Chicken Divan (Gluten-Free)

A friend of mine, an American living in England, was looking for a chicken divan recipe recently. Lots of variations can be found online and in cookbooks, but most Americans use a can of condensed cream soup for the base of the sauce. Since that isn't readily available in England, my friend was looking for a substitute. I don't know if she ever figured it out, but it got me to thinking about chicken divan. My mom used to make it when I was growing up, and I've made it myself from time to time too. It's pretty easy to prepare, and comforting and delicious to eat.

Since the canned cream soups all seem to contain wheat flour, I decided to do my own search for a substitute and I found it on The Gluten-Free Homemaker. With that, and the recipe for chicken divan I grew up with, which includes sour cream, lemon juice, and paprika, I created the recipe below.

You can use leftover chicken or turkey, or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. You could also include some cauliflower, along with the broccoli, if you like. My mom used to do that sometimes. I like to top it with at least 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, but I've also used cheddar or jack – you can use whatever you have on hand. And don't worry about being precise with the measurements. I just do it "by feel" every time and it always turns out good. I like to serve it with wild rice on the side. It's a great combination.

Chicken Divan  PRINTABLE RECIPE

8 oz sour cream (I use low-fat)
1 prepared cream soup recipe (see below)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp paprika
garlic salt to taste (optional)
1 Lb broccoli florets - steamed until just tender
2 cups shredded or cubed skinless, cooked chicken (or turkey)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan (or other cheese)

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Stir together the cream soup, sour cream, lemon juice, and paprika until well combined. Adjust the lemon juice and seasonings to your liking. Sometimes I add a little Lawry's garlic salt.
3. Place the steamed broccoli in a 9" x 13" casserole dish and top with the chicken. Pour the sauce over and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with the cheese.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and light brown.

Gluten-Free Cream Soup Substitute  The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Use this soup in recipes in place of one can of condensed cream soup (like cream of chicken soup).

1 cup milk (I use non-fat)
3 Tbsp sweet rice flour or 2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp butter
1 cube chicken bouillon (Knorr bouillon is gluten-free)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
black or white pepper or to taste (I like to use white)

1. Whisk the sweet rice flour into the cold milk in a saucepan.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and heat to a boil while whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer, while whisking constantly, for about a minute until nice and thick.