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Our mom made this Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole recipe often for Sunday dinner and whenever I smell it cooking, it always takes me back to her kitchen on a peaceful Sunday afternoon. We would request it all the time.
There are some recipes on our blog that are tried-and-true favorites from our childhood and Mom’s easy chicken broccoli casserole (chicken divan) is one of them.
If you have picky eaters who don’t love vegetables, this is a recipe that you need to try. The cheesy sauce mixed with the cooked broccoli is pretty delicious.
Want even more recipe ideas that use already made chicken ?! Try these 45 Cold Chicken Recipes (Best Leftover Chicken Ideas)!
Make sure you have these ingredients to make Mom’s Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole:
- Fresh mushrooms
- Provolone cheese
- Use 1/2 cup sour cream in place of half of the mayonnaise
- Water chestnuts
- Cream of Broccoli soup instead of Cream of Chicken soup
- Cheddar cheese soup instead of Cream of Chicken soup
- Top with French fried onions instead of bread crumbs
- Top with corn flakes instead of bread crumbs. We always serve this casserole with baked potatoes, but it’s also delicious with mashed potatoes or cooked rice.
Don’t forget these items too:
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How to make the BEST Chicken Broccoli Casserole (Chicken Divan) Recipe:
- The idea of this recipe is simple – layer chicken and broccoli in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- Make the creamy sauce by mixing the cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder.
- Pour this combined mixture over the broccoli and chicken.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.
- Break bread into small pieces and combine with the melted butter. Sprinkle the bread pieces over the cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until it’s golden and bubbly.
- You have a comfort-food dish that your whole family will love.
Helpful tips when you are making this Chicken Divan Casserole:
Chicken Tips:
- When it comes to the cooked chicken, I make it a couple of different ways. Sometimes I will boil whole frozen chicken breasts and place them on top of the cooked broccoli in the pan.
- Sometimes I chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and spread it evenly over the broccoli (like in the picture above).
- If I am really short on time, I will grab a rotisserie chicken at the store and shred it up, then spread it over the broccoli.
- If you have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, this casserole is a great way to use it up as well.
Sauce Tips:
- Now for the creamy sauce…trust me, I know that the ingredients seem a little strange, but their combined flavors are incredible.
- You will need 2 cans of cream of chicken soup (I usually grab the reduced-fat version), mayonnaise, a little lemon juice, and curry powder.
- The curry powder adds this little kick of flavor that makes the entire dish. Mix these ingredients together and add to the chicken and broccoli in the pan.
Looking for more chicken casserole recipes? Here are a few of our favorites:
- Pesto Chicken Casserole
- Teriyaki Chicken Casserole
- Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
- Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Alfredo Gnocchi Casserole
- Chicken and Black Bean Casserole
- Easy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Mom’s Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole (Chicken Divan) Recipe
This Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole is a family favorite. Add broccoli and chicken to a creamy sauce, top with cheese and serve over cooked rice or potatoes.
Serving
Ingredients
- 2 bunches fresh broccoli, (can also use frozen)
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (cooked and cut into pieces if desired)
- 2 (10.5) ounces canned cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1½ slices bread
- 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook broccoli in boiling salted water until tender and drain.
- Arrange stalks in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
- Place cooked chicken breasts on top of broccoli.
- In a medium bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder; pour over chicken.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Break bread into small pieces and mix with melted butter. Sprinkle over shredded cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
- You can also use bread crumbs in place of the sliced bread with butter.
-
Sometimes I add a couple tablespoons of milk to the soup mixture so that it makes a “gravy” and serve that over baked potatoes as a side dish.
Nutrition
Calories: 363 kcal · Carbohydrates: 21 g · Protein: 28 g · Fat: 19 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 83 mg · Sodium: 985 mg · Potassium: 864 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 4 g · Vitamin A: 1308 IU · Vitamin C: 137 mg · Calcium: 197 mg · Iron: 3 mg
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I made this for dinner tonight and am posting about it on my blog tomorrow. Delicious and easy! Thanks so much! I love this blog. Keep up the good work ladies.
you can use corn flakes instead of the bread crumbs and it is really good too! Just soak them in the butter and put them on about 10 minutes before its done in the oven and let them bake some
I use almost exactly this same recipe, only I use cheddar cheese soup instead of cream of chicken, & I use french fried inions for the topping, then serve over rice. Always a favorite at my house!
This is the EXACT recipe my mom made growing up as well. It’s now one of my hubby’s favorite dishes. We always serve it over rice. Delish!
I made this for dinner last night. It was very good!
Site suggestion: it would be nice if the recipes contained nutritional values. Thanks.
We make the same thing but instead of bread crumbs we make a box of stove top and put it on before topping with cheese. makes it more substantial so we don’t serve over rice, we eat it just as is.
Can you use this as a freezer meal? Wondering if it freezes well.
I have never tried it as a freezer meal, but I think that it would probably freeze just fine!
Hang tight . . . it’s coming!!! 🙂 Hopefully in the next 60-90 days. 🙂 We have some big and exciting changes!
Hi. I am going to cook this tonight but noticed that the chicken has to be cooked. I am planning to bake the chicken ahead in the oven for about 20-30 with some garlic and onion powder. What do you do with yours?
We just boil our chicken breasts until cooked through. It always turns out moist.
This recipe has been in our family for 30 years and one of our favorites! Ours is just a little bit different, but the changes make a huge difference: Add a can of sliced water chestnuts (these MAKE the recipe!), chop the chicken up and sprinkle it over the broccoli instead of leaving the breasts whole, and instead of bread crumbs, in the last 15 minutes of baking, top with garlic & cheese croutons and then sprinkle with the cheese. LOVE IT!
Oh good and beautiful food. chicken-broccoli is too good food
Also really good with asparagus in place of broccoli!
This was my FAVORITE childhood recipe! My best friend’s mom would make it and every time they had it, she had to invite me over for dinner because I loved it so much! Can’t wait to make it again this week! It’s funny how much food can bring back so many memories!
Oh, really awesome recipe, i was looking for this and want to share this on fb page.
Do we cover the dish while it bakes in the oven?
Either way is fine. We often cover it while cooking. Or you can leave it uncovered and then halfway through the cooking time, lay a sheet of foil over the top. You don’t want your cheese to get burned or crispy.
How much would 6 boneless chicken breasts be if I’m just using left over chicken?
This sounds great but I have left over chicken and turkey many times.
About 5-6 cups of diced chicken for Mom’s Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole (Chicken Divan).
Its 2019 and I still dont see the nutrional information. Am I missing it?
Made this with my own twist and loved it! Thanks for the inspiration!
Fabulous and it is my husbands favorite meal! I put more cheese and in the mixture and more on top! I used Panko bread crumbs and Frenchs onion rings both! Yummy. Thanks as usual!
This has been a favorite since i can remember….so much that i dont need a recipe. Its almost the same ecept no bread crumbs on top and only one can of the soup. Its perfect…I say if it’s not broke don’t fix it:) My brother will just about eat the whole thing himself.
Do I have to cook the chicken first, won’t it cook in casserole chopped in pieces
Instead of boiling the chicken or using already cooked, I will cut up the breast into bite size pieces and sauté the pieces adding some curry to that. One large breast and one can of soup is more than enough for me and hubby. I also nuke the broccoli in the same dish I will put the casserole together in. Been using this recipe for years. Originally got it from a friend then saw it in an old Better Homes and Garden Casserole Cookbook. Exactly the same. So very delicious. Good to serve for company.
It won’t cook all the way through if you put the chicken in raw.
We just love this to go dinner recipe. We make it once a week and we love it. Always with slight changes here and there (broccoli on its own or broccoli and carrots, over rice, with salad, over baked potato, with tender stem broccoli, with asparagus, with 1tin of chicken soup 1 tin of mushroom soup or just 1 tin of the soups and 300ml of single cream, with different curry powders, or even jerk seasoning with or without the mayo,) always a favourite! Thank you !
Your recipe substitutions sound amazing! We are going to have to try some of them!
Great suggestion. The cornflakes added the perfect crunch. Delicious dinner!
Steam the ckn with lemon pepper and ckn broth,20 min or so, then cool slightly and cut into cubes.
Can u substitute Greek plain yogurt for the Mayo?
That should work great!
Yes, you can substitute the Greek yogurt for the Mayo. The taste will be slightly different, but it should still be good.
I try this recipe, and the result was so good, thanks, and I will share your website on my official Facebook page!
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Yes, if that is what you would prefer. We like the chicken breasts because they are boneless. You can use thighs bone in or boneless.
Can you suggest what you would use instead of cream of chicken soup if you are unable to eat lactose. My twins are newly lactose intolerant but I LOVE broccoli cheese casserole and would love to make this with the lactose free cheese. But I don’t know how to do without the soup. Love your meal plans and trying to adapt to this new life!
You can make your own cream of chicken soup. I found a dairy free cream of chicken soup recipe for you. Here is the link – https://www.food.com/recipe/dairy-free-cream-of-chicken-523883
This recipe is exactly the one I was looking for but even better! Thanks for sharing this childhood classic!
Hi Emily. We are so glad you like it! It’s one of our family favorites!
This was delicious. My four year old asked for three helpings..specifically asking for broccoli. I used 2 breasts and pan fried them with celery powder, onion powder, Himalayan salt, and garlic powder, I mixed the soup and milk with dill week, and topped with both french fried onions and the tiny bit of bread crumbs I had left. I served with baked potatoes as suggested. I think I will add carmelized onions and celery next time. It’s a keeper!
What were your variations?
This is same recipe that my mom has made for many years and it is a family favorite! We like things spicy, so we use way more curry powder than called for and serve it with wild rice and a salad. So simple and yet so delicious!!!
There is an error in the directions. Two 10.5 cans of soup would be 21 oz not 20.1 as stated in the recipe.
It’s in the oven right now! I had some mushrooms that needed to be used so I sautéed them and layered them in the casserole dish first, before the broccoli and chicken. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Adding mushrooms will be so tasty!
I made this recipe this evening for dinner tomorrow. I baked it, covered for 25 minutes. I did not put the buttered cornflakes on top though. I thought I would do that when I re-heat it. How would you go about re-heating this dish? I was thinking 350 in the oven again covered and then take the foil off for the last 10 to 15 minutes to put the topping on and let it brown up. What do you think?
That will work great for reheating. Just watch it closely so it doesn’t dry out.
I love this recipe. I serve it with fresh fruit and homemade rolls.
I love this the only suggestion I have is to use Swiss cheese grated
I’ve been making this for 30 years. It is fantastic! Instead of breadcrumbs I do Ritz crackers mixed with butter & the Cheddar Cheese. Sooo yummy!!
That would be delicious!