Recipe: Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole

I love Fall. The leaves start to turn and the nights get a little bit cooler. It's the perfect time to gather round the kitchen table and serve up comfort food. And this Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole is sure to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters while not breaking the bank!
 

 

An added plus? Depending on how you stock your pantry and your freezer, this casserole may not even require a trip to the supermarket!
 

What's your favorite weekday comfort food?
 

 

Growing up my mom stretched her food budget dollars. She was the queen of menu planning and creative leftover reuse. (One of my favorite dishes was a Chinese Left Over Chow Mein Casserole that to this day I've been unable to reproduce.)
 

So the other day when we were looking at our finances (we just bought a place) and I realized I needed to reign in my impulse grocery shopping and "shop" my pantry, casseroles immediately came to mind.
 

 

Ingredients (makes 4 dinner servings/8 appetizer servings)

To make this casserole, you'll need to grab the following from your pantry: canned chicken (or left over cooked Rotisserie chicken that you've shredded), chicken broth, a package of egg noodles or Egg Tagliatelle, three cloves of garlic, and a shallot (small sweet onion would work as well). And from your refrigerator: shredded cheddar and broccoli (you can also use frozen broccoli).
 

Here's what I used in mine:

• 1 8.8 ounce package Bionaturae Organic Egg Tagliatelle(*affiliate link), cooked
• 6 Tablespoons Bariani California Olive Oil(*affiliate link), divided
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 10 ounce package Stahlbush Island Farms Frozen Broccoli Florets or 2 pounds fresh broccoli, cut in florets
• 1 medium shallot or small sweet onion, minced
• 2 cans Valley Fresh Premium Organic White Chicken(*affiliate link), undrained
• 1 1/4 cups Pacific Natural Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth(*affiliate link)
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar (I used a mix of Redwood Hill Farm Goat Cheddar and Redwood Hill Farm Smoked Goat Cheddar)
• 3 Tablespoons Flour
• 1/4 cup Gia Russa Whole Grain Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs(*affiliate link) This is NOT a dairy-free product, it contains Romano cheese which is made from Sheep's Milk.
• 1/4 cup Marin Sun Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

 

 

Instructions (Time: 10 minutes prep; 45 minutes cooking)

This is a great dish to make ahead of time and pop into the oven for finishing while everyone gets ready and wraps up their activities before sitting down at the dinner table. In our house it takes roughly 20 minutes for all of us to converge in the kitchen.

1. Move your top oven rack to the center and preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If making a head of time, wait to preheat your oven until about 25 to 30 minutes before you're ready to eat.
2. Toss your noodles in the cheesy broccoli mixture until evenly coated.
3. Transfer your coated noodles to your 13 by 9 by 2.75-Inch Baking Dish(*affiliate link) or personal size ramekins if serving as an appetizer.
4. Evenly sprinkle Seasoned Breadcrumbs and Pecorino Romano over the top of your noodles.
5. Place casserole into your preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You want the casserole to be heated through and the topping to be golden brown. Be careful not to burn the topping.

 

 

Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, followed by (*affiliate link). I feature products that I own or that I am considering purchasing. All opinions presented are my own.