Cheddar Crusted Chicken Broccoli Casserole

We had some thankfully cooler days this past week, which will be described in detail in tomorrow's post about #savingthepeaches. Looking for perhaps the last true comfort food meal before it's too hot to have the oven on for extended periods of time, I came across this one. 

This is a blog I follow regularly, mostly because it's largely made up of Mom Food recipes, and I have to say this one ticked all my comfort food boxes. It called for cooked chicken, and you can do this in a variety of ways, including using rotisserie chicken, but I like to roast bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. As opposed to the great majority of my family, I'm a white meat kind of gal, and the struggle is real when it comes to this particular protein. The men in my family are really scornful of chicken in the first place, calling it "yardbird." They much prefer any kind of exotic meat-o-rama to chicken and if they have to eat it, with great sighing and whining, they prefer dark meat. 

But I'm a city girl, and every once in a while I just need some chicken, and if I'm cooking it, I'm cooking what I want. I really try not to abuse the privilege, and try to limit it to once a week for the sake of my marriage.  I use this method for cooking the chicken I use in recipes and almost always have some left I can freeze, as you can see in the picture above. I find that the meat is very moist and flavorful if I use this particular cut of chicken, but sometimes in this "boneless, skinless world," it can be a little difficult to find in the store. I roast it, then let it cool until I can handle it, then I put on a pair of disposable gloves and got to town, shredding it with my hands. If I'm freezing it, I leave it in larger chunks to lessen the chance of freezer burn.

Cheddar Crusted Chicken Broccoli Casserole

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup Half and Half
• 1 teaspoon honey mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 3 cup rotisserie chicken (or cooked, cubed chicken)
• 3 cups steamed broccoli (I did this in the microwave for 3-4 minutes
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, divided
• 20 Ritz crackers, or other butter-type crackers

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Into a deep skillet place the butter. Allow it to melt and add the flour. Stir it together to form a roux. Add the chicken broth to the pan, the half and half, honey mustard and some salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. It should thicken up nicely for you, once it has boiled for a minute or two. Be sure to keep stirring.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cooked rice, chicken, and  broccoli.  Add 1 cup of the sharp cheddar cheese and stir to combine all of the ingredients together. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning.

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and pour the mixture into it. Cover it with 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese.

Into a large Ziploc bag place 20 Ritz crackers. Crush them into crumbs with a rolling-pin. Sprinkle them over the top of the cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until it is heated through and the top is golden brown and forms a nice crusty topping. Serves 8 or thereabouts.

 

Comments

[Elise]

Yum!

[Renee]

That looks so delicious!!!