Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This chicken and broccoli casserole recipe is light, healthy, and Moorish. Best of all, this recipe is made with household ingredients and only takes 30 minutes to prepare for a family of up to 6 people.

If you love chicken recipes, my chicken wellington recipe fantastic, my Ritz chicken casserole is super easy, and my Greek inspired chicken soup is famous.

This casserole recipe is loved by my kids and my mom! It is one of the easiest comfort foods to prepare when you're on a busy schedule, and you want a delicious dinner.

🐓 Why this Chicken Broccoli Casserole is the best

This dish is the perfect quick-fix recipe for any occasion and is sure to please an array of food critics.

I especially love cooking this broccoli & chicken casserole at home for my friends and family when the dinner is not planned. It is so easy to whip everything together in 30 minutes. The dish uses most household ingredients without needing to go to the supermarket.

Another great thing I love about this cheesy chicken broccoli casserole is that it is very versatile. You can substitute any ingredient with something else, and you can use frozen ingredients if you don't have fresh (although if you want a better taste, using fresh ingredients is advised)!

No matter your preference for cheese or veggies, this dish is ideal for mixing it up to each person's taste buds. You can add cheddar cheese or mozzarella and pre-bought cooked chicken instead of fresh chicken fillets.

If you're a fan of the tuna pasta bake recipe. In that case, you will be glad to know that this broccoli casserole is its nearest competitor. The preparation method is more or less the same, and the cheesy sauce is similar to the tuna pasta bake.

Read on for an inside look into how to make this family favorite chicken casserole dish from scratch using fresh ingredients with a CHEESY-MUSHROOMY SAUCE.

🍽 Ingredients Notes

Chicken broccoli casserole is an easy recipe to prepare anytime with household ingredients and essential cooking equipment.

Broccoli - for this recipe I used fresh broccoli. If you are in a hurry and on time-saving mode, buy some frozen broccoli to save you time in the kitchen.

Chicken - I used fresh chicken breast cut into cubes for this recipe. But you can use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken from yesterdays dinner.

Dairy - sour cream, cream cheese and butter makes the perfect combination for this creamy casserole.

Vegetables - I love crimini mushrooms (my fav in this recipe), onion and garlic are the main fresh ingredients that elevates this meal.

Substitutions

Cream Sauce
If you have a can of cream of chicken soup hanging around in your cupboards, you can use same ratio instead of cream cheese and sour cream to make the sauce.

🔪 How to make Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Learn how to make this chicken broccoli casserole with step-by-step instructions, detailed photos, and a guided recipe video. The recipe also uses minimal kitchen equipment, which means less washing up at the end.

The first thing to do is pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) while preparing the dish.

Step 1
Boil a pan of water and cook the broccoli florets for 5-6 minutes until they are al-dente (not soft), strain them, and put them in the casserole baking dish.

Step 2
Now cut the chicken into cubes, drizzle the olive oil and butter in the skillet, coat the chicken with salt, black pepper, garlic, and cook evenly until browned.

Step 3
Using a strainer, remove the cooked chicken from the pan and transfer it to the baking dish with the broccoli.

Step 4
Leave the liquid in the pan, lower the heat, add the diced onion, sprinkle it with pepper and salt, and cook for 3 minutes, or until brown. Now add the garlic and continue cooking for about 2 more minutes.

Step 5
Increase the heat to medium-high, add the mushrooms and cook until they have released most of their liquid, about 5 - 6 minutes.

Step 6
Increase the heat to high and pour in the wine to reduce it by half for 3 minutes.

Step 7
In a separate bowl, blend the flour, cream cheese, sour cream, and stock together.

Step 8
Now pour the mixture over the mushrooms and simmer for another 5 minutes until it comes to a thicker consistency.

Step 9
Once it's thick, pour it over the broccoli and chicken in the baking dish, and bake it for 30 minutes.

Step 10
Once the cooked chicken casserole is bubbling, top with croutons for a further 8 minutes until they become golden and crunchy.

Serve and enjoy this delicious casserole!

🥗 What to serve with

Grains

One cup of jasmine rice is great alternative for adding extra flavor into your meal and work really well with this recipe.

Potatoes

If you like potatoes with your meals, why not try adding some mashed potatoes or french fries on the side.

Salad

Salad is always a great side dish for any casserole. This tomato basil mozzarella salad is perfect side. Yum!

📖 Easy recipes variations

Pasta

If you want to add pasta to the dish, you can use a 2 tier steamer, boil the pasta in the bottom, and steam the broccoli on top rather than cook the pasta and the broccoli separately.

Spicy

If you fancy adding a bit of spice to your casserole, add a few red pepper flakes and a touch of cayenne pepper. This will give your broccoli & chicken casserole a spicy kick.

Meat

You can use pork, beef, turkey, and even shrimp instead of chicken to give the broccoli casserole a twist in flavor.

Rice

This dish also works well with brown or white rice. Boil the rice for 10 minutes, mix it with the broccoli and chicken, and add the croutons topping.

Vegetarian

You can substitute the chicken for tofu and still have the same delicious creamy mushroom sauce with a crunchy crouton topping, crispy onions or panko if you prefer.

🧊 Storing and ♨️ Reheating

To store your chicken broccoli casserole, all you need to do is cover the casserole baking dish once it's cooled down with an air-tight container. If you don't have anything air-tight that will cover the dish, you can wrap it with cling film or aluminum tin foil and pop it in the fridge.

Fridge

The good thing with casserole recipes is that they can be stored in the fridge for 2 days once the dish is prepared and stored in the freezer for ages. You can use this chicken casserole recipe as part of an organized weekly meal plan and prepare it in advance to save time.

Freezer

It is possible to freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. When you want to eat it for dinner, defrost it in the morning and cook it at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celcius) until it is piping hot.

⏲️ Make in advance

This easy chicken casserole is one of my favorite dinner recipes to prepare ahead of time. You can make everything in the morning and put the casserole in the fridge until you are ready to bake it in the evening.

Instead of using an oven for baking the casserole, you can also heat it up in the microwave to speed up the cooking process. Although you will not get the crispy topping from microwave cooking.

Note that not all casserole dishes are microwaveable, so make sure to check the baking dish before use.

🍳 Related Casserole Recipes

Love my chicken broccoli casserole recipe? Check my baked chicken legs and casserole recipes collection for any time of the day.

👪 Serving size

This recipe makes six servings, making it perfect for easy family dinners. I promise you once the kids try this casserole, it will become a household favorite for years to come. Same as my delicious texas chicken spaguetti casserole which is easy and perfect for family dinners.

🎥 Watch how to make it

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.

Try one of my comfort dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!

📋 Recipe

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

If you're stuck for ideas this weekend, try this super simple chicken and broccoli casserole recipe. It's light, it's healthy, it's Moorish, and best of all, it only uses minimal kitchen equipment and takes 30 minutes to prepare for a family of up to 6 people.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 6 Servings

Calories: 397kcal

Author: Ben Rayl

Equipment

• 1 casserole baking dish
• 1 Skillet
• 1 Whisk
• 1 Chopping board
• 1 Knife

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound chicken breast - sliced and cubed
• 1 medium onion - diced
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 2 cups crimini mushrooms - quartered
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 package cream cheese
• 1 cup croutons - crushed
• salt and pepper - to taste
• garlic powder - to taste

Instructions

• 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
• Steam the broccoli florets until just under tender and place them in the bottom of a greased casserole dish.
• Heat  the olive oil and butter  in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat,  then add the chicken, sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and garlic powder, then cook until done - stir frequently and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
• Using a strainer, remove the cooked chicken from the pan and arrange it in the dish with the broccoli.
• Leave the liquid in the pan and lower the heat a little, add the diced onion, sprinkle it  with salt and pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until beginning to brown.
• Add the garlic and continue cooking for about 2 more minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium high, add the mushrooms and cook until they have released most of their liquid, about 5 - 6 minutes.
• Increase heat to high, then pour in the wine, and boil until the liquid reduces by about half, about 3 minutes.
• Using a fork, whisk the flour, cream cheese, sour cream and stock together until blended, then stir into the sauce and simmer until it begins to thicken, about 3 - 5 minutes.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli, and bake in the oven about 25 - 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the croutons bits over the top about 10 minutes before the casserole is done.
• This goes really well with a heartier grain like wild or brown rice or whole-wheat  pasta - although it's also very good by itself with a nice crusty bread.

Video

Notes

For a heartier meal, add pasta to the dish for an extra source of carbs and use cheddar cheese for a richer cheese sauce flavor. If you fancy adding a bit of spice to your casserole, add a few red pepper flakes and a touch of cayenne pepper. This will give your broccoli & chicken casserole a spicy kick.

• If you have a can of cream of chicken soup hanging around in your cupboards, you can use that instead of cream cheese and sour cream to make the sauce.
• Feel free to mix it up with mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese if you are a cheese lover. It works really well with broccoli chicken casserole recipes. Also, adding extra cheddar cheese won't hurt!
• If you are in a hurry and on time-saving mode, buy some frozen broccoli and a rotisserie chicken on your shopping list to save you time in the kitchen.

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 737mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1057IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1mg