Turkey Divan is a classic creamy dish with tender turkey, broccoli, melty cheese, and a cracker topping. Perfect to use up leftover Thanksgiving Turkey.
This Dinner Recipe is so hearty and warming that it’s quickly become a winter family favorites. There’s nothing more satisfying for a cold night than a warm, cheesy, filling casserole dish. If you’ve already tried Chicken Divan, this is the perfect turkey version.
Just like Chicken Divan, this Turkey version is a wonderfully comforting meal. The creamy, cheesy sauce and buttery cracker topping take simple broccoli and leftover turkey and turn them into an amazing casserole that’s rich, flavorful, and filling. This is definitely a comfort food you can rely on.
You can make this delicious meal in under a half-hour. The sauce is made with simple recipe ingredients like chicken broth, whole milk, sour cream, and seasonings. Once it’s combined, you just pour it over the turkey and broccoli, then top it all off with some shredded cheese and cracker crumbs. They all bake together into the perfect, kid-friendly, easy dinner recipe!
Leftover Turkey
Our readers love repurposing leftovers into delicious leftover meals. This Turkey Divan is the perfect option for using any cooked leftover turkey. Instead of just reheating your Roasted Turkey to eat as-is, you can add it to this rich casserole dish for an entirely new meal.
It’s especially great a few days after your holiday meal when you still have turkey in the fridge. If you’ve already eaten the leftover holiday sides and are in the mood for something a little more than a Leftover Turkey Sandwich, then this easy but impressive dish is definitely the way to go!
More Turkey Recipes
Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey Soup
Turkey Chili
Cajun Roasted Turkey
Frequently Asked Questions About Turkey Divan
Turkey or Chicken Divan gets its name from the where it was first served. It came from the Divan Parisian Restaurant at the Chatham Hotel in New York City.
If you want to make this recipe, but you have no leftover turkey to use, don’t worry. You can usually find Turkey breast, or cutlets at the grocery store to prepare for this meal. Just roast or grill the breast meat until it’s fully done, then chop it the same way you would your leftovers and add to the dish.
You can use either white meat or dark meat in this recipe. What will work best in the Turkey Divan is what you enjoy the most. You could even use a combination of white meat and dark meat to make this casserole.
How to Make Turkey Divan
- Prep Time: Start the recipe by preheating the oven and spraying a 9×13 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Then cut the cooked turkey into bite-sized pieces, and the broccoli into fresh broccoli florets. Add both to the baking dish.
- Cream Sauce: Add the butter, flour, salt, and pepper to a pot over medium heat. Stir the cream sauce until the flour is combined into the mixture. Next add the milk, sour cream, rosemary, sage, and garlic powder. Mix together for 2 minutes until it’s thickened. Pour the cream sauce over the broccoli and chicken. Then top that off with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Crispy Crumb Topping: Use a food processor to break the Ritz crackers into crumbs, or put them in a zip lock bag and break them on the counter. Then mix the crumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle the cracker mixture over the cheese.
- Baking Time: Put the dish in the preheated oven until bubbly and golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.
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Can Turkey Divan be Made Ahead of Time?
You can easily prepare this recipe the day before! Just follow the instructions and stop before you add the cracker topping. Cover completely and place it in the fridge. Right before you put it in the oven, add the freshly made cracker topping. Keep in mind that if you are cooking it from a cold state, it will take a little longer in the oven to bubble. You can also cook and freeze this recipe to heat up whenever you’re ready to serve it.
Variations
- Seasonings: For extra flavor, you can season the cream mixture with your favorite spices. Try adding a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of dried thyme, or a dash of paprika. For some extra heat, add in red pepper flakes or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- Types of Cheese: You can try different cheese swaps for this delicious recipe. Try using sharp cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, white cheddar cheese, gruyere cheese, Swiss cheese, or Pepper Jack to replace the regular cheddar in the recipe.
- Bread Crumbs: If you prefer, you can replace the crackers in the topping with a bread crumb mixture. Either use store-bought panko bread crumbs or break bread into pieces and toast in the oven for a few minutes for your own toasted bread crumbs.
- Individual Servings: You can prepare this dish in ramekins in order to make individual servings of Turkey Divan. There’s always something a little bit special about individual servings! Just keep an eye on your Turkey Divan, as it might start to bubble quickly due to the smaller containers.
What to Serve With Turkey Divan
Casseroles don’t usually need a side dish served with them, as they have the protein and vegetables served together in one dish. However, it might be nice to have a light side to balance the rich flavor of this Turkey Divan. You make this recipe with Turkey, so why not serve alongside it some of the flavors that traditionally go well with Turkey? This Winter Pear Salad has dried cranberries in it. It goes without saying that Turkey and cranberry is a great pairing. This Cranberry Harvest Salad has Turkey on top, but just omit the turkey to make it more of a side salad with that great cranberry flavor. You can also serve your Turkey Divan alongside some delicious, Easy Dinner Rolls.
Comforting Recipes
Beef Stroganoff Soup
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Classic Pot Roast
Super Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
How to Store
- Serve: Don’t leave this recipe at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: Once the recipe cools down, you can cover dish with foil to store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: You can also seal the Turkey Divan to store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh broccoli , chopped
- 2 cups turkey , cooked and chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth , with turkey drippings
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter , melted
- 20 Ritz crackers , finely crushed (or panko)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 pan with vegetable oil spray.
- Add turkey meat and top with broccoli florets.
- Add butter, flour, salt, and pepper to a pot on medium heat.
- Stir well until flour is combined and cooks for 30 seconds.
- Add broth, milk, sour cream, rosemary, sage, and garlic powder together and cook for 2 minutes to thicken.
- Top with cheese.
- Mix the Ritz crumbs with the melted butter and top over the cheese.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
Nutrition
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One of the ingredients listes is chicken broth, yet it is not mentioned in the instructions, when to add it. Does it go in with the milk and cream?
Sorry for that mistake. The chicken broth goes in with the step with the milk.