Food

Chicken Divan

My Mom’s Chicken Divan recipe is so delicious and healthier than traditional recipes, made with rice, broccoli, chicken and a creamy curry sauce.
BY Lauren Allen TIMEAugust 18, 2023 PRINT

View the print-ready version of this recipe.

Why I Love This Meal

  • Family Favorite – My kids love my mom’s Chicken Divan recipe as much as I did at their age. It’s the kind of healthier comfort food we crave in the cooler months.
  • Healthier – Traditional Chicken Divan is loaded with cheese, sour cream, and bread crumbs, but I far prefer this lighter version! There is so much flavor in the simple homemade sauce and it hits the spot every time.
  • Make Ahead – You can prep this entire meal in the morning and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it for dinner. The leftovers are also great for meal-prep.

How to Make Chicken Divan

Cook Rice according to package instructions. Set aside.

Make Sauce: In a small saucepan whisk together milk and cornstarch then add butter, bouillon, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and parsley. Cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat then stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder.

Making Chicken Divan
(Courtesy of Lauren Allen)

Cook Chicken: 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.

Making Chicken Divan
(Courtesy of Lauren Allen)

Assemble Casserole: Spoon the cooked rice into a 9×13” pan or similar size casserole dish. Add cooked chicken and steamed broccoli on top of the rice

Making Chicken Divan
(Courtesy of Lauren Allen)

Bake: Spoon sauce over the top of the chicken and rice. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Chicken Divan
(Courtesy of Lauren Allen)

Serve hot with a green salad on the side and some artisan bread.

Chicken Divan
(Courtesy of Lauren Allen)

Make Ahead Instructions

To Make Ahead: All elements of the recipe could be made ahead and stored separately; cooked rice, cooked chicken, steamed broccoli, and sauce, and assembled when desired. Prepare this chicken divan with curry up to 2 days ahead of time (depending on freshness of ingredients) and store covered, in the fridge. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking, then bake as directed.

Recipe Variations

  • More Veggies: Substitute, or add, any of your favorite sautéed or steamed vegetables.
  • Sauce: The older version of this recipe included cream of chicken soup, in place of a homemade sauce. To use that recipe, omit the first 9 sauce ingredients, and instead, mix 2 cans of cream of chicken soup with mayo, curry powder and lemon juice.

Chicken Divan

Author: Lauren Allen
Servings: 8
Calories: 369
Cost: 8
Prep 20 Minutes
Cook 30 Minutes
Total 50 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts , or about 7 chicken tenders
  • 2 cups long-grain wild rice or white or brown rice
  • 2-3 cups fresh broccoli florets*, steamed

Sauce:*

  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon paste
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1 cup mayonnaise (or plain Greek yogurt)
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder , or more, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.

Make Sauce: In a small saucepan whisk together milk and cornstarch. Add butter, bouillon, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and parsley. Cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder.

Cook Chicken: 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.

Assemble Casserole: Spoon the cooked rice into a 9×13” pan or similar size casserole dish. Add cooked chicken and steamed broccoli on top of the rice.
Spoon Sauce over the top of the chicken and rice.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes

Notes

Broccoli: You could add or substitute any sautéed or steamed vegetables.

Sauce: The older version of this recipe included cream of chicken soup, in place of a homemade sauce. To use that recipe, omit the first 9 sauce ingredients, and instead, mix 2 cans of cream of chicken soup with mayo, curry powder, and lemon juice.

Make Ahead Instructions: All elements of the recipe could be made ahead and stored separately; cooked rice, cooked chicken, steamed broccoli, and sauce, and assembled when desired. Prepare casserole up to 2 days ahead of time, depending on freshness of ingredients, and store covered, in the fridge. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking, then bake as directed.

Nutrition

Calories: 369kcal
Carbohydrates: 48g
Protein: 12g
Fat: 14g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g
Monounsaturated Fat: 3g
Trans Fat: 0.2g
Cholesterol: 41mg
Sodium: 597mg
Potassium: 342mg
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 5g
Vitamin A: 403IU
Vitamin C: 21mg
Calcium: 106mg
Iron: 1mg

This article was originally published on tastesbetterfromscratch.com. Follow on Instagram.

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Lauren Allen is the founder of Tastes Better From Scratch. Visit her food blog at TastesBetterFromScratch.com.
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