When my little boy was 4-years-old he made an “all about me” book in his preschool class. On one of the pages they wrote and drew a picture of their favorite food. Most of the kids wrote typical things like “pizza” or “chicken nuggets” but his teachers got a huge kick out of his, which was “chicken divan”! It’s his favorite food to this day, and every one of my kids shouts for joy when chicken divan is on the menu, which is just like me and my siblings when my mom would make it for us growing up.
Traditional chicken divan is loaded with cheese, sour cream and bread crumbs, but I far prefer this healthier version!. There’s so much flavor in the yummy sauce and this is a super easy dish for a weeknight meal. Creamy chicken curry sauce layered over rice, chicken and vegetables. It’s basically a healthier version of chicken and broccoli casserole. I love that you can make it first thing in the morning and pop it in the oven at dinner time.
What is chicken divan?
Chicken divan has been a popular American casserole for many years. Chicken divan is essentially a a rice casserole layered with chicken, broccoli, and a creamy curry-like sauce. Traditional chicken divan is topped with a layer of cheese and baked in the oven.
How to make easy Chicken Divan:
First prepare 3 cups of cooked rice, one head of streamed broccoli, and about 7 cooked chicken tenders. Next, make the sauce by mixing cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise or Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and curry powder. Finally, assemble the chicken divan casserole by layering the rice, chicken and broccoli and then sauce. Bake it in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes! It’s that easy!
Ingredients in chicken divan:
- cooked chicken
- cooked rice
- steamed broccoli
- cream of chicken soup
- lemon juice
- mayonnaise
- curry powder
Consider trying these popular family-friendly dinner recipes:
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas
- Italian Grilled Cheese
- Gourmet Baked Mac N Cheese with Bacon
- Crispy BBQ Chicken Wraps
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Recipe
Chicken Divan
Ingredients
- 7 chicken tenders , cooked and cubed
- 2 cups long grain white rice or use brown rice, or wild grain)
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets , steamed
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup (or double my homemade recipe)
- 1 cup mayonnaise (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon curry powder , or more, to taste
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and cook in a hot skillet until no longer pink, flipping once. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before chopping into pieces.
- Spoon the cooked rice into a 9x13'' pan or similar size casserole dish. Layer cook chicken and steamed broccoli on top of the rice, followed by steamed broccoli pieces.
- Make the sauce by mixing the cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise or yogurt, lemon juice and curry powder.
- Spoon sauce over the top of the chicken and rice.
- Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
*I originally shared this recipe March 2014. Updated November 2018.
This meal is truly DELICIOUS!I have prepared it for family that has been making their own versions of Chicken Divan and they actually prefer this recipe to their 30 year+ recipes!
(I substitute turkey for chicken for our dietary needs).
Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe!
It’s the lady who didn’t have curry powder!
I went and bought curry powder, used the homemade cream of chicken soup recipe linked, and WOW!
This dish is delicious! I can’t WAIT for leftovers, it was a phenomenal, easy, comforting dish
Ok, I didn’t have any curry powder so I opted for a snooch of poultry spice in the sauce instead, and didn’t have the right size pan, but this recipe was delicious and my kids ate A LOT and fought over who got the leftovers too!
I put the (cooked and drained) broccoli in a food processor, as some people don’t like the chunks, but processed, ok.. I also add 1 1/2 C C Cheddar, and top with buttered croutons..
This has become my go to quick and easy dinner, because it is delicious and I always have all the ingredients. Thank you for another yummy recipe.
(Also I’ve made this with just the sauce and chicken bake, and left the rice out of the baking, when I forgot to hit start on the rice cooker 🤦♀️..but timing worked out perfect. Rice finished in the cooker and bake came out of the oven at the same time and then just scooped the sauce on top of the rice and it was delicious! )
Thanks so much Kristi–I’m happy you’ve liked it! <3
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I’m so happy you found me! I can’t wait to hear how you like the 5-week meal plan!
Super easy and the family loved it
This did not go over super well with our family. It was alright. But be warned, it makes A LOT so if you’ve never had it or you’re unsure maybe start by halving the recipe. Me, husband and two young kids (4 & 3) who are not very picky maybe ate a third of the casserole dish. I am really appreciating these meal plans though and it’s never bad to try something new!!