Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
Yield: 8 to 10
Delish
Chicken and broccoli casserole is a meal that most people at Team Delish grew up eating, and this recipe is guaranteed to make you feel like a kid again. This creamy, cheesy, Ritz cracker-topped casserole is packed with chicken, rice, and freshly blanched broccoli with the quintessential cream of mushroom soup. This is my ideal Sunday dinner, and it’s perfect for when you have a few extra mouths to feed.
Notes: Takes longer than expected to cook rice. Consider doing the initial cook of the rice and sauce on the stove top and then mix with the chicken & broccoli and put in casserole dish.
Prep: 10 Cook: 90
- 4TBS unsalted butter, divided, plus more for greasing
- 24oz Sous Vide Chicken Breasts
- 1TBS AP seasoning salt (such as Lawry’s or Adobo, use on chicken instead of regular salt during sous vide cooking)
- 2TBS neutral oil
- 1large yellow onion, finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- 4garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1½cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 3½cups chicken broth
- 2(10-oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
- 2heads of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1½cups crushed Ritz crackers
- ¼tsp garlic powder
- ¼tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1½cups shredded cheddar, divided
Prepare chicken:
Shred or cut cooked chicken into bite sized pieces.
Prepare Broccoli:
Meanwhile, fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Place ice cubes in a medium bowl and fill with cold water. Cook broccoli in boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until bright green and slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer broccoli to ice water to stop cooking. Drain and transfer broccoli to a bowl with chicken, season with ½ tsp salt. Cover and refrigerate if not making casserole the same day.
See below for stovetop rice cooking version.
Casserole:
Arrange a rack in the center of oven, preheat to 375°F. Grease a 13″ x 9″ baking dish with butter.
In a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 TBS butter. Add onion, season with ½ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add rice and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until rice is lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 3½ cups of broth and scrape any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Stir in 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Cover the dish with foil.
Bake rice mixture, stirring after 20 minutes, cook until rice is almost completely cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes more.
Prepare cracker topping:
In a medium heatproof bowl, microwave 2 TBS butter until melted, about 30 seconds. Add 1½ cup crushed Ritz crackers, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp pepper, and ½ cup cheese and toss with a fork to combine.
Finish:
Add chicken and 1/2 to 1 cup of water to skillet, cover and heat over medium heat until water is boiling. Add broccoli to skillet on top of chicken, cover and heat for 1 minute, turn off heat. Set covered pan aside until rice is done. Drain water from skillet and add chicken and broccoli and remaining 1 cup of cheese to casserole dish, pour rice and sauce over and mix to distribute. Top with cracker topping.
Return casserole to oven, uncovered, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until broccoli and chicken are hot, and topping is slightly browned. Let cool slightly.
Stovetop Rice Cooking:
In a large pot over medium heat, melt 2 TBS butter. Add onion, season with ½ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add rice and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until rice is lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 3½ cups of broth and scrape any browned bits from bottom of pot. Stir in 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup. Set heat to simmer or low, cover and cook, stirring after 15 minutes, cook until rice is almost completely cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes total.
Continue above at Prepare cracker topping.
Storage and re-heating:
Let casserole cool to under 90°F, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Remove from refrigerator, cover with foil and heat in a 350°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and heat uncovered for 10 to 20 minutes, until contents are hot and topping is browned.