Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

This is another family favorite dish that I make several times during the colder months.  It's a casserole that's easy to prepare and it tastes great, too!

My sister shared this recipe with me years ago and my boys are always pleased when I tell them this is what we're having for dinner.  This dish gets 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

It begins with cubed chicken breasts, which I arrange evenly in the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking dish.  This can either be leftover chicken or the grilled chicken strips that are easy to find at the market.  I've also used leftover turkey breast meat in this dish.  

To this I add the layer of broccoli.  The original recipe called for frozen broccoli, which had been defrosted.  More often than not, these days I buy the fresh broccoli florets in the bag, which are washed and ready to use.  I following the cooking directions on the bag before adding them to the baking dish.  If you're not using frozen broccoli, the broccoli must be cooked before using it in this casserole.

Then I add a layer of American cheese (I always used REAL American cheese, not the cheese food product!).  I cut the pieces to fit and overlap them so all of the broccoli is completely covered.  Because my broccoli was added just after cooking it, the heat began to melt the cheese even before I took this picture.  The important thing is to make sure the cheese at the edges of the dish are below the top of the pan before adding the next layer, or there will be a big mess!

In a medium bowl, using a whisk, I combine the cream of chicken soup with the evaporated milk.  It's important that you use the evaporated milk instead of the sweetened condensed milk!

I then add this mixture directly on top of the cheese.  You can see that while mixing the soup and milk, the cheese melted even more.

I spread this mixture evenly, making sure it gets to the edges of the baking dish.  Because I made sure the cheese was lower than the edge of the pan, this mixture did not overflow the dish and will not do so during baking and make a mess of the oven.  I covered the casserole with foil and baked it in the oven at 350°F for 35 minutes. 

We think this casserole is best when served over fresh and hot mashed potatoes.   So, while it's in the oven, I prepare the mashed potatoes.  I peel the spuds and cut them into pieces that are no more than 1/2-inch thick.  I've found that the faster I need the potatoes to cook, the smaller I cut the pieces.  I place them in a large saucepan, cover them with water and cook over high heat.  Once the water begins to boil, I cook the potatoes for 10 minutes.

Once cooked and fork tender, I drain the potatoes and add them to a large bowl in which I have cubed a stick of butter.  The heat from the potatoes melts the butter.

At that point, the casserole is ready to come out of the oven.  I remove the foil carefully so as to not burn myself with the steam.

I then add the French's french fried onions, distributing them evenly.  Then I place the casserole back in the oven to get the onions crispy on top.  This only takes about 5 minutes more.

In the meantime, using a hand mixer, I mash the potatoes and butter, adding salt as needed.  To make the potatoes extra creamy, I add a little pour of milk and whip again with the hand mixer.

When the casserole comes out of the oven, the onions are crispy and the cheese and soup have melted into the broccoli and chicken layers and it smells wonderful.

I serve this dish family style, where I bring the bowl of mashed potatoes and the casserole to the table and everyone helps themselves.  We like to put the mashed potatoes on the plate first, then top with the casserole.  This is a myriad of textures from the creamy potatoes on the bottom to the crunchy onions on top.   And it tastes good, too!  Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

3 cups cooked chicken

1 package (12 oz.) frozen broccoli, defrosted*

7 slices American cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk

1 can French’s French Fried Onions

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spread chicken in a 9x9-inch baking dish.  Evenly distribute broccoli over chicken layer.  Layer with cheese, cutting to fit.  In a medium bowl, whisk together soup and milk; pour over cheese, spreading to completely cover cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and take off foil; sprinkle onions on top and bake an additional 5 minutes uncovered until onions are crispy.

*fresh broccoli florets, which have been cooked may be substituted