Broccoli Casserole with Chicken…can be made in 30 minutes or less…

Broccoli Casserole has become one of my go to weeknight recipes now that I’ve figured out how I can have it ready in 30 minutes or less.

My version of broccoli casserole is slightly different then the traditional recipes, I cut back on the amount of mayonnaise and use cream of chicken instead of cream of mushroom soup in the cream sauce.

The whole family loves the comforting combination of rice, chicken, broccoli, cheese and the creamy sauce. It’s delicious and a fantastic and easy weeknight dinner.

Having pre-cooked shredded or chopped chicken in your freezer is what makes it possible to have this meal ready in thirty minutes. If you don’t have precooked chicken in the freezer, you can try canned chicken or take 20 minutes and boil some really quick.

I cook my rice in my rice cooker which takes twenty minutes. Some rice cookers are not that fast, but you can also cook it on the stove in approximately 20 minutes. If you prefer and want the rice done super fast you can use minute rice.

For the broccoli I cook it in my steam basket while the rice is cooking. It takes about 15 minutes.  Another option, if you want to be really fast and not have as many dishes, is to buy the steamer microwave bags of frozen broccoli.

The trick is having the rice and broccoli cooking while you mix up the sauce. That way once everything is done all you have to do is quickly put each layer in a 9×13 pan sprinkle with cheese and heat in the oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Because this meal is so quick and I can keep the ingredients on hand in my pantry and freezer it is one of my go to meals for taking to people who are sick, injured or just had a baby. It can also easily be adapted to gluten free by making your own chicken sauce instead of using canned soup.

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Broccoli Casserole with Chicken...can be made in 30 minutes or less...

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

If you prefer not to use canned condensed soup you can make a quick roux and add an extra cup of chicken broth and a splash of cream or half and half, stir it well and then add the rest of the sauce ingredients.

Author: Maria

Recipe type: Chicken Casserole

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 6-8 cups cooked white rice
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed or shredded
• 2 lbs frozen or fresh broccoli, steamed or boiled until tender (make sure to salt it)
• 1 small can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup chicken broth, I just use 1 cup water and 1 tsp chicken bullion
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
• ½ tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1½ cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Like I mentioned in the post, you can cook the rice and broccoli while you preparing the sauce so this recipe can be done and on the table in thirty minutes.
3. For the Sauce: Stir broth, can of cream of chicken, mayonnaise, sour cream or greek yogurt, shredded chicken, lemon juice and curry powder and salt and pepper to taste, in a sauce pan. Heat and stir until well combined and heated through.* See Summary section to see how to make without canned soup
4. Use cooking spray to lightly grease the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
5. Spread cooked rice evenly on bottom of the pan
6. Spread the chicken cream sauce evenly over the rice,
7. Cover the sauce with the cooked broccoli and then sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over the broccoli.
8. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
9. Remove from oven and serve.

3.2.2265

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*This recipe is slightly adapted from a recipe I got from my sister. I reduced the  amount of mayonnaise and added sour cream. I also reduced the amount of curry powder and added extra broccoli.