Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Chicken Broccoli Casserole is an easy to make comfort food, made with broccoli and vegan chicken bites, amazingly baked in the oven. Wait until you taste the creamy sauce which will make you crave for more in no time. This easy broccoli casserole comes together really quick and the result is super satisfying.

Broccoli chicken is for me something that goes together like butter and bread.

For real you might have noticed how much I just love the combination of broccoli with a tasty sauce in a casserole.

Just check out the Broccoli Casserole, my Broccoli Rice Casserole, or Broccoli Bake for easy broccoli recipes.

What you need for this Chicken Broccoli Casserole

There are two ingredients which make this Chicken Broccoli Casserole extra delicious: it is the combination of French onions and crushed potato chips. Have you ever seen anything like that before? 

You can make the French Fried Onions at home or use store-bought ones. Potato chips are delicious and provide a great crunch in the filling but also as part of the topping. You can use any potato chips that you like, but I find simple salted ones most delicious.

Besides other easy ingredients like olive oil for a savory and hearty flavor you will need:

Broccoli: this is the star of the show. Often I see you guys ask: Do you cook vegetables before putting them in casserole? Yes, usually recommend that. For this recipe, I steam broccoli in the microwave to make sure it has the right texture. I am personally not a big fan of raw broccoli, but feel free to use it. If you do, the baking time need to be a bit longer.

 

Vegan chicken bites are delicious, meaty and an ingredient that complements the other components in the casserole.

For the sauce, I use a combination of almond milk, vegan cheddar and mayo. Who doesn’t love all that melty cheese and the wonderful flavors? Mayo add great richness and creaminess. Makes everything so easy, absolutely no need to make a white sauce. Just add and stir together for a wonderful and amazing sauce. The cheddar also goes into the topping of the Chicken Broccoli Casserole.

As seasonings, I use garlic and onion powder. I have to admit I keep the seasoning really simple, because there is a lot of flavor from the French fried onions and potato chips. Garlic and onion powder are classic flavor seasonings that should be added to any casserole, so good.

How to make Chicken Broccoli Casserole

At this point you should preheat your oven to 425F and set a 10×10 inch casserole dish aside.

Start with some quick prep for the broccoli

Choose among one of the option:

1. Steam broccoli florets in the microwave using a steamer basket for 8 minutes.
2. Use a steamer attachment over a pot if you have one, and follow its instructions.
3. Simply precook your broccoli florets in a pot until you have reached the desired texture and softness.

Prepare the casserole ingredients

Heat olive oil in a pan. When hot, add chicken bites and cook them for around 3 minutes. They should be slightly browned.

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, chicken, 3/4 of the potato chips and vegan cheddar, all of the French fried onions, milk, and mayo. Season with garlic and onion powder, plus some salt and pepper to taste.

Assembling the Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Transfer the whole broccoli mix into the casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining crushed potato chips and cheddar on top.

Finally, bake everything for around 20 minutes.

After baking please allow to cool down this easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole for around 5 minutes before serving on plates or bowls.

Tips and tricks

Leftovers can be enjoyed and will stay fresh in the fridge for around 4 days. When you do this, the Chicken Broccoli Casserole reheats great on lower temperature on the stove or in the microwave.

For freezing use a freezer friendly container or wrap in cling wrap. Like this, it will last amazingly for 2 months.

Other recipes to try

• Lemon Pasta
• Creamy Mac and Cheese
• Eggplant Lasagna
• Bang Bang Cauliflower
• Big Mac Salad
• Potato Cheese Balls

If you enjoy my Chicken Broccoli Casserole, show your remakes on Instagram or Facebook.

Enjoy, Florian.