Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with Summer Squash

Keeping in theme with comfort foods that lean more toward Fall, I recently decided to make a chicken and broccoli casserole, served over white rice, but with an extra veggie or two thrown in for good measure. Summer squash it was. A good friend of ours with a garden stopped by for a visit recently and brought us some homegrown squash. I had been meaning to use it and decided I better do it before it went bad … I HATE throwing out food that could have been used. NOTE: Squash is totally optional here, the basic, classic chicken and broccoli casserole is what I was trying to expand upon.

The end result to this culinary journey was absolutely delicious. Rich, creamy, comforting, with some surprise ingredients that really took this over the top. First, there’s a cheesy bread topping that gets golden brown and crunchy from shredded cheese and breadcrumbs, that’s the basic. I always have homemade breadcrumbs in the freezer, they are too easy not to make and have around … why pay for them if you don’t have to? I’ll post some recipes soon for breadcrumbs and croutons.

To amp up the flavor of the casserole I decided Lay’s Wavy Roasted Garlic and Sea Salt potato chips needed to be crushed and sprinkled over the top. It was great use for some chips we had and they added another layer of flavor to an already scrumptiously satisfying dish. Do yourself a favor and experiment with different potato chips where breadcrumbs are called for in recipe; you’ll be pleasantly surprised, I guarantee it.

chicken_broccoli_casserole

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Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with Summer Squash
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 1 ½ lbs. chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1 tsp celery salt
  • 1 tsp Seasoned Salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper, divided
  • 1 – 12 oz bag frozen broccoli florets and pieces, completely thawed
  • 2 cups summer or yellow squash sliced into coins (OPTIONAL)
  • 1 – 10.75 oz can of Cheddar Cheese soup, feel free to use any condensed cream soup
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs, or crushed potato chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Get a 7” x 11” casserole dish, or a 9” x 9” square dish, set aside. No need to grease.
  2. Add olive oil to a large skillet, over medium heat, then add cut up chicken pieces. Add poultry seasoning, celery salt, Seasoned Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Sauté until just cooked through, turning occasionally to cook evenly on all sides. When done, remove from skillet and layer on the bottom of the casserole dish. Reserve any oil that is left in the skillet.
  3. While over medium heat, add broccoli and squash, cover, cook until heated through, 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to heat evenly.
  4. While broccoli is heating through, in a large bowl add soup, mayonnaise, milk, salt, and ground pepper. Whisk until thoroughly mixed.
  5. When broccoli is done, layer evenly over chicken. Then pour soup mixture over the top and spread for even coverage.
  6. Top with shredded cheese and bread crumbs, cook for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top.
  7. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve over cooked white rice or egg noodles.