crushed ritz crackers on to the top of the casserole.
- Melt the remains 2 tbsp of butter and drizzle onto the ritz crackers.
- Broil the casserole until the ritz crackers are golden brown and crispy.
- Serve over pasta or rice. Enjoy!
This was the best Chicken Divan I have ever made. I followed the recipe to a fault. My only concern is: it will never feed 8 people!! We barely were able to feed five of us as it was too delicious to have small portions. It’s at the top of my favourite chicken recipes. Thanks for developing this.