Our family loves this Chicken and Broccoli Casserole! Pasta in a creamy sauce with tender pieces of chicken and chopped broccoli, it’s a whole meal in one dish!
Casserole recipes are the best, aren’t they? No need to serve sides, everything you need is in there already! Also check out this Chicken and Stuffing Casserole and this classic Tuna Noodle Casserole!
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole Recipe
…and pasta. While we didn’t mention pasta in the name of this Chicken and Broccoli Casserole recipe, it does deserve a mention. There are a lot of chicken and broccoli casseroles that don’t have pasta in them, just the chicken and broccoli, and those are fine, too.
BUT when you add in a fun pasta shape like these bow ties – now we’re talking full on comfort food mode. Comfort food recipes like casseroles are one of my favorite things to have for dinner since everything is in one dish!
How To Make A Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Start by adding cooked shredded chicken to a large bowl, along with cooked and chopped broccoli. You can use frozen, defrosted broccoli but we like using fresh so it still has a bit of crunch to it after the casserole bakes.
Cooked pasta goes into the bowl, too, along with sour cream, condensed chicken soup and cheese. Season with some salt, pepper and garlic powder, stir, and pour into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
Spread the casserole into an even layer and then top with shredded cheese. We used a 3 cheese blend here, but you can use all cheddar if you like, too. Now for my favorite part, the toasty bread crumbs!
Just toast a cup and a half of panko breadcrumbs in a skillet with butter. These are whole wheat bread crumbs, so they are a little darker, but you can use regular white panko bread crumbs too.
Since this Chicken and Broccoli Casserole is so rich and creamy, the crispy bread crumb topping not only adds flavor, but also adds a delicious texture.
Can You Make This Casserole Recipe Ahead Of Time?
Definitely! Just pop it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake. Taking the casserole out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking will take the chill off and help it to heat up a little faster.
Reheating leftovers is a breeze in the microwave; just portion out a bowl or two depending on how much you need and warm for a couple of minutes until heated through. Casseroles like this one are perfect for meal prepping during the week or for giving to a friend that needs a meal!
What Other Vegetables Can I Use Instead Of Broccoli?
If broccoli isn’t your thing or you just don’t have any on hand, there a a few more options! All the vegetable used in this recipe will have to be cooked first before adding them to the casserole.
- Frozen Peas (and carrots!)
- Chopped asparagus
- Green beans
- Cauliflower
- Bell Peppers
A combination of a couple of different vegetables will work, too. If you need to clean out that produce drawer, this is the time to do it!
Can This Casserole Recipe Be Frozen?
If you do end up with leftovers that won’t get eaten, you can definitely freeze them. I’m not usually a big fan of freezing recipes with pasta, but since this dish isn’t an entire pasta recipe I think it works just fine.
Freeze in individual portions to make reheating easy! Just let the casserole defrost in the refrigerator and then warm it up in the oven or microwave.
Can You Use Rotisserie Chicken For This Recipe?
Absolutely! This Chicken and Broccoli Casserole is a great way to use rotisserie chicken. Got leftovers? This casserole is the perfect way to use up leftover chicken or turkey! You’ll need about a pound of chicken for this recipe, which is about 3 cups of shredded chicken.
Looking For More Casserole Recipes?
- Ground Beef Tater Tot Casserole
- Fiesta Taco Casserole
- Turkey A La King Casserole
- Disco Fries Casserole
- Philly Cheesesteak Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeChicken and Broccoli Casserole is so creamy and comforting! Topped with a layer of crispy, buttery bread crumbs, this casserole is a dinnertime favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked chicken, shredded
- 2 cups cooked, chopped broccoli
- 8 ounces bowtie pasta, cooked
- (2) 10.5 ounce cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups three-cheese blend or triple cheddar shredded cheese (can substitute all cheddar)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh black pepper to taste (we like a lot in this recipe!)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs (we used whole wheat for a darker brown color)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the chicken, broccoli, pasta, condensed soup, 1 cup of the cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a large bowl. Mix together to combine.
- Add the butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the bread crumbs and stir to coat. Cook until golden brown and then remove from the heat.
- Pour the filling into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Top with with remaining 1 cup of cheese and then add the toasted bread crumbs.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the center of the casserole is warm.
Recipe Notes
If the breadcrumbs start to get too dark on top of the casserole, you can cover it with foil while baking.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
