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| Healthier Broccoli Chicken Casserole Recipe |
This Healthy Chicken Broccoli Casserole is a delicious comforting classic. It’s so easy to make, packed with protein, loaded with broccoli and full of vibrant herby aromatics. It has a special real food secret ingredient too and bakes up beautifully in less than an hour.
Those potato chips certainly were not healthy and neither was the condensed soup or the mayo in the creamy base. Now, I loved it as a kid, but I kind of shudder at the thought of generic store-bought mayonnaise and that condensed soup certainly was not real food.
Casseroles always remind me of my mom. She used to make delicious chicken casseroles when I was a kid. All of them were topped with, wait for it crumbled up potato chips. And I loved it!
Source : recipestonourish.com
Ingredients
2 cups diced (or shredded) cooked chicken
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 ounces baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 large head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets (about 1 pound of florets)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups milk
8 ounces uncooked pasta
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
Instructions
I. Heat oven to 400°F.
II. Cook pasta in a large stockpot of generously-salted boiling water until it is al dente. However, about 1 minute before the pasta is done, add the broccoli to the boiling pasta water and stir until combined. Drain both the pasta and broccoli, and set aside.
III. Meanwhile, heat the butter (or oil) in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mushrooms are cooked through.
IV. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the onion mixture and stir until combined. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add in the stock, and stir everything together until most of the clumps are gone. Add in the milk, Dijon, salt and pepper and stir until combined. Continue cooking the sauce until it reaches a simmer. Then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese until it is combined. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
V. In a large 9 x 13-inch baking dish, combine the cooked pasta, broccoli, mushroom sauce and chicken. Toss until combined. Smooth the casserole out into an even layer.
VI. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Then remove pan from the oven, sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese evenly on top of the casserole, and bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty.
VII. Serve warm, garnished with extra black pepper and/or fresh herbs, if desired.