Chicken Divan facts for kids
Chicken Divan is a tasty chicken casserole dish. It usually comes with broccoli and a special creamy cheese sauce called Mornay sauce. This dish got its name from the place where it was first created: the Divan Parisien Restaurant. This restaurant was inside the famous Chatham Hotel in New York City in the early 1900s. A chef named Lagasi invented it there, and it became the restaurant's most famous dish. The word divan in French means a meeting place or a grand hall.
Today, Chicken Divan is often made with regular Parmesan cheese. It's still one of the most popular American casserole dishes. You can make a "quick" version using chicken that's already cooked, along with mayonnaise and canned soup. Some people even top their Chicken Divan with crushed potato chips, similar to how some people make funeral potatoes.
The Story of Chicken Divan
Many old cookbooks from the late 1950s and early 1960s have recipes for Chicken Divan. However, it's hard to know if these recipes are exactly like the original. The first recipe was kept a secret! We have an idea of how it was made from hints given by the head waiter of the Divan Parisien restaurant. He suggested it was made with chicken breasts that were gently cooked in liquid (called poached). It also had broccoli and a rich, cheesy sauce. This sauce was a béchamel (a white sauce made with butter, flour, and milk) or Mornay sauce, made even richer with egg yolks.
