Retro dinners are making a comeback. That’s because so many of them were quick, easy, and tasted great. While some recipes will never make it to our tables again, others fell out of favor but are coming back in a big way — just reimagined a bit.

Chicken Divan is one of those dishes. It has all of the earmarks of coming from a mid-century Southern housewife — except it originated in New York City! That’s right. The meal was created at the Divan Parisienne Restaurant at the Chatham Hotel in NYC in the early twentieth century, but it’s back and more popular than ever.

Classic Chicken Divan is served with broccoli, almonds, and Mornay sauce (a béchamel sauce with shredded cheese). This casserole brings all of the flavors together in a quick and easy weeknight-approved recipe.

Weeknight broccoli chicken divan casserole


Broccoli Chicken Divan casserole

Ingredients

  • 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
  • 2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
  • 1 can condensed cream of broccoli soup
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 tbsp butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp plain, cry breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp almonds (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
  2. Bring pot of water to a boil, then add broccoli. Cook until tender. Pour into colander in sink to drain.
  3. Transfer broccoli to 9-inch pie plate. Top with cubed chicken.
  4. In a small bowl, add soup and milk and stir until combined. Pour soup mixture over the broccoli and chicken. Sprinkle with cheese (and almonds if desired).
  5. In a small bowl, stir melted butter and bread crumbs until crumbs are moistened. Sprinkle over top of the cheese.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bread crumbs are toasted, cheese is melty, and dish is hot.

Weeknight broccoli chicken divan casserole


Also see, 9 Genius Food-Related Items Invented By Women.


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Author

Meghan is a full-time writer exploring the fun facts behind food. She lives a healthy lifestyle but lives for breakfast, dessert and anything with marinara. She’s thrown away just as many meals as she’s proud of.