Last night I tried my hand at the Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Broccoli Cheese casserole. I never fully follow the recipe, because generally…I forgot something at the grocery store or I’m lazy or I want to change spices. What can I say, I like breaking the rules 🤷♀️.
Now…..let’s insert here, the long drawn-out story about why I love this meal, and how special it is to my family, yada yada yada. Now you have to scroll for 30 seconds to find the ingredients.
All scrolled? Great job.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. Butter (I only buy unsalted, you do you)
- 1 Microwave steam bag of Broccoli, cut into pieces
- 2 Boneless Chicken Breasts (Butterfly them if they are too fat)
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
- 1 Clove Garlic, diced
- 1/4 c. AP Flour
- 4 c. Milk (I used 2% cuz its what I had enough of)
- 1 block of Cream Cheese at Room Temp
- 8 oz. Velveeta-type cheese (I used store brand)
- 2 Handfuls of Shredded Cheese (I always measure cheese with my soul)
- 2 Bags of boil-in-bag rice (Don’t hate me cuz I’m lazy alright)
- As many crushed crackers for topping that make you happy
- Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning, Measure to taste (2 Tbsp. ?)
- A healthy shake of Smoked Paprika (1 tsp. ?)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Get ready for a delish meal!
- Preheat oven to 350 and grab your favorite casserole dish or baking dish. (I use a 13×9 Figment dish from Target)
- Make Boil in bag rice per box instructions (trust me it works fine in this recipe) Once the rice is done, add one bag to the bottom of the pan, then you will layer the 2nd bag in between the chicken and cheese mixture.
- Cook Broccoli in Microwave according to bag instructions
- Use a large high-sided skillet (as almost everything will be combined in it) on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons butter until melted, then add in your Chicken. Make sure it is thin enough to cook through without drying out.
- Remove Chicken from the pan once it is cooked through and let cool while you do the next steps.
- Drain the pan but don’t wipe out the brown bits (thats the good part) Add in your remaining 2 tbsp. of butter and melt. Add in onion and garlic until onion is translucent. (I tend to cook until slightly browned as I like it better this way) Add the flour, Rotisserie Chicken seasoning, and Paprika, and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
- Whisking or mixing, slowly add in all 4 cups of milk, this should thicken only slightly it’s takes 5-ish minutes.
- Add the block of cream cheese in chunks and mix until melted and combined (remember it’ll be chunky because of the onions) Add in the Velveeta cheese and a handful of shredded cheese until all is melted and combined.
- Cut up the chicken and Broccoli into small bites and fold into your cheese mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add half of the Cheese and Chicken mixture on top of the rice in your dish then add the remaining bag of rice. Top with the 2nd half of the Chicken Cheese mixture.
- Crush up your crackers (I like wheat Ritz) and add to the top of your casserole. Add the other handful of cheese and bake until cheese is melted on top and the crackers are slightly browned(well…browner)
- Take it out of the oven and enjoy!
Feel free to change things in the recipe! Don’t like Broccoli, use peas (I WILL judge you, Peas are GROSS) Want different seasonings, knock yourself out! Wanna use a rice maker, please do! (I don’t have one, sorry)
I tried to make this a little easier on us busy moms with things that cook a bit faster, or use fewer pots and pans. Honestly this recipe would would great with a Rotisserie Chicken from the store as well. I buy them cold and save a few bucks!
I added the link to the original recipe below in case you want to follow it to a T. (You do you)
https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a60928346/broccoli-chicken-casserole-recipe/