Carrie’s GASP! Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Time from Prep to Eating: 1 hour and 15 minutes

I know what you’re thinking. A casserole? With broccoli? Come on, Carrie, where’s the recipes of the world? I live in America. Home of the icky casseroles that are a hodgepodge of unknown ingredients baked in the oven for hours.

Before you judge, you should at least try. That is my motto when it comes to food.

Actually, this recipe is remarkably tasty and a good way to use up some spare ingredients you may already have in the house. In fact, that’s how I came up with this one. I had a small head of broccoli, two chicken breasts and an onion in the fridge without any idea of what to do with them. On my lazy nights I’ve been known to just pan sear spiced cubed chicken with broccoli and onion, serve it on a bed of rice or rigatoni and call it a day. But to be honest, sometimes the same ole gets ole! So I came up with this casserole idea to try and jazz up the mundane and to my surprise, it turned out fabulous…even for my worldly taste buds. Enjoy!

What You Need:
2 ½ quart deep baking dish (i.e. Corningware)
Medium sauce pan
Whisk

The Stuff:
¾ pound of cooked pasta, recommended spiral, bowtie, or rigatoni
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small to medium head of broccoli, cut off all the flowerettes
1 small yellow onion, thick chop
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 ½ Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
Salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste
Breadcrumbs

Here’s What You Do:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. In the meantime cook the pasta as indicated on the box and drain.

In the sauce pan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in one Tbsp flour stirring until well combined (about 1 minute). Add the rest of the flour, whisking the entire mixture for about 1 minute until the flour is cooked slightly. Slowly pour in the milk whisking the mixture continuously to break up any clumps that might appear. Continue to whisk for about 2-3 minutes until well combined and thickened. Stir in 1 cup of cheese until melted, followed by the rest of the cheese stirring until melted. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Congratulations, you just made a rue!

In the baking dish evenly mix the chicken, broccoli flowerettes, onion, and pasta, and pour the rue over the mixture, topping with breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes.