This is one of my family’s favorite casseroles and I figured out that it can be made either in the oven or the crockpot, making it very versatile. I’m in love with my slow cooker. There are many nights that we wouldn’t be having dinner at all if I couldn’t put it in the crockpot to cook.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 bunch broccoli (I used frozen that I cooked till tender)
2 cups cooked, chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
about 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
Put the chicken in the bottom of a crockpot or casserole dish, if you’re baking it in an oven. Layer the broccoli on top of the chicken. Stir together the soup, mayo and lemon juice. Spread this mixture over the broccoli. Top with the cheese. Bake in an oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or so. Or cook in a crockpot on low for 4-5 hours.
I think if you didn’t cook the broccoli, but left it frozen you could extend the cooking time in the crockpot if needed. After I put mine together the other day, I wondered if that would work. If someone tries it, please let me know.
that looks yummy! I think I’ll try that this week – maybe even tonight since I have to work.
ONe of my favorite recipes! YUMMMMM.
My mom made her own variation with Extra sharp Cheddar cheese and used milk to thin the cream of chicken and ommited the lemon juice and mayo, we ate it over rice, but now enjoye it over egg noodles. One of my (picky) husbands favorite meals!
This looks so good! I love my crockpot too! I’m going to try this tomorrow! Can’t wait!
I love this kind of dish – I really need to get me a new slow cooker.
Tiffany,
This looks and sounds delicious! But, I have started a low-carb diet (still eating fruits/veggies, just now breads/sweets, etc.) and I need to find a substitute for the cream of chicken. What would you recommend using in its place?
Amanda, the only thing I know of to use as a substitute for cream of chicken is to make a white sauce and use some chicken broth in it. But that wouldn’t probably qualify as low carb because of the flour. It’s also got plenty of butter, so… I’m not sure what you could use. Anyone out there have an idea?
arrowroot can be used instead of flour.
I am going to use heavy cream in place of the soup for low carb. Will serve over fired or mashed cauliflower. I’ll let you know how it turns out! 🙂
Hi, stopping in from sits!
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Ode to slow cookers and how we love thee…
YUM!!! We are having this THIS week!!!
This looks so good, I’ll have to try it. Love that it can be made in the crockpot and not heat up the house.
I have this same recipe and my family loves it. I’ve never tried it in the crockpot though.
My mom used to make something like this, but added some almonds or those crunchy noodle thingys to add some texture.
I’ve made this dish in the oven with frozen broccoli and it does work just fine! I’m excited to try the other recipes this week.
I made this and it was delicious! I served it with garlic and bacon mashed potatoes but my husband decided the next time I make it we will serve it over toast points.
I made it today and while we all loved it, it was very salty. Did I do something wrong? I put the broccoli in frozen but couldn’t you put the chicken in frozen as well?
Brenda, I’m not sure why it was so salty. I’ve not had that problem before. Could it be the brand of cream soup you used? I usually just use Walmart brand, so nothing special. Hmmm. Does anyone else have ideas for Brenda on why it turned out salty?
As far as cooking from frozen, I don’t think this dish would turn out quite the same if you used frozen raw chicken. However, if you’ve precooked the chicken and then frozen it you could just thaw it enough to break it up a bit and add it frozen. Did that make sense?
i dont see why you couldnt put the chicken in raw & the broccoli in frozen, if you are cooking it all day
You can, I have!
Yum! Made it for dinner tonight. I waited too late to do it in the crockpot, so we had the casserole version. Everyone ate it…no leftovers. Love your site! Thank you.
P.S. Apple Crinkle is in the oven, making the house smell delicious!
Brenda, I just saw your comment about it turning out salty. I would guess that it would be the brand of soup, as well. Although some cheeses are saltier than others, I would think you would be able to distinguish that it was the cheese, if that were the problem. It might also turn out saltier if you used leftover chicken that had been seasoned previously, like a rotisserie chicken. I would say it’s worth another try.
OH MY Goodness!! So much for leftovers. lol that’s not gonna happen with this dish!! my family loooooved this dish; even the picky eater.
It appears that we made recipes off each other’s blog last night. 🙂 I actually had some cooked turkey in the freezer, so I used that instead of chicken. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. Easy peasy and super yummy!
I have made this several times now in my crockpot and I start with frozen raw chicken breasts, then pour the sauce over it and cook on low for 3 hours. I then added the broccoli (frozen), stirred it a bit, topped with the cheese and cooked it another 2 hours. It came out great!
Amy, that’s a great way to cook this in the slow cooker. I’ll have to try that method myself. Thanks for sharing!
LOVED it!!! great flavor (i was short on chicken though). thanks for the recipe!!!
Do you think I could make this the same, but with fresh broccoli, not frozen? I’m wanting to try this recipe this week and have fresh on hand. Thanks, love your site!!
Renae, fresh will work fine. Just cook it before you add it to the other ingredients.
I have made this for years in crock pot it’s my husbands birthday dinner along chiclet sheet cake
For his birthday cake
He has to have it I have made all ways
I cooked fresh
Frozen
And pre cooked
All ingredients versions
I don’t add salt just pepper as for season
Cheese can make it salty tasting too so not as much cheese sometimes
And it’s come out great every time Also used sherry and
Worcestershire At times too
In place of my lemon juice
And biggest tester is my hubby and he still loves it
I have used raw no pre cooked
All ingredients stuck it in crock pot low cooked all day comes out great still
I don healthier versions
Low sodium chicken broth for my liquids Used mushroom soup instead of celery soup
I don’t use cream chicken
Cream of shedder in place of shredded sometimes too
But the fun thing is you can mix this up so many versions and it works
Instead of mayo Skipped it too
It works
Omit pasta , rices or substitute cauliflower rice and veggie pasta
But my family prefers it chicken broccoli only way
There’s paleo version too
And all ingredients can be swapped to heather substitutions. I have done it
The key to avoid dry chicken is keep it wet make sure your liquids are good 👍
I love chicken divan but I make mine a little different!
* Half a bag of frozen broccoli, steamed
* Cooked chicken, torn in pieces
* 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
* 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
* 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
* 5 cups corn flakes
Butter a casserole dish and lay the steamed broccoli at the bottom. Lay torn chicken on top of broccoli. Mix cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheese and lemon juice and add as third layer. Melt a stick of butter and add crushed corn flakes with butter and sprinkle on top. 350 in the oven for an hour!
Jennifer, thanks for sharing your recipe. I bet the cornflakes give it a great crunch!
Do you think you could use canned chicken? not really a fan of canned chicken but others in the family are…
Kara, you can use canned chicken. I don’t usually, but I have before to save time.
Thanks tiffany, Just figured I’d ask, because i think using canned throws the flavor off, or maybe just doesn’t taste as good. lol. Thanks again! love the site!
This is what I have been looking for a Chicken Divan for the crock pot that has cheese on it. Can’t wait to try it.
Just curious if you cooked this in the slow cooker or the oven for the picture above? I’m trying to get an idea of which method would make the cheese look like that. Thanks,
I’m pretty sure I used the slow cooker.
I make something very similar to this. Instead of Mayo I use Miracle whip and add 1/2 -1 t of curry powder – adds a little zip.
I also don’t cook the broccoli – I just thaw and drain (that’s the key or it gets watery)
Any idea of the sodium content? I tried a different chicken divan recipe and it was almost too salty to eat. Is there any way to reduce the sodium content if it’s really high?
Taja, you could use low sodium soup. Or you could make a homemade cream soup substitute (basically white sauce) and use that instead of the soups to lower the sodium.
Can I use Cream of Brocolli soup instead?
Tamara, I think that would work fine.
Has anyone done a calorie county for this or other meals on here? I would love to use something like this, but have been trying really hard to use only healthy, low-cal meals for our family lately. I’m thinking this one could maybe be slimmed down with non-fat mayo, reduced fat soup, and part skim cheese? May have to try and find a calorie counter….otherwise I think this could be a great solution for our family. Thanks for the resource!
Amy, you’re right, this recipe is not low calorie at all. I like your ideas to slim it down though!
My grandma made this and it’s one of our family favorites! The only difference is we add a little curry to the sauce. It gives it a warm, wonderful flavor. It doesn’t really make it taste like curry but just adds some depth. Love it!
We love this recipe. We usually add 1 tsp. of curry powder, which adds to the flavor quite a bit. Love your website!
Great recipe! the only thing i did different was add uncooked minute rice in the last hour of cooking along with 2 cups of water… YUM! will do again!
CZorzo, love the rice idea! Great addition!
How much Minute Rice do you use?
I just put this in the oven a few minutes ago! It smells SOOOOO good! I do not cook at all and since me and my husband have moved I am trying to be more domestic so i’ve been looking for recipes to try! I couldn’t wait to try this when I found it on pinterest! I will post back and let everyone know how it turned out!
This stuff was AMAZING!! My husband and almost 3 year old loved it too!
How many does this feed? It is going to be my first family meal to cook!
This recipe feeds 6-8 people.
I am officially domesticated! My family was super impressed since I have never made anything harder than easy Mac! It was GREAT and 5 of us ate on it with about a serving leftover. We had it with squash casserole, mashed taters, and stove top!
I would not put frozen broccoli in, as it defrosts it might add to much moisture to the mixture. Could be wrong, don’t know.
The extra moisture doesn’t hurt at all… I used frozen about 3 hours through and just tossed it on top with some mushrooms and covered it. It turned out perfect
I made this using 4 frozen chicken breasts and a bag of frozen broccoli. I did not thaw or pre-cook anything. I put it in the crockpot on high for about an hour then turned it down to low. I had it in the crockpot for about 5 hours. I think it would have been fine on low the whole time.
It’s very good!!
Kate, thanks for sharing how this worked out. I’m glad to hear that it works great. I’m all for lazy cooking 🙂
This was the reason I went out and bought a bigger crock pot. I added some mushrooms too it and ate with with stuffing the first night… With waffles for breakfast (leaving off most of the sauce) and then turned it into a noodle casserole the next night.
We decided that this is going to be our thanksgiving this year since it’s just a few of us… a couple turkey drumsticks and a turkey breast.
Honestly one of the best recipes I’ve ever made.
Sounds delicious but I would use fresh broccoli.
I made this for the second time this past weekend for my Mother’s Birthday Dinner & Celebration. It was a big hit. I used raw chicken breasts, cut in half, and cooked on low for five hours. You really need to serve this with rice, noodles, potatoes, bread, something to soak up the gravy. We served it over instant rice yesterday.
I’m a loyal Kroger shopper. They were out of Kroger brand reduced fat cream of chicken. They had something new, Kroger brand, blue & white label, called “cream of chicken for cooking”, on sale 10 for $10, so I tried it instead. Beware! It is thinner than regular cream of chicken. My gravy was a little thinner than I would have liked. But, it was still yummy!
Thanks for he heads up when I go to King Soopers )Kroger in Colorado) I will have to check that out.
When my mom used to make a dish similar to this she used to take about a cup to a cup and a half of ruffles chips and crunch them up and sprinkle them under the cheese. When the casserole was all done cooking it had a crust of sorts.
Add curry powder and you take this thing to a whole new level. Everyone loves it.
Have you ever put all the ingredients into a bag and froze it? I’m wondering if the soup or the mayo would separate? I’m new to freezer cooking, but would love to try this out.
I haven’t tried freezing this one. I’m not sure how the mayo would do. If you decide to try it, let me know how it works!
Do you think you could use raw chicken? since you can cook raw chicken in the rcock pot for 4-6 hours.
You can use raw chicken. I know some readers have done it that way.
I do this same casserole only first I take a pkg. of Stovetop chicken flavored stuffing cooked according to directions, beat an egg and when the stuffing is cooled mix in the egg, Drop it by spoonfuls on top of casserole and sprinkle shredded cheddar on top. Really a complete meal with a salad.
Love the idea of adding the stuffing. Do you do that prior to cooking the casserole? Is that in the crockpot or in the oven. Thanks for the idea
I am thinking about making this for a freezer group meal, would you prepare it any different? It sounds AMAZING!
Hey ladies!
Back in the ’50s and 60’s a Chicken Divan recipe was given to all new brides. Cause it is quick and easy and most husbands love it! Believe it or not the recipe has not changed much, it’s like the green bean casserole recipe. All time favorites! I love ’em too!
Hi, Thanks for the crockpot suggestion; I can’t wait to try it!
My recipe is just a bit different:
About 1½ lbs. cut up cooked chiken breast
2 pkg. cooked broccoli (I use 1½-2 bags to get more veggies into husband depending on bag size)
1 lg. can of cream of chicken soup (it’s a little more than 2 cans) – I get it at Walmart
1 cup mayo
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. curry powder
1 cup cheddar cheese (although I like the suggested idea of using sharp)
½ cup bread crumbs sprinkled on top (I think I will eliminate for crockpot version)
350 for 1 hour
I was wondering what other kinds of veggies that can be used instead of broccoli..im unable to eat broccoli cause of medical problems. Suggestions please.Thanks so much
You could try it with asparagus or cauliflower.
Since I have a Pampered Chef rockcrok I can brown my chicken breasts before adding the other ingredients!! Love being able to do this. Then I just dump other stuff, stir a bit and let it do its thing. 😀