I made this cheesy, delicious Chicken Divan with grilled breasts, but it’s a flexible recipe in as much as you could use any kind of chicken – or even leftover Thanksgiving turkey. It’s loaded with broccoli and mushrooms and graced with a crunchy topping. And it is outstanding.
Chicken Divan
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Dirties a lot of dishes6-8
servingsMake sure you’ve shredded the cheeses before you begin.
Ingredients
5 Tbs unsalted butter, divided, plus more for the casserole
1 lb. of broccoli
1 cup finely chopped onion (from 1 small onion)
6 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbs flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
3-4 Tbs sherry
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1½ Tbs fresh lemon juice
Salt
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded cheddar
¾-1 lb. cooked chicken breast
2 egg yolks
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Buttered egg noodles or steamed white rice, for serving
Directions
- Butter the bottom and sides of a casserole or gratin dish; set aside. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, cut the broccoli florets from the stems. Separate any large florets into smaller pieces. Slice the bottom ends of the stem and discard. Slice the rest of the stems into 1/4-inch coins. Cook the florets and coins together, until tender, about 5 minutes. The coins may need more time than the florets. If so, fish the florets out with a spider when they’re ready, and a few minutes later fish out the coins. Arrange the broccoli evenly across the bottom of the prepared casserole.
- Make a white sauce: in a small-to-medium saucepan, melt 3 Tbs butter over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms, raise heat to medium-high, and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Be careful not to let the onions brown. Stir in the flour. Let bubble for about 2 minutes. (If the mixture seems too dry to bubble, add just enough water to correct the situation.) Remove from heat, and let the bubbling stop. Slowly stir in the milk. Return the pot to the heat, and stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil – at which point it should be thickened and smooth. Stir in the nutmeg, sherry, Dijon, Worcestershire, and cayenne. Simmer 1 more minute. Off heat. Stir in the lemon juice. Add salt, to taste (perhaps 1/2-teaspoon). Cover to keep warm.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Reserve 1/8 of each cheese for garnish. Sprinkle the broccoli with half the remaining cheese. Slice the chicken and arrange it atop the broccoli. Sprinkle with the other half of the cheese.
- Whisk the egg yolks into the white sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli.
- Melt the remaining 2 Tbs butter and pour it into a small bowl. Combine with panko and the reserved cheese. Sprinkle over the sauce. Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 15 to 25 minutes. (If necessary, broil to deepen the color on the crumbs.) Let cool 15 minutes, then serve over noodles or rice.
Notes
- Substitutions: button or your favorite kind of mushroom for the cremini; port for the sherry – but in that case, cut the amount by half
Social Learning
I would suggest that you absolutely do not cook chicken just in order to make this, unless you have all day and unlimited energy. Instead, make Chicken Divan with leftover chicken. What I usually do is buy more chicken than I need for this recipe. I cook it up, set aside what I need for this dish, and make a meal of the rest. Then I make Chicken Divan the next day, or even a couple days later. Any kind of chicken will work: baked, grilled, pan-fried, rotisserie, etc. – although the most authentic way to go is poached. Also, there’s no reason you couldn’t use dark meat. Chicken Divan might also be a great use for leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
The topping and the noodles/rice are technically optional, but I always use them. The topping provides a textural contrast that is hard to imagine not wanting. The noodles/rice gives the sauce something to wrap itself around, and substantially stretches the number of servings.
Variations: as I’ve said, sky’s the limit with poultry. You could surely also swap out the veg. You might also pair it with cornbread. Even a cursory internet search will lead you to an array of spice options, such as garlic or curry.
The Backstory
Chicken Divan originated in the 1930s at Divan Parisien, a NYC restaurant that opened in the wake of the famed Delmonico’s closing. When I stumbled across this recipe in “New York City Food,” it seemed so interesting and exotic. I knew I’d heard of Chicken Divan, but I was sure I’d never had it. However, as I read through the instructions, I realized that this dish was fairly common in my early childhood, in a much more utilitarian form: chicken and broccoli in a sauce that was probably made with a can of condensed soup. If you’re someone who remembers that concoction, this is in a completely different league. It is deliriously good, and every bit worth the time, utensils, and cleanup it requires.
One of the recipes that I used as a source asked for 1/2-cup of cream to be whipped and folded into the white sauce after the yolks had been incorporated. What a fascinating idea! But the sauce was PLENTY rich without cream, so I didn’t do it.
Comments
If you have a from-scratch Chicken Divan recipe, I’d love to see it. We eat tons of chicken at my house, and with winter nearly upon us, I’d also be interested in any chicken casseroles that you’d like to send my way. Please leave links in the comments.
Chicken Divan
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thank you, Kesor. References: Food Network, Martha, The Seasoned Mom, Weber. “Chicken Divan,” in Arthur Schwartz’s New York City Food. (NY: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2004), 266-67. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #13 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.
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Have never heard of this dish, but it looks really tasty with that white sauce!
Thank you, Angie!
Chicken Divan is one of our go-to meals, especially if we have leftover roasted chicken. Next time we have it I am going to gussy it up like your recipe. Bookmarking this page for future reference.
Thanks, Anne!
It’s cool that this dish originated during the Great Depression in NYC. I’ve heard of Chicken Divan, and am pretty sure I’ve never had it.
This version is worth having!
This sounds wonderful! The recipe name made me twitch a bit – my mother in law, who hated me, used to call her sofa/couch a divan. But I’ll forgive you! Nice recipe.
Oh, I think I’ve heard that term. Sorry you had such an awful MIL!
A chicken dish with cheese and mushrooms would make my husband very happy. It looks delicious.
Thanks you!
Wow, I haven’t thought of Chicken Devan since my childhood and that was long ago in a faraway place. My mom made this this with leftover turkey, chicken, and ham. She always used frozen broccoli which made the dish watery. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t thought of the dish.
But Chef Jeff, you got me hyped to give this a try (without the frozen broccoli). I’m thinking of using sous vide chicken as we always have some bagged in the freezer ready to toss in the water bath…
Sounds like a great idea!
My mother made this for us when I was young. I think she got the recipe from The White House Cookbook. I think it was Pat Nixon. Anyway, we loved it as kids and I haven’t had it since. I’ll definitely need to make this — thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome!
My goodness this looks so yummy and what a great “comfort food” with the pasta but with chicken. Such a great recipe. I must try it soon.
Thanks, Kristy!
Bonjour .
Un très bon plat de pâte bien appétissante .
Je te souhaite une bonne journée .
Bises
Thank you, Jacques!
I don’t think I’ve ever heard the name of this recipe before (although had some similar flavour combinations). This looks insanely good – so many delicious flavours and textures going on!
Thanks, Ben!
Jeff, your Chicken Divan recipe is an absolute winner! I love how you can use different types of chicken, or even repurpose leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
Thank you, Neil!
We hardly ever have leftover chicken, but I would totally cook extra ahead of time to make this. This is one of the few dishes that I think my super picky daughter would gobble up.
Thanks!
What a perfect dish for using leftover cooked chicken, and I have some on hand right now. I’ve never heard the name before but have had similar kinds of dishes over the years, sometimes with canned soup as you say , yours looks so delicious. Cooking this from scratch makes all the difference. Great work Jeff.
You’re welcome, Pauline¡ I hope you like it!
nope never heard of this dish 🙂 I just think of lounging around on a divan … maybe the chicken is lounging around on a divan? hehehe. White sauce is the first thing mum taught me to make when i was very young. I had to sit on a high stool to reach the stove in order to stir the sauce. I have made white sauce in a couple of ways where you just dump the butter, flour and milk in a saucepan and stir till it forms the sauce – the Delia Smith way. It works! and another way where you dump the butter and flour in together and stir – that also works!
That’s pretty cool! It’s an easier sauce to make that we give it credit for.
I’m sure I’ve had this dish at my MILs at some point but to be honest, it wasn’t as appealing as your dish – which looks mouth-watering. Also a perfect dish for the cooker fall weather. I bet my Fanny Farmer cookbook would have it, possibly even my Five Roses Flour cookbook. I’ll take a look when I return home and let you know if I find anything. Happy thanksgiving.
I know your Thanksgiving is already past, but I hope it was a good one.
😋👌🥘
O.k., I’ve pinned, printed, and drooled all over this recipe. It’s called Sunday dinner!
Thanks, Julie!
I think chicken divan is a great recipe for chicken lovers. I have a great taste for chicken i will surely try it.
Thanks, Dwayne!