There are some recipes on our blog that are tried-and-true favorites from our childhood and this recipe is one of them! Our mom made this frequently for Sunday dinner and whenever I smell it cooking, it always takes me back to her kitchen on a peaceful Sunday afternoon.
The idea of this recipe is simple – layer chicken and broccoli in a 9×13″ baking dish, mix with a creamy sauce (made with cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry), and top with cheese. Bake until it’s golden and bubbly and you have a comfort-food dish that your whole family will love!
Growing up, our dad HATED broccoli (still does to this day), but this is the one recipe that he didn’t pick the broccoli out of it. If you have picky eaters who don’t love vegetables, this is a recipe that you need to try! The cheesy sauce mixed with the cooked broccoli is pretty delicious.
When it comes to the cooked chicken, I make it a couple of different ways. Sometimes I will boil whole frozen chicken breasts and place them on top of the cooked broccoli in the pan. Sometimes I chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and spread it evenly over the broccoli (like in the picture above). If I am really short on time, I will grab a rotisserie chicken at the store and shred it up, then spread it over the broccoli. If you have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, this casserole is a great way to use it up as well!
When we were growing up, my mom always topped it with lots of cheese and bread crumbs. Some of our readers have mentioned that they use Stove Top stuffing on top, which sounds delicious to me.
This casserole is incredibly versatile. Here are some other things you might want to try adding in (these are suggestions from our readers):
-fresh mushrooms
-Provolone cheese
-use 1/2 cup sour cream in place of half of the mayonnaise
-water chestnuts
-Cream of Broccoli soup instead of Cream of Chicken soup
-Cheddar cheese soup instead of Cream of Chicken soup
-top with French fried onions instead of bread crumbs
-top with corn flakes instead of bread crumbsWe always serve this casserole with baked potatoes, but it’s also delicious with mashed potatoes or cooked rice.
Check out our other Chicken Casserole recipes:
–Pesto Chicken Casserole
–Teriyaki Chicken Casserole
–Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
–Texas Ranch Chicken Casserole
–Chicken Alfredo Gnocchi Casserole
Serves: 8
This Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole is a family favorite. Add broccoli and chicken to a creamy sauce, top with cheese and serve over cooked rice or potatoes.
15 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
45 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 bunches fresh broccoli (can also use frozen, about 1 1/2 bags)
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked and cut into pieces if desired)
- 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 slices bread
- 1 Tablespoon butter (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook broccoli in boiling salted water until tender and drain.
- Arrange stalks in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.
- Place cooked chicken breasts on top of broccoli.
- In a medium bowl, combine soup, mayonnaisse, lemon juice, and curry powder; pour over chicken.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Break bread into small pieces and mix with melted butter. Sprinkle over shredded cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
You can also use bread crumbs in place of the sliced bread with butter.
Sometimes I add a couple tablespoons of milk to the soup mixture so that it makes a "gravy" and serve that over baked potatoes as a side dish.
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