Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole

A rather easy meal that will be sure to please and result in many happy tummies.

I have been CRAVING the combination of cheese and broccoli for over a week now and it has reached mammoth proportions. I actually do have multiple types of cheese on hand as well as fresh broccoli, but life has left me kinda worn out. Chalk it up to the strain of tending to sick kiddos, or the bipolar weather patterns (80 degrees yesterday and a high of 50 tomorrow, what is up with that?), but my energy levels have been low. If it hasn’t been on the menu then I haven’t made it (with one exception being peanut butter krispie treats) … and cheesy broccoli has not been on the menu.

Tonight I was trying to find a way to feed the family with what I have on hand and decided that I would include cheesy broccoli on the table. But I had nothing to go with it for a main course. We are going shopping for groceries tomorrow, and when I say nothing, I mean, NOTHING that would make for an acceptable main course for the whole family. No ground beef, no tuna, nada. Until I found a single humongous chicken breast in the back of my freezer behind a bag of blueberries. This chicken breast was gigantic and it inspired me to create what I am now sharing with you.

I have to say that I am feeling re-energized after this meal. I think that supplying my body with what it has been craving, and doing it in a way that brought smiles to every member of the family was a big boost for me. People were grabbing seconds and loving every bite. I will say that our family eats smaller portions generally, so the five of us only burned through half of the 13 x 9 inch casserole, but that means we can do leftovers on Saturday and there will be at least one thing for everyone to eat (if it lasts that long).

Notes:

This is my first time making this, but I do have some ideas for playing with the recipe in the future. For example, omit the rosemary and oregano (or Italian herb blend), and instead mix 1 tsp cumin into the cheese sauce as it is melting. Also add in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of diced peppers, either bell peppers or something spicy if you prefer. At the end top it with Shredded Pepper-Jack cheese or a Mexican blend. That will give you something with a Mexican-style flair. I would likely also serve this version with tortillas because my kids love things that can be eaten like tacos and this would be perfect.

This dish will work well with either a frozen, fresh, or pre-cooked chicken breast. Obviously, frozen will take longer to cook than fresh, and pre-cooked will take a lot less time than either. It all depends on your preferences and what you have on hand. If you absolutely hate handling raw chicken (Rachel, I am thinking of you here) then using pre-baked chicken breasts will be a great option with minimal handling of the raw chicken. Stay tuned for a post about how I do baked chicken and what I do with it, probably next week after I get to the store. 🙂

I know that this could be made with canned tuna (2 – 3 standard cans drained well) in place of the chicken, but you could also use a pound of ground beef as well for a cheeseburger type of casserole. Consider this dish also as a post-Thanksgiving use of all the leftover turkey.

I love dried rosemary but I do not love getting stabbed by the hard pieces when I use it, so I am always careful to crush up the pieces in my hand before adding them into a recipe. On the plus side, it leaves my hands smelling really yummy.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup dry long or medium grain rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 head of broccoli cut into florets or 2 cups of frozen broccoli florets
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 large or 2 smaller chicken breasts, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup milk
• 16 oz (about 1/2 a package) Velveeta or similar product, cubed
• 6 oz cheddar, shredded and divided (4 oz mixed in and 2 oz for topping)
• 1/2 tsp oregano or Italian herb blend
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.

In a medium or large saucepan with a lid, bring the water to a boil. Once boiling stir in the dry rice and broccoli, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer covered WITHOUT UNCOVERING for 20 minutes, then move off the heat and leave covered until you are ready to use it.

In a skillet or saucepan, over medium heat, pour in the oil and then stir in the onion and rosemary. Stir often until the onion is translucent (clear) and soft. Add in the chopped chicken and saute until the chicken is fully cooked, stirring frequently. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over a medium heat, melt the butter. Once it is fully melted, stir in the milk and the cubed Velveeta. Stir almost continuously to prevent burning until the Velveeta is almost fully melted, then stir in the 4 oz of shredded cheddar, the oregano (or Italian herb blend), and the garlic powder. Continue stirring until everything is melted and smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice/broccoli combination, the chicken, and the cheese sauce. Stir it well to make sure it is all evenly distributed. Dump this mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, remove the cover and sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 oz of shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Allow it to sit for a couple of minutes before serving.

Enjoy.