Easy Chicken Casserole
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Not your mama’s Easy Chicken Casserole
What kid doesn’t like chicken and broccoli? Growing up we had a favorite family dinner that made the meal time rotation on a regular basis. My mom tossed broccoli, chicken, and cheese with a few cans of condensed cream of chicken soup and called it a day.
We loved that casserole and licked our plates every time. And with staples like chicken, broccoli and cheese how could you go wrong? Well…it was the canned soup that did us in.
The basic ingredient that needed to go…
Most kitchen pantries in America are filled with canned soups and vegetables. The basic ingredient that was a staple in our pantry was canned cream of mushroom soup. I needed to sub that ingredient out if I wanted to make my Easy Chicken Casserole healthy and keto friendly.
The traditional recipe also calls for breadcrumbs or even crumbled Ritz crackers. In my opinion these two ingredients are not even necessary. I completely omitted any egregious carbs and stuck with the wholesome chicken and broccoli.
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Tender Broccoli
I would love to say to skip this step in your easy chicken casserole, but it’s kind of important to blanch the broccoli. I boil a large pot of salted water and toss the broccoli florets in for 2-3 minutes just to soften slightly.
The chicken is your choice of using store bought rotisserie chicken or boiling your own. If you choose to make your own use the same water that you will use for the broccoli as not to waste.
The sauce
For instance, this Easy Chicken casserole comes together so quickly that you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes. The sauce is the binder and is a simple mix. Simply softened 8 oz of cream cheese and mix with chicken stock, mozzarella cheese and some seasonings.
Easy Chicken Casserole layers
First layer at the bottom of the casserole dish is all the shredded chicken breast. Then top with the blanched or steamed broccoli. Next you will add your cream cheese mixture and smooth top of your Easy Chicken Casserole. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and bake.
Bubbling out of the oven
Bake the Easy Chicken Casserole for 20 minutes at 400* and then for the last 1-3 minutes turn the oven to broil. Don’t step away and watch your dinner get bubbly and delicious.
Remove from oven and serve
This Easy Chicken Casserole is 6 generous servings. Plus, it’s great as leftovers for lunch the next day.
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Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken breast cooked and shredded
- 6 cups broccoli small florets blanched to soften
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 tsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 cup cheddar shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400*
- Shred chicken and place to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Put broccoli florets in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove broccoli from boiling water and put over the chicken in the casserole dish.
- In a large bowl whisk together softened cream cheese with chicken broth. Stir in Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, xanthan gum and shredded mozzarella cheese. Set aside.
- Place diced chicken in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover chicken with the blanched broccoli florets. Spread cream cheese mixture over the broccoli and chicken.
- Sprinkle shredded cheddar to cover the casserole. Place casserole in 400* oven for 20 minutes.
- Optional….Turn the oven to broil. Set the timer for 1-2minutes just to brown and crisp the cheese on top.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
MEDICAL AND NUTRITION DISCLAIMER…Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nutritional break downs are done using a commercial nutrition calculator. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctorbefore starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers, this should never be construed as medical advice.