This chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole, aka “Chicken Divine Casserole” is such an easy weeknight family meal or meal prep recipe, you’ll come back to it again and again!
I don’t know about you guys, but I grew up in western Pennsylvania where my family called this recipe Chicken Divine. Little did I know until I was doing research for this recipe that it was just a rustic take on what was originally called Chicken Divan, a recipe that was invented at a French restaurant in NYC. The original was served over rice (not all baked together), but hey – why not make it a full meal all in one dish?! Anyway, I got to re-experience this meal on a recent trip home to visit my parents and couldn’t help but think how perfect it would be for meal prep. So here we are, with a few twists on my mom’s recipe and just a few more directions to make the recipe easier to follow.
Weeknight dinner
Time Saving Hacks
This recipe is all about taking shortcuts to save time, making it a perfect weeknight dinner for busy families. If you have more time, you can certainly make your own chicken, rice, and cream of mushroom soup, but hey – I’m here for the kitchen hacks and I hope you are too!
- Rotisserie chicken – Grab a rotisserie chicken, then just clean and chop it to have all the perfectly tender chicken you’ll need for this recipe with zero cooking!
- Pre-cooked rice – I know this is blasphemous to some of you, but those packets of microwaveable rice are perfect for this recipe since the casserole is only in the oven long enough to heat it through and get the toppings golden brown and bubbly.
- Frozen broccoli – Skip the cleaning, chopping, and par-cooking by using frozen broccoli (just make sure the florets are in small, bite sized chunks).
- Canned soup – Yes, homemade is more delicious, but sometimes we just need the quick option!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Chicken Divine Casserole at home!
- Rotisserie chicken – I love using rotisserie chicken in weeknight meals since it takes the hassle out of perfectly cooked, tender, and delicious chicken. Just pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, take the skin off, pull the meat, and chop it. That’s it! If you’d rather cook your own chicken, my Juicy Air Fryer Chicken would work well.
- Frozen broccoli – Frozen broccoli can save time, but you can definitely use fresh instead if you prefer. Just stick it in a microwave safe bowl covered with a damp paper towel for 1-2 minutes before adding it to the casserole dish to get it started cooking.
- Rice – The original recipe calls for cooked rice, but I took a shortcut and used a packet of microwaveable rice. No need to microwave it before dumping it in to the casserole! You can certainly skip the rice if you want to go lower carb or serve it over something else.
- Cheese – I know this recipe is all about time saving hacks, but I do prefer to freshly grate my sharp cheddar for maximum meltiness. You can definitely use pre-shredded to save time though! If you want to try something other than sharp cheddar, I think a Gruyere would be awesome too!
- Cream of mushroom soup – Yep, we’re using that ubiquitous condensed soup! You can make your own if you prefer, but this is too easy not to use. You could also use cream of chicken if you don’t have cream of mushroom.
- Plain Greek yogurt – I love the tangy brightness that this brings to the party, but you can definitely use sour cream instead if you prefer.
- Chicken stock – Don’t be shy with the chicken stock! You’ll need a good amount of liquid to loosen up the creamy sauce and make sure it can distribute throughout the casserole during baking. Vegetable stock would work too.
- Seasoned bread crumbs – I highly recommend using seasoned breadcrumbs instead of plain in this recipe to maximize flavor. If all you have on hand are plan bread crumbs, add some extra seasonings to it like dried parsley, dried thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Dijon mustard – Just a touch for acidity and brightness.
- Seasonings – I used a mixture of lemon pepper seasoning, ground mustard, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, but you can definitely get creative here to meet your flavor preferences!
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Recipe
Chicken Divine Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 small to medium rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, then chopped, (600 grams)
- 1 1/2 lbs frozen broccoli florets, (680 grams)
- 1 packet Ben's Original Ready Rice Jasmine Family Size Rice, (17.3 oz / 490 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, (115 grams)
- 1 10.5 oz can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, (298 grams)
- 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt, (8 fl oz)
- 1 cup Swanson Chicken Cooking Stock, Unsalted, (8 fl oz)
- 6 tbsp 4C Panko Seasoned Bread Crumbs, (21 grams)
- 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp each: smoked paprika, ground mustard, salt, and pepper
- 1/2 tsp Oh My Spice! Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13" casserole dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk the cream of mushroom soup, Greek yogurt, chicken stock, dijon mustard, and spices until well combined. Set aside.
- Add broccoli to the bottom of the casserole dish and top with 1/2 of the rice. Top with 1/2 of the cream mixture and about 1/3 of the shredded cheddar.
- Continue layering with chicken and rice, then top with the remaining cheddar cheese and toasted breadcrumbs.
- Bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes, turning the oven to broil for the last 2-3 minutes. Watch it carefully while broiling to avoid burning the toppings.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
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