Chicken Broccoli Casserole
This Chicken Broccoli Casserole is a quick and easy comfort food meal you can have on the table in less than 30 minutes. This fantastic recipe is basically the delicious melding of classic mac and cheese and broccoli chicken alfredo.
Our Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole and Ham Macaroni and Cheese are two of our favorite pasta meals.
Why This Recipe Works
It’s simple, easy, and delicious. The beauty of a recipe like this is you can make everything from scratch or use up a bunch of extras or leftovers.
The best part of this casserole recipe is the simple, common, and often on-hand ingredients become a hearty and satisfying meal the entire family will love.
We used a grocery store rotisserie chicken because of how convenient they are. You’ll want to make this with cooked pasta. If you’ve ever made too much pasta for a meal, this chicken broccoli casserole is the tastiest way to use it up.
And quite possibly the best reason is there’s no condensed cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup.
Chicken Broccoli Casserole Ingredients
- Cheese — We used mozzarella cheese for is mild, smooth, and creamy flavor. Pre-shredded cheeses aren’t recommended for this recipe.
- Protein — For easy cooking, we used chopped rotisserie chicken along with cooked and crumbled bacon.
- Pantry staples — Flour, onion, black pepper, granulated garlic, and milk.
- Pasta — Small pasta, like shell or elbow is recommend for this dish.
- Broccoli — Frozen broccoli florets with stems made the dish even quicker to make.
How to Make Broccoli Chicken Casserole
Step 1 — Preheat the oven broiler and adjust the racks to be at least 5 inches from the element. Melt the butter in the Dutch oven over medium high heat. Begin to sauté the onion and whisk in the granulated garlic and black pepper.
Step 2 — Once the onions have soften whisk in the flour until it makes a paste.
Step 3 — Slowly pour in the milk and whisk to incorporate the roux.
Step 4 — Whisk in the cheese by the handful, making sure it doesn’t clump and becomes smooth. Reserve about a half a cup for the topping.
Step 5 — Stir in the crumbled bacon, reserving a tablespoon for the topping.
Step 6 — Add the broccoli and stir it in well. Allow the broccoli to heat through.
Step 7 — Stir in the cooked pasta.
Step 8 — Add the chicken. Make sure everything is well combined.
Step 9 — Sprinkle the reserved cheese and bacon over the top. Place in the oven and broil for 5-9 minutes, or until the top is bubbly golden brown.
Adaptation and variations
Cheese — Use your favorite. Cheddar cheese, pepper Jack, and such. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top for a slight tangy bite.
Pasta — You really can use any pasta size or shape, but the amount might vary.
Protein — Swap the chicken for ham, beef chunks, or even ground beef. If you’re not going to use rotisserie chicken, season raw chicken breast and saute in a bit of olive oil in the dutch oven before beginning the recipe.
Vegetables — Toss in peas, carrots, corn, greens, whatever you and your family love best. If you prefer fresh broccoli over frozen broccoli, we’d recommend blanching it for a few minutes before tossing it in the cheese sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Place any leftovers in a skillet or baking dish, add a bit of milk or even sour cream to help moisten the pasta and reheat in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes.
This recipe is a perfect make ahead and freeze for later meal.
Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Equipment
- 12-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 1/4 cup onion finely diced
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup flour all-purpose
- 3 cups milk
- 2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese divided
- 5 slices cooked bacon chopped; about 1/3 cup
- 12 oz frozen broccoli florets
- 3 cups pasta shells small; cooked according to packing directions
- 3 cups chicken cooked; shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven broiler and adjust the racks to be at least 5 inches from the element.
- Melt the butter in the Dutch oven over medium high heat. Begin to sauté the onion and whisk in the granulated garlic and black pepper.
- Once the onions have soften whisk in the flour until it makes a paste.
- Slowly pour in the milk and whisk to incorporate the roux.
- Whisk in the cheese by the handful, making sure it doesn’t clump and becomes smooth. Reserve about a half a cup for the topping.
- Stir in the crumbled bacon, reserving a tablespoon for the topping.
- Add the broccoli and stir it in well. Allow the broccoli to heat through.
- Stir in the cooked pasta.
- Add the chicken. Make sure everything is well combined.
- Sprinkle the reserved cheese and bacon over the top. Place in the oven and broil for 5-9 minutes, or until the top is bubbly golden brown.
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Quick and super easy to get this dinner on the table for the whole family. We all loved it!
This casserole was cheesy perfection! A great way to get the kids to eat broccoli too with no complaints!
Oh yum! Such a comforting casserole. I love how easily it comes together in just 30 minutes too.
Love the combination of ingredients in this casserole recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Just tried out this chicken broccoli casserole and loved it! It is super easy to whip up on a busy night, and you can’t beat a meal that is ready in 30 minutes.
This is one hearty, flavorful and delicious casserole. I can’t wait to make this for my family. They are going to devour this.
This is my favorite kind of meal – one pot, all the things! Loved it 😉
This chicken casserole was absolutely delicious! We had it for dinner last night and it’s definitely a new favorite
This chicken skillet dish is a new favorite at our house. I love that it is done in 30 minutes!
The creamy sauce, tender chicken, and perfectly cooked broccoli make for a delicious and comforting meal. It’s easy to make and always a hit with my family.
Great recipe – and is even better the next day. I love recipes that I can also take to work and pack for lunch. Thanks!