Chicken Divan Stuffed Shells in Dijon Sauce is made without any canned soups, mayonnaise or sour cream.

This mouthwatering dish has all the comforts of the traditional dish without all the calories.

Chicken Divan Stuffed Shell Recipe

By coincidence I’m sharing a version of another classic French recipe created during the same time-frame as the French 75 cocktail.

I think this must be a sign that I should be planning a trip to Paris!

Chicken Divan was created by a chef that worked at the Divan Parisien Restaurant in the New York Chatham Hotel (wikipedia).

The traditional dish is made with a rich French Mornay sauce that covers filets of chicken and a vegetable like broccoli.

If you’ve eaten French food before, then you know that sauces are the foundation for the cuisine, so the rich and creamy sauce is what you would expect to find in a dish like this.

Lightened Up Chicken Divan

What you don’t expect is to find the same ingredients in the classic dish to be served in pasta shells or the sauce to be lightened up!

Without sacrificing the flavor, the homemade sauce is made with low-fat milk and chicken broth in place of the half & half.

In addition, to thicken up the liquid ingredients a roux was added giving the sauce a creamy texture.

Only a half of cup of parmesan cheese is folded into the sauce giving it a sharp nutty flavor.

These Chicken Divan Stuffed Shells are savory and rich. Two flavors that we love to taste together. Want to cut down the prep and cooking time?

Use leftover chicken or purchase a cooked roasted chicken for this recipe.

You won’t miss the calories in this lightened up Mornay sauce, I promise!

Although if you have an opportunity to taste the authentic dish in Paris, then please lick the plate and sent me a photo! 🙂