Chicken Broccoli Casserole is the perfect weeknight meal and can be ready in 30 minutes! A family favorite made with homemade condensed soup!
CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE RECIPE
This chicken and broccoli casserole is such a popular recipe that I had to make new photos to show you how great this is! It's something my family makes all of the time because of how easy and quick it is. If you like to meal prep on the weekend, there are a few steps you can do in advance! A tried a true weeknight dinner recipe that can be made in 30 minutes, my favorite.
Casseroles are comfort foods for me, and this one does not disappoint. One of the things I do not like about many casserole recipes is using canned condensed soup. It always has strange ingredients I cannot pronounce and do not feel good serving it to my family. Instead, I made my condensed soup, and you will be shocked at how easy it truly is. Only a few essential pantry/fridge ingredients are needed and can be made ahead of time to make this a quick and delicious weeknight meal.
HOW DO YOU MAKE CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI CASSEROLE FROM SCRATCH?
- Make condensed soup - I like to prep my homemade cream of chicken condensed soup ahead of time. It's such a great base to have on hand because you can make so many different casseroles with it.
- Brown chicken - I like to roughly chop my chicken breasts in large chunks and saute with a little bit of oil until browned on both sides. Allow the large chicken pieces to rest for 5 minutes, and then I dice them into smaller pieces. This method allows you to get the flavor of the browned chicken, but you do not lose juiciness from overcooking. If you would instead bake your chicken breasts whole, this is my favorite way of cooking the perfect oven-baked chicken breasts that are juicy!
- Prepare broccoli - For this casserole recipe, you can use either frozen or fresh broccoli. If you are using fresh broccoli, you will start by slicing the crown into florets and steaming until tender. If you are using frozen broccoli, I like to thaw it by boiling it in hot water. You do so in the same pot as the pasta!
- Boil pasta - You can use and type of pasta, I like using bow-ties. You will want to cook the pasta according to the directions on the back of the package until al dente. Once tender, drain.
- Assemble casserole - Mix all of the ingredients in a large casserole dish or large skillet together until combined and season with salt and pepper.
HOW TO COOK CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
Preheat oven to 400ºF and bake covered for 10 minutes and then add the shredded cheese on top and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve warm.
CAN YOU FREEZE CHEESY CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE?
Yes! Once you decide if you would like to freeze a large portion of this casserole, then I highly recommend freezing in a casserole dish, or even in these one-time use casserole pans. Once the casserole has completely cooled, wrap a layer of plastic wrap on top of the casserole dish, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3-4 months. I like to cook frozen casserole frozen, so the pasta doesn't get mushy. Cook at the desired baking temperature, and you may have to bake for 20-30 minutes longer because of its frozen state.
If you only want to freeze a few portions, I like to add the portions in a ziplock bag and then freeze for up to 3-4 months, or even add the portions in Foodsaver and vacuum seal it. Add the frozen contents to a baking dish and bake at the desired cooking temperature.
IS CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE GLUTEN-FREE?
This chicken and broccoli casserole recipe is necessarily gluten-free since it uses all-purpose flour and regular pasta. To make it gluten-free, you can use any pasta you would like, I even like using this chickpea pasta, and a measure for measure gluten-free flour, I have heard great things about this King Arthur brand.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE?
In my opinion, this chicken broccoli casserole is a complete meal for my family and I. A simple side salad would be a great addition to have on the side!
Other casserole and pasta recipes you will love:
- Easy Chicken Parmesan Casserole
- One-Pot Sausage and Mushroom Pasta
- 20-Minute Tuscan Chicken with Penne Pasta
Chicken Broccoli Casserole is the perfect weeknight meal and can be ready in 30 minutes! A family favorite made with homemade condensed soup!
- 1 tbsp oil, avocado oil, olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil
- 2 lbs chicken breasts, about 2 large chicken breasts, diced into large chunks
- 12 oz frozen or fresh broccoli, thawed or steamed until tender
- 16 oz pasta, cooked and drained
- 1 can homemade cream of chicken condensed soup
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup shredded cheese, any kind you like, I used white cheddar
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat and season chicken chunks with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook on each side until browned, about 3-4 minutes each side. Remove from heat and set aside to rest for 5 minutes, then dice into smaller pieces.
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Mix all of the ingredients together in a 9x13 casserole dish or large skillet until combined. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake, add cheese, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese has melted.
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Serve warm.
Nutrition estimated is based upon the brands I used. Yours may vary depending on brands.
All of my kids' favorite things in one dish -- chicken, broccoli, and pasta! We will definitely give this a try. Thanks for sharing!
Hmm..chicken, pasta, canned soup and cheese. That's still quite a bit of calories. Not sure if I'd call it "healthy" but certainly healthier than other fast dinner options.
Definitely sounds yummy.
Honestly, it doesn't need the white shredded cheese. I made the home made recipe for the canned soup with 2%. I actually doubled it, halved the pasta and doubled the veg, adding zucchini. We topped it off with parm. You can use different types of pasta to make it healthier as well as different veg. Also, you could forgo the chicken and make it vegetarian. So, pretty healthy to me for a cream-sauce pasta dish.
Thanks for sharing, Colleen.
Love me a recipe that used HOMEMADE cream of something soup! Great substitute for a family with allergies! Thanks for linking up to the Weekend re-Treat Link Party!
xo,
Shannon
http://www.akadesign.ca
Thanks so much for this recipe and idea! I made it tonight (as well as the homemade cream of chicken soup) and it was amazing! Such a great idea and so excited to see how easy it was to make the cream of chicken soup! Thanks again!
Oh yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Kimberley! 🙂
This looks delicious! I'd love if you'd come link it up on my Tasty Tuesday hop!
Julia @ Mini Van Dreams
Thanks, Julia!
Looks like the perfect weeknight meal. And I'm pretty sure there would be no complaints and no leftovers. Yum!
Oh wow does this look good and simple too! I’d love for you to come share over at Simple Supper Tuesday 🙂
http://www.hunwhatsfordinner.com/2014/03/simple-supper-sunday.html
Oh wow that looks great! I'm going to Pin this and try it.
This sounds delicious but I wouldn't call this a healthy meal. Pastas are not a healthy food. They are carbs which and add fat. They aren't good carbs. Also pastas and breads cause inflammation in the body. And cheese is never healthy. But it could be worse! I can't to try it!!
I made my own take on this recipe tonight... I made a macaroni and cheese with a spiral pasta as a base, and I added the pan cooked chicken breast chunks and boiled broccoli to that... IT WAS SO GOOD... Just me and my bf at home but there's enough left over to feed an army! I have Crohns though and I've been a bit sick the past few days so I'm feeling it now, but it was so worth it.
Sounds delicious, Holly!
I make a similar dish with cream of mushroom- always a go to dish when I need to make a quick dinner after a long day. Next time I'll try it with the chicken.
I love how quick it is to prepare as well, Jeanine! Delicious too.
what type of cheese are you using for this recipe?
I believe I used white cheddar, Lupe! 🙂
Can. You tell me how to make this bigger. To serve more
Hi Aspen! You should be able to double all of the ingredients to be able to feed a large amount.
hi I was wondering, if I used Campbell's cream of chicken soup, will one can be the same amount as what the recipe calls for your homemade stuff?
Hi Alena! I would assume it would, but I haven't tried it before.
If I used Campbell's cream of chicken soup, will 1 can equal the same amount of your homemade cream of chicken needed in this recipe or do I need more than 1 can?
Hi Adele! I would assume it would, but I haven't tried it before.
I am making this tonight and subbing brown rice pasta(gluten free). Love the easy idea of it all! YUM!
Sounds delicious, Melissa!
I am making this for dinner tonight, I hope I make it right because it looks delicious! Pinned it 😉
The dish came out good but a little dry. I recommend adding butter or mayo to your finished product prior to the "broil" step.
I also sauteed fresh, crushed garlic for when I cooked the chicken.
I was just wondering if it would be the same if I used large elbow macaroni instead of the bow tie noodles?
It would be, Alexis!
Made this the other night & it was delicious! I used 2 cans of cream of chicken though. Very easy!
I, too, added a second can of soup to the mixture as well as half a can of milk. I added minced onion and garlic to the chicken as I browned it to add a bit more flavoring. The grand kids liked it!
Wow! This chicken pasta meal looks super yummy and creamy.
I have a similar recipe but I have added a few extra veggies and use milk and chicken stock instead of the canned soup.
Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Looks tasty. Very interested in the homemade soup as well. I may be referring to that in the future!!
Made it today, great tasting, easy recipe. I seasoned the chicken with a sprinkle of Italian salad seasoning. I like all the other ideas everyone contributed. Thank you
This was a hit with my family! So good!
I made this for dinner tonight,. I used 1 family size can of cream of chicken soup along with 2/3c of milk. I put it into the oven at 350 for 20-25mins till the cheese is melted..
So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Amy!
After reading comments, we decided to spice this up with some extra ingredients. We coated the chicken with Italian seasoning. After cooking the chicken, in the same pot we did some minced garlic. After 1 minute we deglazed with rice vinegar, then added mushrooms, onions, and the broccoli and covered for a few minutes. We then continued with the recipe and it turned out delicious.
Made this for dinner tonight. It was a hit with my kids! Adding it to our rotation. Thank you!
This takes longer than 5 minutes prep, but well worth it. I sautéed onion and garlic to add and even my picky eaters loved this dish. Will make again. Thanks for this recipe.
This was so good, I made it with Banza chick pea wagon wheel pasta. Added some salt and pepper and it was delicious