Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole is made with tender chicken breasts, mushrooms, and broccoli with a creamy sauce topped with ritz cracker crumbs, cheddar cheese, and bacon. It is no-fuss easy to make dinner that my family used to eat all the time when I was a kid. It is a meal that takes just 20 minutes of active preparation time, making it ideal for a busy night.
I love Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole because it brings together a few of my favorite foods: chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, and cheese. Oh, and I added bacon to this recipe because bacon makes everything even more delicious. The pairing of the creamy sauce, melted cheddar cheese, crunchy cracker and bacon topping, and tender chicken and broccoli is irresistible.
This Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole was one of my favorite meals when I was a kid. When I moved out on my own, I received a rough list of ingredients and instructions for preparing the meal. I have no idea where the recipe first came from, and it has evolved over time. The recipe I was given didn't even have proportions, but I have measured everything out so that I can pass the recipe on to you.
This is a meal that takes a minimal amount of preparation time, but it can easily feed the whole family. The chicken gets seasoned and then quickly seared until it has browned. Then it is added to a casserole dish along with chopped broccoli and sliced mushrooms. The sauce is stirred together and heated up in a saucepan and then poured into the casserole dish. Cheddar cheese, ritz cracker crumbs, and chopped bacon goes on top and then the casserole bakes for 55 minutes.
I love to serve the chicken casserole over rice pilaf with a generous scoop of the sauce. There is something about the way that the rice soaks up the sauce that is just magical.
I think that this Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole is even better the next day, the chicken becomes super tender as it sits in the sauce. I make a point to make a big batch so that I can have leftovers.
How to make Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole:
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 10.5 ounce cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 2 ½ cups Milk
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 5 ounces of Greek Yogurt
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- 1 ½ pounds of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 large head of Broccoli
- 8 ounces of sliced Mushrooms
- 1 cup of Cheddar Cheese
- ½ sleeve of Ritz Crackers
- 2 slices of Bacon
- Serve with Rice Pilaf
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large saucepan, whisk the cream of mushroom soup, milk, mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic powder, thyme, and paprika together. Bring to a slow and steady bubble, and keep warm while you prepare the other ingredients for the casserole.
- I like to cut the chicken breasts in half so that they fit into the pan a bit more easily. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown both sides.
- While the chicken is browning, slice the broccoli into florets and place in a casserole dish. Add the mushrooms.
- Once the chicken has browned, place it in the casserole dish with the broccoli or chicken. Pour the sauce over the top.
- Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top. Then crush the crackers and sprinkle them over the top. Lastly, chop the bacon and add it over the crackers.
- Cover the casserole and bake for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake for and additional 15 minutes.
Notes
