Four cups of broccoli briefly steamed, three cups of cooked chicken, and a sauce of condensed soup loosened with sour cream and mayonnaise and sharpened with Dijon.
Cheddar goes on in two layers and a buttered panko crust goes over the top, for twenty-five to thirty minutes at 375°F.
Why This Recipe Works
- The broccoli is steamed for three to four minutes and no longer. It has another half hour in the oven ahead of it, and florets that go in fully cooked come out grey and collapsed.
- Sour cream and mayonnaise together rather than either alone. The sour cream brings acidity and the mayonnaise brings the fat that keeps a condensed-soup sauce from tasting thin and tinny.
- A teaspoon of Dijon in a dish this rich is doing more than it looks. It is the only sharp note against soup, sour cream, mayonnaise and a cup and a half of cheddar.
- Draining the broccoli well is a real step. Steamed florets hold a surprising amount of water and it goes straight into the sauce, thinning it in the oven where it cannot be corrected.
- Panko rather than fine breadcrumbs, tossed in butter. It stays coarse and audible under a fork, which is the only textural contrast in an otherwise soft casserole.
The Dish, Bottom Up
Divan is a stacked casserole rather than a stirred one, and the order it is built in is what keeps the broccoli identifiable instead of lost in sauce. Read from the base of the dish upward.
Buttered panko and the last half cup of cheese
Panko tossed with a tablespoon of melted butter, scattered with the remaining cheddar. The butter is what lets panko brown in a 25-to-30-minute bake; dry crumbs come out the colour they went in.
One cup of cheddar
Straight onto the sauce. This layer melts down into it and thickens the sauce as it bakes.
The sauce, spread over
Condensed cream of chicken soup whisked with sour cream, mayonnaise, a teaspoon of Dijon and half a teaspoon of garlic powder. Spread rather than poured, so it settles between the florets instead of running to the corners.
Broccoli and chicken, arranged
Four cups of florets steamed 3 to 4 minutes to bright green and just tender, drained well, then arranged with three cups of chopped cooked chicken. Arranged, not mixed — the two stay distinguishable on the plate.
Ingredient Notes
- Broccoli florets
- Four cups, and the larger measure in the dish. Cut them to an even size so three to four minutes of steam brings them all to the same point.
- Cooked chicken, chopped
- Three cups, already cooked — poached breast, leftover roast or rotisserie all work. This casserole is not designed to bring raw chicken up to temperature.
- Condensed cream of chicken soup
- One 10.5-ounce can, undiluted. The sour cream and mayonnaise are the liquid here; adding the can of water it usually calls for would flood the dish.
- Sharp cheddar, divided
- A cup and a half in two unequal parts: a cup over the sauce, half a cup into the topping. Sharp rather than mild, against a very rich sauce.
- Panko and melted butter
- Half a cup tossed with a tablespoon of butter. Tossed until every crumb has some — dry patches stay pale while buttered ones brown.
How to Make It
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Steam the broccoli
Steam the broccoli for 3 to 4 minutes, until bright green and just tender; drain well.
Whisk the sauce
Whisk together the soup, sour cream, mayonnaise, Dijon and garlic powder.
Fill the dish
Arrange the broccoli and cooked chicken in the baking dish and spread the sauce over them.
First cheese layer
Sprinkle with 1 cup cheddar.
Make and scatter the topping
Mix the panko with melted butter and scatter it over the casserole with the remaining cheddar.
Bake
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbling and golden at the edges.
Rest
Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Success Tips
- Shock nothing and skip nothing: bright green and just tender is a three-to-four-minute window.
- Shake the colander properly, then let the broccoli sit a minute before it goes in the dish.
- Whisk the sauce until the soup has no lumps left before it touches the casserole.
- Spread the sauce with the back of a spoon rather than pouring it in one place.
- Toss the panko in the butter until it looks evenly damp, not just drizzled.
Serving Ideas
Rice or a soft roll to catch the sauce. It is rich enough that a plain green salad with a sharp vinaigrette is the more useful companion than another hot side.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The panko softens overnight — that is unavoidable and the oven brings some of it back.
Freeze
Freeze cooled portions for up to 2 months, ideally without the panko topping, which does not survive a thaw. Add fresh topping when reheating.
Reheat
Reheat uncovered at 350°F for 20 minutes, until steaming hot throughout. Uncovered is what re-crisps the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was my casserole watery?
Broccoli that was not drained well enough. Steamed florets hold water in the crowns, and it all releases into the sauce once the dish is in the oven.
Can I use frozen broccoli?
You can, but thaw and drain it thoroughly first and skip the steaming — frozen florets are already blanched, and they carry far more water than fresh.
Can I start with raw chicken?
No. The recipe calls for three cups of cooked chicken and a 25-to-30-minute bake, which is not designed to bring raw chicken safely to temperature inside a sauced casserole.
Can I leave out the mayonnaise?
You can double the sour cream instead, but the sauce will be noticeably sharper and thinner. The mayonnaise is the fat that keeps the condensed soup from tasting flat.
