Broccoli Chicken Casserole is the easiest meal you could ever make for dinner. It’s also a great way to use up leftovers. Add cooked pasta of your choosing to a nice cheesy sauce and toss with broccoli, chicken, sautéd onions, and of course more cheese. Then pop it in the oven to get all melty. It couldn’t be any easier. This is a super filling dish and if your family is small like mine, it will make lots of great leftovers. Easily swap out the cheese for whatever good melting cheese you have around. I used Cheddar but you could use mozzarella, gouda, and even sprinkle some parmesan on top!
Ingredients for Broccoli Chicken Casserole:
- 4 cups uncooked pasta (I prefer rotini but you can choose your favourite)
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp white flour
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups milk or milk alternative
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheese (I use cheddar but you can sub for another kind if you like)
- 2 cups chicken, cooked and diced (a rotisserie chicken would work great for this as well)
Tips & Tricks:
- Sauce: Let your cheese sauce be a little bit loose when you mix it with the pasta and veggies. If it is too thick then you will end up with very dry pasta. If you find the sauce is too thick add a little bit of reserved pasta water to the sauce to thin it out.
- Broccoli: While cooking the pasta you can add the chopped broccoli to begin cooking a few minutes before the pasta is Al Denté. This will help ensure that the broccoli is fully cooked by the end. Simply strain it our of the pasta water with the noodles.
- Rue: When adding the liquid to your onion flour combination start slow and mix until full combined. If you pour the liquid in all at once you will have a much harder time eliminating clumps.
Broccoli Chicken Casserole
Course: Dinner, LunchKeep the screen of your device on
6
servings15
minutes45
minutes366
kcal1
hourIngredients
4 cups uncooked pasta (I prefer rotini but you can choose your favourite)
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp white flour
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
2 cups shredded cheese (I use cheddar but you can sub for another kind if you like)
2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Cook pasta in a large stockpot of salted, boiling water until it is al dente. About 3 minute before the pasta is done, add the broccoli to the boiling pasta water and cook until tender. Drain both the pasta and broccoli together, and set aside.
- Heat the butter (or oil) in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sauté un til fragrant, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and stir until combined. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add in the stock, and stir everything together until most of the clumps are gone. Add in the milk, Dijon, salt and pepper and stir until combined. Continue cooking the sauce until it reaches a simmer. Then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese until it is combined. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- In a large, greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish, combine the cooked pasta, broccoli, sauce and chicken. Toss until combined. Smooth the casserole out until even.
- Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Then remove pan from the oven, sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese evenly on top of the casserole, and bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty. Can be garnished with extra black pepper and/or fresh herbs, if desired.
Recipe Video
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