Chicken and Broccoli Stuffing Casserole

I may have gone a little overboard with the boxed stuffing mix this year. Initially, I bought a couple boxes to make the Stove Top stuffing meatloaf and pork chop and stuffing bake recipes on our other site.

Then, I got more boxes for our apple cranberry walnut stuffing and chicken and stuffing casserole. It seems like there were a couple of other recipes in there somewhere, but I can't think of think right this second. You get the picture though, right?

Somewhere in all of that I decided to make John a chicken and broccoli casserole and used stuffing as the topping. And, he loved it, so I'm making it for y'all, too!

It's made with rotisserie chicken (super easy!), broccoli florets, shredded cheddar cheese, seasoned boxed stuffing mix, and a couple of other simple ingredients. This chicken casserole makes a great dish to serve alongside a Thanksgiving turkey or on a busy weeknight.

Substitutions and Variations

• Use precooked chicken: Cooked chicken breasts or chicken thighs make a great replacement for rotisserie chicken. You can use either shredded or diced chicken.
• Choose your favorite flavor of stuffing: I love herb flavored stuffing and use it in most of my recipes. There are plenty of other flavors that also taste great. Choose whichever you like best! Chicken flavored stuffing works well for this dish.
• Use frozen (thawed) broccoli: Two cups of frozen broccoli works in place in the fresh broccoli florets. Make sure to thaw and drain it very well before mixing it into the other ingredients. Otherwise, it will water down the casserole.
• Switch the type of cheese: If you aren't a fan of cheddar cheese, try Colby instead.
• Leave out the celery and onion: These ingredients add so much flavor, but technically speaking they're optional. If you leave these out, consider reducing the butter to ¼ cup and adding ¼ teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder to the ingredients.

Equipment

There are four main pieces of kitchen equipment, plus measuring cups and spoons, to make this chicken and broccoli casserole.

Here are links to what I use or something very similar. These are all Amazon affiliate links.

• Medium-sized saucepan that is able to hold all the broth, ¼ cup of butter, and all of the stuffing.
• Small skillet that's big enough to hold the celery, onion, and roughly a tablespoon of butter. If needed, you could easily use the medium saucepan to cook both the veggies and the stuffing. Just do it separately.
• Large, heat-safe mixing bowl to combine all of the ingredients.
• A 9x13-inch casserole dish; mine is stoneware. If you use a glass dish, lower the oven temperature to 325°F and increase the initial cook time by 10 minutes.
• Liquid measuring cups, dry measuring cups, and measuring spoons.

Storage

Refrigerator: Store any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The casserole will keep for up to 4 days.

Freeze: Let the baked casserole cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed a layer or two of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Thawing and Reheating: Thaw the casserole in the fridge then heat in the oven on 350°F until warmed through. Warm individual servings in the microwave on half power until heated to the desired temperature.

Tips

• Blanch or steam the broccoli. The broccoli will soften some as it cooks. If you'd like to precook it and soften it even more, blanch or steam it before adding it to the cream of chicken soup and rotisserie chicken. Make sure it's well drained!
• Cream Soup. Use any variety of condensed cream soup you have on hand or make homemade cream of chicken soup. Some tasty options are cream of mushroom, cheddar cheese soup, and cream of celery.
• Make it lower sodium. Several of the ingredients in this recipe have a fair amount of sodium. Here are some tips on how to reduce it:
  • Use low-sodium broth.
  • Make homemade chicken instead of using rotisserie chicken.
  • Purchase low-sodium stuffing mix.
  • Use low-sodium or no sodium added soup, or make your own.
  • Reduce the cheese to ½ cup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, this recipe easily doubles, but you'll want to divide it between two separate pans or use one very large aluminum baking pan (the large disposable kind).

Can chicken and broccoli stuffing casserole be made in advance?

Yes, it can! My personal preference is to make the filling, cover it tightly so the plastic wrap is touching the filling, and refrigerate it overnight. Then, the following day add the stuffing and bake!

You can also completely assemble the chicken casserole, wrap it tightly to prevent the stuffing from drying out, and refrigerate overnight. Bake it the following day as written in the instructions.

Other Casserole Recipes to Try Next

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