Dump and Bake Chicken Divan

Chicken Divan is as classic as casserole gets – many of us have been making it for decades, since it’s a crowd-pleasing complete meal in a baking dish that isn’t all that hard to prepare. Well, I have good news for you. This recipe makes it even easier. (And it’s still just as delicious!) With this ‘dump and bake’ version, there’s no sauce to prepare, no broccoli to blanch… you just stir everything together, pop it in the oven, and you end up with a classic, flavorful dinner that everyone (cook included) is happy about.

The original Chicken Divan was made with a bechamel sauce and Gruyere cheese, but over the years it’s been tweaked and simplified by busy cooks with kitchen shortcuts like cream of ‘whatever’ soups and sometimes even Velveeta. While you can of course still make the original from-scratch version when you’ve got the time, this ‘dump and bake’ variation lets you make it on any busy weeknight.

All you have to do is stir together some chopped or shredded chicken, broccoli florets, cream of chicken soup, mayo, white wine, and lemon juice, top it with shredded cheddar and breadcrumbs, cover it and pop it in the oven. It takes just about thirty minutes to bake and then you’ve got delicious Chicken Divan to dig into… and all you had to do was stir a few things together!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups chicken, cooked and diced
• 1 (24 oz) package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
• 2 (10.5 oz each) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Place chicken and broccoli in baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together soup, mayo, wine, and lemon juice. Pour over chicken. Top with cheese.
4. Stir together breadcrumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over cheese.
5. Bake until bubbly and cheese has melted, 25-30 minutes.