Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
This Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole is a hearty weeknight meal with easy ingredients like rotisserie chicken, frozen broccoli, cheddar cheese and pasta.
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When you have a busy night of homework, activities, or sports you need a meal that’s easy, quick, minimal ingredients, filling, AND delicious! Look no further than this cheesy chicken casserole for a happy family with very little effort.
The hardest thing about making this recipe is boiling the noodles. That’s my kind of recipe! Read on to see how to make it.
What you’ll need
- A 9×13 baking dish plus oil, butter or nonstick spray to grease it.
- A box of your favorite pasta– I used corkscrews. Other great options: large elbow, shells, rigatoni, rotini, or penne.
- Frozen broccoli– you can also use fresh broccoli if you prefer.
- Butter or margarine plus all purpose flour– to make the cheese sauce
- Rotisserie chicken– you can sub cooked chicken breast or thighs. Rotisserie chicken just makes this easier to put together, which is our goal!
- Shredded cheese– I used cheddar cheese but you can use any cheese you like such as colby jack, pepper jack, white cheddar, fontina, or a mix of two cheeses. Shredding the cheese yourself makes it so much creamier and melts better. I love this one.
- Milk– any milk will work in this
- Seasonings– salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, Italian seasoning- just throw the whole spice cabinet in 😉
How to make it
(full recipe card is at the bottom of this post)
- You’ll need a large pot to cook your pasta; we’ll make the cheese sauce in the same pot to cut down on dishes. You’ll also need a large baking dish. I prefer the 9×13 size.
Boil it: Prepare pasta as directed; after 6 minutes of boiling add broccoli to pasta and continue cooking per package directions; drain. I just dump this in the baking dish for the mean time and get started on the cheese sauce.
Cheese Sauce: In the same pot, add butter. Once butter has melted, whisk in flour until blended well.
Pour it: Add in the seasonings and slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly, until mixture simmers.
Add in shredded cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Next, add the shredded rotisserie chicken and mix together.
Put it all together: Combines the broccoli, pasta, and chicken cheese sauce. Pour it into the baking dish.
Bake it: Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes
Top it: Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, for 5 additional minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with a salad and garlic bread. Your family will love you.
Tips and Suggestions
- Freeze this casserole by letting it cool completely, wrapping it very well to prevent freezer burn and freezing up to 3 months.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days.
- Use any small shape pasta you like. Sub whole wheat pasta if you’d like.
- Try topping this with bread crumbs or crushed butter crackers for extra crunch.
You might also like these casseroles:
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole with Potatoes
- Chicken and Waffles Casserole
- Ravioli Casserole
- Tater Tot Casserole
- Make Ahead Chocolate Chip French Toast Casserole
- Stuffed Pepper Pasta Casserole
- The Best Mac and Cheese
- Scratch Made Green Bean Casserole
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Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounce box of your favorite pasta
- 10-16 ounce frozen broccoli
- 2 Tbsp butter or margarine
- 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups milk
- 3 cups shredded cheddar Colby Jack OR pepper jack cheese
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with oil or nonstick spray.
- Prepare pasta as directed; after 6 minutes of boiling add broccoli to pasta and continue cooking per package directions; drain. Set aside.
- In the same pot, over medium heat, add the butter. Once butter has melted, whisk in flour until blended well. Add seasonings.
- Slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly, until mixture simmers. Add in 2 cups of shredded cheese and stir until melted. add in the shredded rotisserie chicken to the sauce and mix well. Pour cheese sauce into broccoli and pasta and stir together.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, for 5 additional minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Freeze this casserole by letting it cool completely, wrapping it very well to prevent freezer burn and freezing up to 3 months.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days.
- Use any small shape pasta you like. Sub whole wheat pasta if you’d like.
- Try topping this with bread crumbs or crushed butter crackers for extra crunch.
