Chicken Divan is a recipe that I knew nothing about ten years ago. I’m embarrassed to admit I’d never heard of it. When it arrived at our house as a thoughtful gift, my husband and I examined it and were immediately skeptical. However, after tasting it for the first time, we were both hooked. It fits perfectly in the “One Dish Wonder” category and we love it! It was a recipe I made often when I first received it, but as time went by, I used it less and less.
For me, recipes are memories, and Chicken Divan is a recipe that has some bittersweet ones. We love the creamy sauce, buttery bread cubes, and moist chicken. Plus, we are eating broccoli! (healthy!!!) However, the recipe arrived after we lost our daughter at 34 weeks into my pregnancy. So eating this dish brings back some sad memories, but it also helps us to remember the caring people who surrounded us during that difficult time ten years ago. If you have lost a child, I can understand your sense of loss. Even though we never met Sarah, she holds a special place in our hearts.
The other day I decided to pull out this recipe again. After sitting in my recipe box with little use over the past few years, I thought I might update it. I have never liked the fact that the original recipe called for canned cream soup, which I despise. I know, everyone you know likes Green Bean Casserole with canned cream of mushroom soup. Well, I don’t. For some reason, I am totally opposed to canned creamed anything. Sorry! So, I decided to modify this recipe and see if I couldn’t come up with a Chicken Divan sans cream soup. I think I nailed it! 🙂
Chicken Divan (without canned cream soup) Recipe…
3-4 c. chopped broccoli (I use the florets, but you can use stalks, too. Or use 2 boxes of frozen broccoli spears like the original recipe calls for.)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
1/4 c butter
6 T. flour
2 c. milk
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 t. black pepper
1 t. curry powder
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 T. sugar
2 c. bread cubes
1 stick of butter, melted
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 375°. Next, spray a 9×13 pan with oil and arrange broccoli in an even layer at the bottom. Arrange the chicken breasts on top of the broccoli. (I use them frozen, and they will thaw while baking. I just make sure to check the internal temperature is over 165° before adding the cheese at the end.)
The next step is to make the canned soup replacement. A more fancy term would be “béchamel.” Basically, this is a white sauce. Please use it instead of canned cream of chicken soup. It is so much better! (If you must substitute, a can of cream of chicken soup will cover for this sauce.)
For the béchamel:
- Melt 1/4 c. butter in a large skillet. Add 6 T. of flour to melted butter and cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbly and raw flour flavor is cooked out.
- Slowly add milk, whisking until there are no lumps. Add chicken bouillon cube and cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly and bouillon is dissolved. Whisk in black pepper.
- Remove mixture from heat. Stir in curry, mayonnaise, and sugar. Pour sauce over chicken breasts.
- Melt one stick of butter in microwave safe bowl. Toss with bread cubes until evenly coated and place over sauce and chicken in casserole dish.
Bake this for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches above 165°. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty.
The result…
The sweet curry sauce works very well with the broccoli and chicken, and the buttered bread cubes create a recipe fit for serving to company. Now that I have an updated recipe without canned cream chicken soup, I think I’ll be making this a lot more!
If you’ve noticed the beautiful blackberry pottery in this post, I just picked this up during a trip to St. Charles, MO. There is a quaint Polish pottery shop located on South Main Street called Siostra where I HAVE to stop every time we are in town. The owner, Katheryne, is beyond helpful and the pottery is amazing! I love that I can bake in it, serve the recipe, and easily clean the pottery in my dishwasher. It comes out looking beautiful each time. I wasn’t able to bake the Chicken Divan in a piece of Polish pottery, as I don’t have a large enough casserole…yet! 🙂 If you are ever in the St. Charles, MO, area, I would highly recommend stopping at Siostra. It is so much fun!
Please try this Chicken Divan recipe and let me know what you think. If there are recipes you treasure not only because they are tasty but they hold special memories, please feel free to share your story! I’d love to hear it. 🙂 Have a blessed week!
Notes
A can of cream of chicken soup can be substituted for the bechamel, though I wouldn't recommend it. 🙂
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
- 3-4 c. broccoli florets (or 2 boxes frozen broccoli spears)
- 1/4 c. butter
- 6 T. flour
- 2 c. milk
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1/4 t. black pepper
- 1 t. curry powder
- 1/2 c. mayonnaise
- 1 T. sugar
- 2 c. bread cubes
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Spray a 9x13 pan with oil and arrange broccoli in an even layer at the bottom. Arrange the chicken breasts on top of the broccoli. (I use them frozen, and they will thaw while baking. I just make sure to check the internal temperature is over 165° before adding the cheese at the end.)
- For the béchamel: Melt 1/4 c. butter in a large skillet. Add 6 T. of flour to melted butter and cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbly and raw flour flavor is cooked out.
- Slowly add milk, whisking until there are no lumps. Add chicken bouillon cube and cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly and bouillon is dissolved. Whisk in black pepper.
- Remove mixture from heat. Stir in curry, mayonnaise, and sugar. Pour sauce over chicken breasts.
- Melt one stick of butter in microwave safe bowl. Toss with bread cubes until evenly coated and place over sauce and chicken in casserole dish.
- Bake this for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches above 165°.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melted.
For other traditional recipes that I’ve remade without canned soup, you might like to try my Green Bean Casserole or Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole.
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