This tacky hen and broccoli casserole recipe is a simple household meal with chunks of hen, rice, tender-crisp broccoli, and creamy sauce baked beneath a buttery cracker topping. It’s complete consolation meals!
I’ll discover any excuse to place broccoli and cheese in the identical recipe, whether or not it’s broccoli cheddar soup or broccoli cheese casserole. This hen and broccoli casserole is creamy like chicken divan, with tender hen combined with broccoli and rice in a wealthy, creamy gravy with rice and loads of cheese. It’s just about the right consolation meals, full with a buttery Ritz cracker high.
Why I Love This Hen and Broccoli Casserole Recipe
A lot of taste. With its creamy hen, rice, broccoli, and melty cheese, that is precisely the form of home-style casserole my grandmother would make. It’s tremendous hearty and satisfying.
Simple consolation meals. This broccoli hen casserole is simple to prep on any evening of the week. You’ll be able to even take a shortcut with rotisserie hen from the shop.
Make forward. Assemble the casserole forward and retailer it baked or unbaked for later! It additionally freezes properly.
Casserole Elements
Nothing does “meal-in-one” higher than a tacky and veggie-filled hen and broccoli casserole. Under are my notes on what you’ll must make it. Scroll right down to the recipe card after the submit for the printable components checklist with the total quantities.
Hen – I like to recommend boneless, skinless hen breasts or thighs, minimize into bite-sized items. You’ll want salt and pepper, or your alternative of hen seasoning.
Olive Oil – Or one other oil, for sautéeing.
Onion and Garlic – Diced yellow or white onion, and freshly minced garlic. You’ll be able to substitute ½ teaspoon of garlic powder per recent clove if you have to.
Rice – Cook dinner the rice utilizing your most popular methodology. I like to recommend long-grain white rice, not immediate rice, for this casserole. You may additionally substitute the rice with one other cooked grain, like quinoa.
Broccoli – Chopped into florets. Frozen broccoli is nice, too, simply be certain to thaw and drain it first (observe that the feel shall be softer than in case you use recent).
Cheese – Shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, gouda, Swiss or Pepper Jack (for some spice) all work properly on this recipe. Use freshly shredded cheese because it melts extra easily.
Cream of Hen Soup – You can even use condensed cream of broccoli.
Milk – This may be entire milk, 2% milk, or any type you’d like.
Bitter Cream – In a pinch, you may exchange the bitter cream with full-fat plain Greek yogurt.
Spices – I season the sauce with paprika and dry mustard. Be happy so as to add any seasonings you’d like, resembling cayenne pepper, chili powder, crimson pepper flakes, or a mix, like Italian herbs or Cajun seasoning.
Ritz Crackers – Crushed into crumbs and combined with melted butter for the topping.
Methods to Make Broccoli Hen Casserole
Right here’s a fast overview exhibiting how you can make this straightforward, tacky hen and broccoli casserole. You’ll discover the printable recipe directions within the recipe card after the submit.
Cook dinner the hen and onions.Mix the components.
Cook dinner the hen and onions. Season the hen with salt and pepper, then add it to a sizzling pan with oil. Cook dinner the hen over medium warmth for five minutes. Then, add the onions, and sauté for one more 5-7 minutes till the hen is cooked by. Stir within the garlic.
Mix the components. Subsequent, add the hen and onions to a bowl with the rice, broccoli, and ½ cup of shredded cheese.
Combine and add the sauce.Toss to coat.
Make the sauce. In the meantime, combine the cream of hen soup, milk, bitter cream, and seasonings. Pour the sauce over the hen and broccoli combination and stir all the pieces collectively.
Assemble the casserole.Add the topping and bake!
Assemble the casserole. Unfold the filling into the underside of a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Mix the crushed Ritz crackers with melted butter and scatter that over high.
Bake. Lastly, bake the hen and broccoli casserole at 350ºF for half-hour till the highest is toasted and the perimeters are bubbly.
Make It Forward
You’ll be able to put together this hen and broccoli casserole the day earlier than and preserve it coated within the fridge till you’re able to bake (I’ll usually do that once we’re anticipating folks over!). Assemble the casserole in a baking dish as directed, however depart off the Ritz cracker topping. Then, cowl and refrigerate it for as much as 24 hours.
While you’re prepared, sprinkle on the topping and bake! If the casserole is chilly from the fridge, it’s possible you’ll want so as to add 10-Quarter-hour to the baking time.
Recipe Suggestions
Save time with a rotisserie hen. On this case, you may skip cooking the hen and go straight to sautéeing the onions. Mix the chopped or shredded hen with the opposite components and blend all the pieces with the sauce as directed.
When you want softer broccoli, steam the recent florets earlier than you add them to the casserole.
When you don’t have Ritz crackers, you may crush up one other form of cracker, or substitute breadcrumbs or potato chips.
Serving Options
Serve this hen and broccoli casserole with a inexperienced salad on the aspect, or extra greens, like roasted carrots or asparagus. Fluffy dinner rolls or biscuits are a should when it comes time to sop up the leftover sauce!
Storing and Reheating
Refrigerate. Cowl and retailer the leftover broccoli hen casserole within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
Reheat. You’ll be able to reheat the casserole within the oven, or particular person servings within the microwave till sizzling all through.
Freeze. Wrap this casserole in a double layer of plastic wrap or foil and freeze it for as much as 2 months. Thaw the casserole within the fridge earlier than reheating.
This tacky hen and broccoli casserole recipe has juicy chunks of hen, rice, broccoli, and creamy sauce baked beneath a buttery cracker topping.
1 pound boneless skinless hen breasts, minimize into chew dimension items
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 Cup yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Cups cooked rice
1 head broccoli, minimize into florets (about 3 cups)
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 10.5-ounce can cream of hen soup
1/2 Cup milk
1/4 Cup bitter cream
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1 Cup Ritz cracker crumbs (about 25 crackers)
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and put aside.
Sprinkle the minimize items of hen with salt and pepper.
Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium warmth. As soon as the oil is sizzling, add the hen to the pan. Cook dinner for five minutes.
Add the diced onion to the skillet with the hen and proceed to prepare dinner, stirring often, till the hen is cooked by, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and proceed to prepare dinner whereas stirring for yet another minute, then take away from warmth.
Mix the cooked hen, cooked rice, broccoli florets and ½ cup of cheese in a big bowl.
In a separate smaller bowl, combine collectively the cream of hen soup, milk, bitter cream, paprika and dry mustard. Pour the cream combination over the hen and rice and stir it properly to mix.
Unfold the hen rice combination into your ready baking dish. Prime with remaining shredded cheese.
Mix the cracker crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the casserole.
Bake within the preheated oven for half-hour or till the crumbs are golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
Notes
You should use rotisserie hen to avoid wasting time. Simply skip forward to sauteeing the onions within the olive oil.
This casserole has crisp broccoli, in case you want tender broccoli, steam it earlier than including it to the casserole.
You should use frozen broccoli instead of recent, simply be certain to thaw it first and drain off any liquid.
