Dad found this in Mom's recipe box from their first apartment. We made it for his 80th birthday last week.

This oven baked 4-ingredient chicken divan supreme is the kind of casserole that tells a story before you even take a bite. My version comes straight from a yellowed index card that lived in a little wooden recipe box in a first apartment kitchen, back when money was tight and dinners had to stretch. It’s the dish a young couple could pull together with a baby on the hip, a tiny oven, and a single grocery bag. Decades later, that same card comes back out for big milestones—like an 80th birthday—because the flavors are familiar, comforting, and just fancy enough to feel special. Tender chicken and bright green broccoli tuck into a creamy, golden sauce that bubbles up around the edges in a glass baking dish, just like it did all those years ago. It’s simple, it’s practical, and it tastes like home.

Serve this chicken divan hot from the oven with a big spoon right out of the glass baking dish. It’s lovely over a bed of fluffy white rice or buttered egg noodles to catch every bit of the creamy sauce. A simple side of sliced tomatoes or a crisp green salad with a tangy vinaigrette helps balance the richness. Warm dinner rolls or buttered toast are nice for sopping up the corners of the pan, the way we always did around our farm table. For a birthday or Sunday supper, add a pan of brownies or a simple yellow cake, and you’ve got the same kind of meal that’s been making memories since that first tiny apartment kitchen.

Servings: 6

4 cups fresh broccoli florets, bite-size pieces, lightly packed

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch glass baking dish; this is the same kind of clear dish many of us used in our first little kitchens, and it lets you see the golden edges as the casserole bakes.

Spread the fresh broccoli florets evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. The pieces should be small and fairly uniform so they cook through and stay bright green and tender-crisp under the sauce.

Scatter the raw chicken pieces evenly over the broccoli. Tuck them in so every bite will have both chicken and broccoli together. Try to keep the chicken in a single layer so it cooks evenly in the oven.

In a medium bowl, stir together the condensed cream of chicken soup and the mayonnaise until smooth and well combined. Take a minute to really blend it; this is your creamy sauce, and it should look thick and uniform with no streaks.

Pour the soup and mayonnaise mixture evenly over the chicken and broccoli. Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to gently spread the sauce so it completely covers the chicken pieces and most of the broccoli. This helps the chicken stay tender and keeps the broccoli from drying out.

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Place the dish on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. This covered time allows the chicken to gently poach in the sauce and the broccoli to steam until tender.

After 25 minutes, carefully remove the foil, watching for hot steam. Return the uncovered dish to the oven and continue baking for another 15–20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and turning a light golden color on top and the chicken pieces are cooked through.

To be sure the chicken is safe to eat, cut into a thick piece in the center of the dish; it should be white all the way through with no pink, and the juices should run clear. If you have a food thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165°F (74°C). If needed, return to the oven for a few more minutes.

Once done, remove the dish from the oven and let it rest on the counter for about 5–10 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools, making it easier to serve neat spoonfuls. The broccoli should still look bright green under the creamy, golden sauce.

To serve, use a large serving spoon to scoop down through the sauce, lifting generous portions of chicken and broccoli together. Spoon over hot rice or noodles if you like, making sure each plate gets plenty of the creamy sauce from the bottom of the dish.

This old-fashioned 4-ingredient version is intentionally simple, just like something you’d find in a first-apartment recipe box, but you can still make small changes if needed. If you don’t have fresh broccoli, you can use 4 cups of thawed frozen broccoli florets; be sure to drain off any extra water so the sauce doesn’t get thin. If you prefer a lighter flavor, you can use half mayonnaise and half plain Greek yogurt, though the texture will be a bit tangier and not quite as silky as the original. For a slightly richer taste without adding more ingredients, you can substitute one can of cream of chicken soup with cream of mushroom soup if that’s what you have on hand. If you like a little color on top, you can briefly run the baked dish under the broiler at the very end, watching closely, just until the sauce picks up a deeper golden hue around the edges. For food safety, always start with fresh, cold chicken and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the casserole; don’t leave raw chicken sitting out on the counter. Wash your hands, cutting board, and knife thoroughly with hot, soapy water after handling raw chicken, and avoid using the same utensils on other ingredients without washing them first. Make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) before serving, and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a shallow container. Leftovers reheat nicely in a low oven, covered, or gently in the microwave, and often taste even better the next day as the sauce soaks into the broccoli and chicken.