Originally made in restaurants with a rich Mornay sauce, chicken divan often featured canned cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, sour cream and cheese—tasty, yes, but also loaded with fat and salt. Our revised version has all the flavor of the original with only half the calories and a fraction of the sodium. Use leftover cooked chicken breasts, if you have them on hand, for an even faster dinner.

Makes 6 servings, about 1 1/3 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced leek, white and light green parts only (about 1 large; see Tip)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons dry sherry (see Tip)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, or 1 pound broccoli crowns (see Ingredient Note), chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 7-by-11-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Place chicken in a medium skillet or saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and slice into bite-size pieces.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leek and salt and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add flour; stir to coat. Add broth, milk, sherry, thyme and pepper and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add broccoli; return to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, mayonnaise and mustard.
4. Spread half the broccoli mixture in the prepared baking dish. Top with the chicken, then the remaining broccoli mixture. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 308 calories; 10 g fat (4 g sat, 4 g mono); 76 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrate; 35 g protein; 4 g fiber; 712 mg sodium; 401 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value), Vitamin A (35% dv), Calcium (30% dv), Folate (19% dv).
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 3 vegetable, 3 lean meat

TIP: Tips: To clean leeks, trim and discard green tops and white roots. Split leeks lengthwise and place in plenty of water. Swish the leeks in the water to release any sand or soil. Drain. Repeat until no grit remains.

Sherry is a type of fortified wine originally from southern Spain. Don’t use the “cooking sherry” sold in many supermarkets—it can be surprisingly high in sodium. Instead, purchase dry sherry that’s sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store.

Ingredient Note: Most supermarkets sell broccoli crowns, which are the tops of the bunches, with the stalks cut off. Although crowns are more expensive than entire bunches, they are convenient and there is considerably less waste.

Absolutely deelish! I didn't exactly follow the recipe. Since I was short of time, I didn't put it together and bake in the oven. I did it all on the stove. Creamy and the leeks with the broccoli added a delicious flavor. Probably next time I will cut the mayonnaise in half because I just don't think it needs it. But definitely a repeater!!!

Sharon, Little Rock, AR

Yummy...well worth the effort! And the effort isn't all that much. You could of course use green onions instead of leeks. Maybe cut the mayo in half... it was plenty moist. There were no left-overs at our table, which surprised me... there usually are. But this recipe shows good and healthy are not mutually exclusive terms!

Anonymous, Nashville, TN

Delicious comfort food.

Anonymous, Colorado Springs, CO

I have never made anything with leeks before and was a little skeptical that my family would even try this recipe. With my fingers crossed I served it and watched the smiles come across their faces. We will be enjoying this dish many times over.

Tynne

This is an excellent dinner. My husband and 3 boys all enjoyed it. Served it over brown rice, which gave it a more hearty flavor. No one complained that one serving was not enough. I made it exactly as the recipe called for, using fresh broccoli.

Sandy Solis, Camano Island, WA

This was a really delicious, reasonably quick casserole. Since we are seniors and retired, this casserole provided 8 servings for us along with two side vegetables. We particularly enjoyed the sauce as it was very tasty and not at all heavy.

Jan, Huntington Beach, CA

If this recipe is followed as written, it should be called "chicken and gravy? with undercooked broccoli." And it imparts a heavy and bland gravy, at best. You could do better by making a basic bechamel sauce and adding the cheese and leeks, blanching the broccoli, adding rotisserie chicken and finishing in the skillet under the broiler. That would cut down on the preparation time AND the cleanup.

culinarily curious, Franklin, TN

I thought this was very yummy - i did not have regular flour though, so i used the buckwheat flour in my cabinet. i think mine may have been more runny as a result, and didn't look great, but it was delicious! i had it for leftovers tonight over some barley - fantastic. i do recommend. and i even used frozen broccoli - still super great.

figment, Portland, OR

This was very good and a nice alternative to the high calorie and fat of a traditional divan. To make it even healthier, I substituted the milk with almond mile (soy would work too). It makes a lot of sauce, so if you weren't serving it on rice, you could cut back on the chicken broth. The mayo wasn't really necessary either. I added some curry powder to taste for a little more zing. My husband loved it!

Diane, Las Vegas, NV