Nutritious

Delicious Broccoli Chicken Divan Recipe

NorthbirdLeave a comment

Find Northbird on social media:

Jump To Printable Recipe Card

Return to “Soups & Entrees”

About This Dish…

This is one of my grandmother’s tried-and-true recipes, and trust me, its a gold one! Since finding it in her recipe book last year we have made it many times and enjoyed a few emergency freezer meals that of it too!

Full of excellent nutrition, this tasty dish is a great no-stress meal to serve hot on top of some fluffy rice!

I love the way the flavours of broccoli and chicken are wrapped together with a creamy mix and coated with a generous layer of cheese (and many of those crave-able dinner dishes have that bubbly delicious cheese, am I right?!).

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!

History of Chicken Divan:

This dish is a classic American casserole, often dubbed nowadays as a “comfort food”. Although there are many variations, this recipe always seems to consist of chicken and broccoli and is baked in a bubbly cheese sauce. It is thought to have originated in early 1900s in New York City at the Divan Parisien Restaurant. It was served for many years as their signature dish.

How to Make Broccoli Chicken Divan:

Supplies Needed:

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken breasts, cubed and browned
  • 3 medium stalks broccoli, broken into florets (you could also sub in cauliflower, or frozen broccoli/cauliflower)
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 10oz / 284ml (cream of chicken or celery is also nice)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 cup grated cheese (I like cheddar with this recipe)
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • Paprika, sprinkled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 ℉

2. Cut and brown the chicken in a little oil or butter, then set aside.

3. Cut the broccoli into small florets and steam or boil until mostly cooked through (skip this step if using frozen broccoli as it has already been par-boiled).

4. Put the broccoli and cooked chicken into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan or casserole dish.

5. Dice up the onion and sprinkle on top.

6. In a small bowl, blend together the creamed soup (undiluted!), sour cream and curry powder.

7. Pour and spread as a next layer in the dish.

8. Grate cheese and spread over top.

9. Cut butter into small bits and dot over the cheese.

10. Sprinkle the top with paprika.

11. Bake at 375 ℉ for 20-25 minutes or until browned on top.

12. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve warm over rice.

13. Makes 6-8 servings.

Saving the Leftovers?

  • Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge and eat up within 3 days.
  • For the freezer: put in a sealed container, label, and best to use up within 3 months. To thaw, put in fridge overnight and then reheat in microwave/oven.

Make it a Bake-From-Frozen Freezer Meal!

  • Follow the directions above, and use an aluminum freezer safe dish to layer the chicken divan in.
  • Tightly wrap the top in aluminum foil and label. If possible, put the wrapped divan in an extra large freezer bag to keep it fresh longer and prevent freezer burn. Alternately, add another layer of aluminum foil, wrapping it completely around and tightly pressing it down. Label!
  • To bake: preheat oven to 400 ℉, and remove all wrappings except 1 layer of aluminum foil on the top.
  • Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the last layer of aluminum foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until fully heated through.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes then serve warm with rice.

Made this Recipe?

I’d LOVE to see your results!! Feel free to post to your social media account and tag Northbird using one of the links below or post in the comments!

Other Soups and Entrees to Check Out:

Hi, I’m Jessie!

I’m a Wife and Homeschooling Mom living in a remote town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I love making wholesome meals for my family from scratch, homeschooling our girls and learning more about natural living.

Read more about my story HERE.

Subscribe to Northbird’s email list to get weekly posts on: tasty recipes, activity ideas for kids, natural living tips, and some genuine mom thoughts and encouragement!

Recent posts from Northbird:

Easy Broccoli Chicken Divan Casserole

  • Servings: 9x13 inch dish
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Full of excellent nutrition, this tasty dish is a great no-stress meal to serve hot with some rice!


Jessica Burman via Juanita Lambert, 2025 © The Northbird Blog. https://www.thenorthbirdblog.com

Supplies Needed:

  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Can opener
  • Measuring cups
  • Cheese grater
  • 9″ x 13″ baking pan
  • Small bowl

    • Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts, cubed and browned
  • 3 medium stalks broccoli, broken into florets (you could also sub in cauliflower, or frozen broccoli/cauliflower)
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 10oz / 284ml (cream of chicken or celery is also nice)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 cup grated cheese (I like cheddar with this recipe)
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • Paprika, sprinkled

    • Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 375 ℉
    2. Cut and brown the chicken in a little oil or butter, then set aside.
    3. Cut the broccoli into small florets and steam or boil until mostly cooked through (skip this step if using frozen broccoli as it has already been par-boiled).
    4. Put the broccoli and cooked chicken into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan or casserole dish.
    5. Dice up the onion and sprinkle on top.
    6. In a small bowl, blend together the creamed soup (undiluted!), sour cream and curry powder.
    7. Pour and spread as a next layer in the dish.
    8. Grate cheese and spread over top.
    9. Cut butter into small bits and dot over the cheese.
    10. Sprinkle the top with paprika.
    11. Bake at 375 ℉ for 20-25 minutes or until browned on top.
    12. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve warm over rice.
    13. Makes 6-8 servings.

    Additional Notes: Leftovers

    • Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge and eat up within 3 days.
    • For the freezer: put in a sealed container, label, and best to use up within 3 months. To thaw, put in fridge overnight and then reheat in microwave/oven.

    Additional Notes: Make a Freezer Meal

    • Follow the directions above, and use an aluminum freezer safe dish to layer the chicken divan in.
    • Tightly wrap the top in aluminum foil and label. If possible, put the wrapped divan in an extra large freezer bag to keep it fresh longer and prevent freezer burn. Alternately, add another layer of aluminum foil, wrapping it completely around and tightly pressing it down. Label!
    • To bake: preheat oven to 400 ℉, and remove all wrappings except 1 layer of aluminum foil on the top.
    • Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the last layer of aluminum foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until fully heated through.
    • Let sit for 5 minutes then serve warm with rice.

    Nutrition


    Per serving: 411 calories; 32 g fat; 13.2 g carbohydrates;
    21.2 g protein.

    Return to Top

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure HERE.

    Fun Owl Bird Snack Recipe for Kids

    NorthbirdLeave a comment

    Find Northbird on social media:

    Jump To Printable Recipe Card

    Return to “Deserts & Snacks”

    Return to “Discovering Birds”

    Somedays, our 3 kids remind me of little birds…one is contentedly “peeping”, while another is incessantly “chirping”, and of course there’s one that just noisily “squawks” if basic needs have not been met (sometimes constant cuddles with Mom strongly falls under this category!)

    Let me just say, I love these darlings. Period. However… there are days when the constant noises of active and most-of-the-time happy kids becomes too much for my ears! (Am I right fellow parents?!)

    My coping solutions to the noise?? Calming music for me (usually classical), and a good supply of nutritious snacks for these kiddos! Most of the time they can be easily distracted with food… because the majority of the time a contented tummy and full mouth doesn’t need to squack, right?!

    About this Snack/Activity:

    This snack was fun to make! It not only challenged the creative/artistic side of my brain, but was super tasty to eat too!

    The kids and I had been learning about owls and nocturnal animals in homeschooling and this was a perfect mid-morning snack to go along with it! (The hubby was also home that day from teaching at the high school and was quite happy to get a snack that was more interesting than his usual)

    Ingredients to Use:

    • Rice cakes were used for the body of the owl. Any large round one works, there are so many types and flavours! We like the plain ones best for this snack though.
    • For the base we used natural peanut butter, but you could also use other nut or seed butters, or hummus! Lather it on thick, this is the main protein part of this snack!
    • We used dehydrated strawberry chips for the owl ears, but you could also use fresh strawberries or another fruit and cut it to size. If you want to learn how to dehydrate your own strawberry chips like we did, you can check out THIS POST to find out more.

    • For the eyes, we sliced on fresh “banana dollars“. (My kids love their bananas!)
    • The wings were made using dehydrated peach slices, which could of course be substituted for fresh slices of peach. Apple or pear slices would work great too!
    • Raisins are the decorative part that tie it all in. You could also sub in cranberries, or other dried berries for this part.

    Activities to do with this Owl Bird Snack:

    Kids can not only have fun putting this tasty snack together, but they can also use the following resources for learning more about owls.

    Craft Activity:

    Cut out and paste shapes to create an Owl. You can download this free pdf HERE.

    Educational Videos:

    This is a a super fun video for younger learners, lots of energy, diagrams and some amazing facts discussed about owls.

    This video is longer, at 14 + 1/2 minutes, and probably better suited for grades 1 and up. It is a very well done video by BBC Earth, and shows some baby owlets hatching! It also answers some questions such as “How can Owls fly so quietly?” and “How does an Owl’s hearing work?”
    As a heads up: there are some mice that you see getting gobbled up!

    How to Make this Owl Bird Snack:

    Supplies Needed:

    Ingredients:

    Directions:

    1. Spread the peanut/seed butter or hummus on the rice cake nice and thick.
    2. Place the Strawberry slices as ears, banana slices as eyes, and peach (or other) slices as wings.
    3. Place the raisins for additional feathers, a beak, and in the center of the banana eyes.
    4. Eat!!!

    Made this Recipe?

    I’d LOVE to see your results!! Feel free to post to your social media account and tag Northbird using one of the links below or post in the comments!

    More Desert & Snack Recipes:

    Posts on “Discovering Birds”

    Hi, I’m Jessie!

    I’m a Wife and Homeschooling Mom living in a remote town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I love making wholesome meals for my family from scratch, homeschooling our girls and learning more about natural living.

    Read more about my story HERE.

    Subscribe to Northbird’s email list to get weekly posts on: tasty recipes, activity ideas for kids, natural living tips, and some genuine mom thoughts and encouragement!

    Recent posts from Northbird:

    Owl Bird Healthy Snack for Kids

    • Servings: 1 Owl
    • Difficulty: Easy
    • Print

    Jessica Burman, 2025 © The Northbird Blog. https://www.thenorthbirdblog.com

    Supplies Needed:

  • Paring Knife
  • Cutting Board
  • Spreading Knife

    • Ingredients

  • Round Rice Cakes (Body)
  • Natural Peanut Butter, Seed Butter or Hummus (Colouring)
  • Strawberry slices, dried or fresh (Ears)
  • Round Banana slices (Eyes)
  • Peach, Apple or Pear slices (Wings)
  • Raisins (Feathers, Beak, Eyeballs)

    • Directions:

    1. Spread the peanut/seed butter or hummus on the rice cake nice and thick.
    2. Place the Strawberry slices as ears, banana slices as eyes, and peach (or other) slices as wings.
    3. Place the raisins for additional feathers, a beak, and in the center of the banana eyes.
    4. Eat!!!

    Return to Top

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure HERE.

    Easy Green Split Pea & Bacon Soup Recipe: Jar Soup Mix Version Included!

    NorthbirdLeave a comment

    Find Northbird on social media:

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure HERE.

    Jump To Recipe Card

    Jump to Recipe Card (shelf-stable version)

    Return to “Soups & Entrees”

    About This Recipe…

    I love cooking with dried legumes and dehydrated vegetables in these winter months! One of the most comforting meals (in my opinion) is a tasty soup or stew with freshly made bread to dip in it!

    There are two versions of this recipe that you can see below:

    The first version is the basic soup recipe with bacon in it (which is also very tasty subbing ham or pork tenderloin chunks!). You can make it with fresh or dehydrated vegetables. Makes about 6-8 servings.

    The other version has been altered to make a shelf-stable ready-to-cook soup mix, made from dehydrated vegetables (same ingredients as first recipe) and is approximately 4-6 servings.

    How to Make Green Split Pea & Bacon Soup

    Supplies Needed:

    Ingredients:

    • 1 medium onion, diced
    • 2 large cloves garlic, diced
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
    • 2 cups dry green split peas
    • 8 cups water
    • 2 cubes of chicken/vegetable stock
    • 1 cup dried/diced carrots (or sub 2 cups fresh)
    • 1 cup dried/diced parsnips (or sub 2 cups fresh)
    • 1/2 cup dried/diced celery (or 1 cup fresh)
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt (more or less to taste–remember, there’s bacon coming!)
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 pound of bacon, cut into small pieces

    Directions:

    1. Soak dry green split peas overnight in cold water. If this step is missed, start soaking for 4-6 hours before cooking soup, so that peas can still partially sprout. Rinse well in cold water. (See below for more information on why it is so important to soak peas and legumes)

    2. Saute onion and garlic with olive oil or butter in large soup pot. Add 8 cups of cold water and the rest of the ingredients.

    3. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer on medium for 1-2 hours until all vegetables are soft and tender, stirring occasionally.

    4. I like to use the immersion blender at this point to puree some of the soup but leave a few chunks in.

    5. When soup is nearly done, cut bacon into small pieces and fry in separate pan until cooked through. (I use kitchen scissors, only reserved for cutting bacon!) Add to soup, along with a little tasty bacon grease (if desired!).

    6. Serve and enjoy!

    Nutritional Benefits of Green Split Peas:

    Green split peas are high in fibre, high in protein, and low in calories. They have been found to contain rich amounts in: iron, protein, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and potassium (among many others!).

    Split peas help to lower high cholesterol, blood pressure, and have anti-inflammatory benefits. They also have been found to help to prevent heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, and many other chronic illnesses.

    Why Soak the Split Peas?

    Soaking the split peas overnight (or at least for several hours before cooking) not only softens them and shortens their cooking time, but it also helps the split peas to release the lectins that are in them.

    Lectins are toxins that are found in beans, peas, soybeans, peanuts, lentils and whole grains. Although many people say it doesn’t matter to soak the dried split peas before cooking them, I always feel better to soak and rinse them first, and know that our digestive systems are the happier for it!

    Some side effects of un-soaked but cooked green split peas have been noted to include: bloating, gas, stomach pains and diarrhea. These split peas are very good for you–especially when they’ve been prepared and cooked properly!

    Interested in learning more about dehydrating your own vegetables?

    You can check out the post: How to Dehydrate Celery for Flavourful Recipes HERE.

    Want to make this recipe into a ready-made soup mix?

    I had some fun turning this recipe into a completely dry vegetarian soup mix, fitting easily into a 1 L glass mason jar. Perfect for a nutritious emergency pantry meal or to use on a camping trip. You just need to add water! (and bacon or other meat if desired, or sprinkle dried bacon bits on the top when serving)

    Using mason jars also make these ready-to-cook meals a cute gift!

    Supplies Needed:

    Ingredients:

    Directions:

    1. Measure dried green split peas into the bottom of the jar.
    2. Next, put the ziploc bag inside and begin filling with the remaining ingredients, except stock cubes.
    3. Close ziploc bag, poke inside jar, and place stock cubes on top. Seal jar with lid.

    Additional Note:

    You can of course use whatever container type you like for storing the soup mix, my personal preference for storing in my pantry is 1 Litre mason jars, so I made measurements to fit in this size.

    For camping I would put it all into a large ziploc bag, just separating the green split peas in a separate bag inside.

    To Cook:

    1. Pull out the stock cubes and set aside. Open up the ziploc bag and pour contents into a separate bowl.
    2. Green split peas are now separate from the rest of ingredients and can be soaked in the jar or another bowl overnight.
    3. Rinse split peas well with cold water and put in soup pot with 4 + 1/2 cups of cold water.
    4. Add remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil.
    5. Reduce to medium-low and simmer 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally until dried vegetables are cooked through and tender. Add more water as needed.
    6. If desired, you can sprinkle dried bacon bits on the top.

    Made this Recipe?

    I’d LOVE to see your results!! Feel free to post to your social media account and tag Northbird using one of the links below or post in the comments!

    Other Soups and Entrees to Check Out:

    Subscribe to Northbird’s email list to get weekly posts on: tasty recipes, activity ideas for kids, natural living tips, and some genuine mom thoughts and encouragement!

    More Great Ideas for Your Homemade Pantry!

    Hi, I’m Jessie!

    I’m a Wife and Homeschooling Mom living in a remote town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I love making wholesome meals for my family from scratch, homeschooling our girls and learning more about natural living.

    Read more about my story HERE.

    Recent posts from Northbird:

    Green Split Pea and Bacon Soup

    • Servings: 6-8
    • Difficulty: Easy
    • Print

    A highly nutritious and tasty winter soup recipe.


    Supplies Needed:

  • Bowl for soaking split peas
  • Soup pot (6-8 servings)
  • Stirring spoon
  • Immersion blender
  • Measuring cups & teaspoons


    • Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 large cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
  • 2 cups dry green split peas
  • 8 cups water
  • 2 cubes of chicken/vegetable stock
  • 1 cup dried/diced carrots (or sub 2 cups fresh)
  • 1 cup dried/diced parsnips (or sub 2 cups fresh)
  • 1/2 cup dried/diced celery (or 1 cup fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (more or less to taste–remember, there’s bacon coming!)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pound of bacon, cut into small pieces


    • Directions:

    1. Soak dry green split peas overnight in cold water. If this step is missed, start soaking for 4-6 hours before cooking soup, so that peas can still partially sprout. Rinse well in cold water. (See below for more information on why it is so important to soak peas and legumes)
    2. Saute onion and garlic with olive oil or butter in large soup pot. Add 8 cups of cold water and the rest of the ingredients.
    3. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer on medium for 1-2 hours until all vegetables are soft and tender, stirring occasionally.
    4. I like to use the immersion blender at this point to puree some of the soup but leave a few chunks in.
    5. When soup is nearly done, cut bacon into small pieces and fry in separate pan until cooked through. (I use kitchen scissors, only reserved for cutting bacon!) Add to soup, along with a little tasty bacon grease (if desired!).
    6. Serve and enjoy!

    Nutrition


    Per 1 serving: 442 calories; 29.3 g fat; 36.1 g carbohydrates;
    13.8 g protein.

    Green Split Pea and Bacon Soup (Shelf-Stable Version)

    • Servings: 4-6
    • Difficulty: Easy
    • Print

    A ready to cook soup mix: Just Add Water! Great for make-ahead camping meals or stocking in your pantry for an emergency.


    Supplies Needed:

  • 1 Litre glass mason jar with lid
  • Sandwich size ziploc bag
  • Measuring cups and teaspoons
  • Funnel


    • Ingredients

  • 1 + 1/2 cups of dried green split peas
  • 3/4 cup dried & diced carrot
  • 3/4 cup dried & diced parsnips
  • 1/2 cup dried & diced celery
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder
  • 2 cubes of chicken/vegetable stock


    • Directions:

    1. Measure dried green split peas into the bottom of the jar.
    2. Next, put the ziploc bag inside and begin filling with the remaining ingredients, except stock cubes.
    3. Close ziploc bag, poke inside jar, and place stock cubes on top. Seal jar with lid.

    Cooking Directions:

    1. Pull out the stock cubes and set aside. Open up the ziploc bag and pour contents into a separate bowl.
    2. Green split peas are now separate from the rest of ingredients and can be soaked in the jar or another bowl overnight.
    3. Rinse split peas well with cold water and put in soup pot with 4 + 1/2 cups of cold water.
    4. Add remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil.
    5. Reduce to medium-low and simmer 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally until dried vegetables are cooked through and tender. Add more water as needed.
    6. If desired, you can sprinkle dried bacon bits on the top.

    Nutrition


    Per 1 serving: 225 calories; 0.8 g fat; 47.1 g carbohydrates;
    11.4 g protein.

    Return to Top