Do you like broccoli with cheese sauce? It’s a great side dish, but it’s really amazing how easy it is to turn it into dinner! Using pre-cooked chicken makes it even quicker! This is a delicious way to make a casserole without pasta and without cauliflower (JP has made it clear he’s pretty tired of cauliflower casseroles).
Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 broccoli crown
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar plus extra for topping
- 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Cut chicken into small cubes.
- If using fresh broccoli, cut into small pieces.
- Steam broccoli for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender (if you’re using microwave broccoli, microwave for a minute less than recommended).
- Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
- Add flour and mix well until completely incorporated into butter.
- Add milk, stirring constantly (personally, I use a spoon for the step above and a whisk for this step – it’s one extra thing to wash, but I think it makes getting a nice lump-free sauce easier).
- Season with salt and pepper.
- When sauce thickens, add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and mix well. If desired, add a dash of cayenne pepper. I’ve mentioned it before, but I always add cayenne when cooking with cheese – it doesn’t make the dish hot, but it brings out the cheese flavor.
- Combine broccoli, chicken, and cheese sauce in large bowl. This is another step that leads to one extra bowl to wash, but it makes it a lot easier to get everything mixed well.
- Turn into casserole dish and top with cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until topping is melted and casserole is bubbling.
If you’re a cheese lover like me, it doesn’t get any better than this! And if your family resists vegetable-based casseroles, try this and see what they think!
