Chicken Divan
Chicken Divan is a dish my mom made often when I was growing up, so to me it will definitely always be a comfort food classic. If you haven’t had it before, it’s a very simple and tasty casserole made with chicken, broccoli, cream of chicken soup, mayo, and in my mom’s version, curry powder and lemon juice. The dish is topped with cheddar cheese and crunchy breadcrumbs, and can be served on it’s own or over rice, which is how my mom usually serves it. I tried out her recipe using lighter ingredients and it still had all the comforting, nostalgic, savory flavor I remember from my childhood. The curry powder really makes the sauce shine – don’t skip it! I always just use the McCormick version which should easily be found at most grocery stores. One hearty chicken breast with broccoli, smothered in sauce is just 403 calories or 6 WW Points! To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here! Add these ingredients to your shopping list now, this will likely be a recipe you’ll want to add to your regular rotation.
Looking for more lightened up comfort food casseroles? Check out my Bubble Up BBQ Chicken and Beans Bake, Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Chickpea Bake, Meat and Potatoes Bake, Spinach and Chicken Phyllo Bake, Bubble Up Chicken Alfredo Bake, Cottage Pie, One-Pot Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Bake, Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Potato Bake, Chili Cornbread Bake, Bubble Up Pizza Casserole, Layered Chicken Enchilada Bake, Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Casserole, Eggplant Parmesan Casserole, Bubble Up Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, Chicken Parmesan Quinoa Bake, Deep Dish Sloppy Joe Casserole and many more in the Casseroles section of my recipe index!
Chicken Divan
Ingredients
- 5 cups broccoli florets
- 6 (6 oz each) boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (on the thinner side), total of 36 ounces
- 2 (10.75 oz) cans of Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 cup Hellmann’s Low Fat Mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 oz 50% less fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I use Cabot)
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Place the broccoli florets in a microwave-safe bowl and cover the bowl with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 2-3 minutes on high until lightly tender. Spread the broccoli evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.
- Lightly mist a large skillet with cooking spray and bring over medium-high heat. Arrange the chicken cutlets into a single layer in the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes until the bottom is seared golden. Flip the cutlets and sear for another 2 minutes until the other side is golden as well. Do not worry if the chicken is not cooked through, you’re just searing the outside here, it will cook in the oven. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer on top of the broccoli in the casserole dish.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, curry powder and lemon juice until well combined. Spread the sauce evenly across the top of the other ingredients in the casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top and follow with the bread crumbs.
- Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is bubbly.
Notes
Green: 8 SmartPoints/ Blue: 6 SmartPoints/ Purple: 6 SmartPoints Weight Watchers Points Plus:
10 per serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers brand PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition information below) lightly adapted from Mama Bites
My mom made it too . She used cream of mushroom soup and mayo but also used curry and lemon juice. Thanks for “ remaking” a childhood favorite
Aw, that’s awesome!
I swear; Emily. Your mom and mine must have had the same cookbook. From the Doritos taco salad to the Nance’s mustard, you often post recipes that make my heart ache for my childhood. I can’t WAIT to make this! Thank you for bringing back so many of your childhood faves—because they’re mine, too!
This comment made my day! Our moms have great taste, haha. I hope this tastes like home for you!
I just made this last night but with a few changes, all for simplicity. I used 4 chicken breasts, but I just salt and pepper them and bake them in the oven for 30 minutes on 350, then I take them out and let them sit. Then I cut up the broccoli and I used some asparagus too as I had lots in the fridge. I put it in the bottom of the casserole dish raw. I spray the casserole dish with cooking spray first. Then I chop up the chicken into bite size pieces and place it on top of the raw veggies. Top that with just one can of soup and 1/2 cup light mayo. Btw, I use cream of mushroom soup. Oh and I use a tablespoon of curry. One teaspoon is not near enough, lol! Spread that on the chicken and then top with 1 cup of low fat tex mex cheese. I don’t use breadcrumbs. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes and it is one of our favorites.
Thanks Emily for all of your great recipes. Btw one of my favorites is your Enchilada stuffed chicken shells! A bit of work but worth it 🙂
I do think the teaspoon is enough, of course, but I appreciate your input. Sounds like you’ve found what works for your family and I’m sure it’s delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Love this! My mom made it and called it Chicken Bingo because she got the recipe playing bingo with friends
Ahhh, that’s so cute!
What if you’re unable to find low fat mayonnaise? And also I figured its 1 chicken breast but how much broccoli mixture do you get?
You can certainly use a different mayonnaise, you’ll just have to recalculate the nutrition information or points (if tracking) with whatever ingredients you’re using if you use different ones than I did. It makes 6 servings, so you take one chicken breast and 1/6th of the pan of broccoli (what’s underneath your chicken breast). Enjoy!
Emily,
If I made this ahead of time (Thursday night for a Saturday night dinner), should I cook it after I make it and reheat on Saturday night or should I make it Thursday night, refrigerate it and then bake it on Saturday night?
Looks like a perfect dish for a girls’ weekend in the NC mountains!! (Plus I am on Weight Watchers!)
hankyou.
If I made this ahead of time (Thursday night for a Saturday night dinner), should I cook it after I make it and reheat on Saturday night or should I make it Thursday night, refrigerate it and then bake it on Saturday night?
Looks like a perfect dish for a girls’ weekend in the NC mountains!! (Plus I am on Weight Watchers!)
This was easy to put together and yummy! I used half mayonnaise and half greek yogurt. I think next time I’ll use all greek yogurt,(personal preference). Thank you Emily, you never disappoint.
I made this tonight and it was deeeeeeeelicious AND easy to make. Thanks so much for this recipe and all the other ones that you “lighten up” – they’re great!!
I used to make this all the time in college except with cornbread stuffing and butter drizzled all over the top. I made your version last night and just left out the mayo. (never had it with mayo before!?) Anyways it came out perfect and I can’t wait for leftovers this week. Thank you for sharing!
Just made this for the first time – perfect blend of creams and spices with a hint of curry. A fun dish to make, thanks for a good recipe!
This was really freaking good!!!!!! And you are totally right about the curry powder….I was unsure but it really added such a good flavor. I might even double it next time. My mouth is watering just thinking about leftovers for dinner tonight. Thank you!!
This has been a once a week recipe in our house since the first time I made it! Thank you for a recipe that is WW friendly for me and passes the picky eaters in my house (4 year old son, husband, and my dad).
Hi Emily, I don’t have curry powder on hand- any suggested substitutes? Thanks!
Not really, unfortunately, the curry powder really gives it the stand-out flavor! You can certainly make it without it but it will taste significantly different.
I’ve made this for ages, but I use white cooking wine instead of the curry.
My mom always made this growing up, too! Thanks for the lightened version! Do you think you could shred a rotisserie chicken for this recipe? Thanks!
Sure! You probably wouldn’t need to bake it as long since you’re not trying to cook the chicken.
I made this tonight. I used two chicken breasts cut them in half, accidentally misread the recipe and used one entire lemon, and didn’t have curry on hand (idk how this happened) so I used cumin. This was delicious. I loved it, my daughter loved it and my significant other is crazy and didn’t but that’s okay!
Great recipe and thank you!
This was amazing! My husband LOVES original Chicken Divan, so I was nervous about making a lightened home version. He loved this version. He said “yeah, you can keep this in the mix.” Thank you!
Can you use chicken breast cut in half or do they need to be cutlets? Also how much of the broccoli is a serving? Thanks!
Can you make ahead of time and bake next day?
It’s a snowy March day, we’re all in quarantine and this was absolutely AMAZING! Followed it exactly and it was so filling and delicious. Even my picky kids ate it! Perfect comfort food for these uncertain times. Thank you Emily!
I just made this last night and it was great! Everyone loved it. I use a lot of your recipes and I was looking for something different. This one did the trick. Funny thing is I had heard of this dish but never had it, made it or knew what it was.
Thanks!!
Has anyone made this ahead of time. I am thinking about preparing on Sunday and then baking it Monday night. Not sure how it will hold up?
Emily’s recipes never disappoint!! I know when I make one of her dishes it’s not going to taste like thrown together canned food, she takes the extra little steps to make her recipes outstanding. This is a dish that my family loved but I also feel like I could serve it to guests. The only modification I made was to sauté the broccoli with some onion in the same pan I sautéed the chicken in instead of microwaving it. Delicious!
Thanks you so much, Samantha! I’m glad this was a hit and you made my day!
Emily–Thanks so much for your recipe for Chicken Divan! My mom (who would have turned 100 in January) made this as a special treat in our family and your recipe is the closest to hers among all the versions I have seen on the internet. (Of course, back in the day there was no lightening up anything!) I love Chicken Divan so much that it was the star of my Bridesmaids’ Luncheon when I got married. My birthday is this week and instead of going out, I am going to treat my self to all the Chicken Divan I want! Thanks for a great recipe!