Chicken Broccoli Casserole

By janicecraig

You can easily cut out the condensed soup, and processed foods from this recipe(if you're really adventurous check out Alton Brown's Mayo recipe).. and make it all the better... Skip the pre-cut breasts... boil a whole chicken. It won't take much more time, and it will shred just as easily (the meat will fall right off the bones after boiling for 45 minutes).

Reserve the stock. boil the broccoli in it. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tbs of oil or butter (whatever you prefer). dice 1 half onion and throw it in the oil... simmer over medium heat until tender. whisk 2 tbsp of flour into the pan, and heat while stirring until golden.now place a strainer or collander over the saucepan, and pour the chicken stock into it. put the broccoli aside and add it back in later when the recipe tells you to... whisk the stock into the onions and flour until creamy.. simmer for 20 minutes or until your desired thickness is achieved... salt and pepper to taste. Add it where the recipe calls for the canned soup.

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray or butter, for the baking dish
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium head broccoli, cut into small florets
• 2 cups cooked white rice
• One 10-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 10 ounces Cheddar, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)

Details

Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
Place the chicken in a large pot with water to cover. Add some salt, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook the chicken until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the chicken, cover, and refrigerate until cool, or up to 24 hours. Shred.
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets, and boil until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
Spread the rice in an even layer in the baking dish. Make a second layer with the broccoli. In a large bowl, mix the chicken soup, the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, shredded chicken, half the Cheddar and some salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the broccoli and top with the remaining Cheddar. Bake for 40 minutes; let stand for 5 minutes before serving.