Let’s break the stigma of a casserole for dinner with this easy chicken broccoli casserole recipe. Gone are the days of when I could just open a can of MSG laden soup with many ingredients that I don’t even know what it is. I’m sure lots of people feel the same way I do about it so I’m going to share this recipe with you so that everyone can enjoy eating this and feel good about it at the same time.
I start out by gathering up all the ingredients that I will need to make this casserole dish. It’s just a few basic ingredients that form together in perfect harmony to create this awesome dinner.
Do You Ever Batch Cook Chicken?
In the picture above, you can see that I have a bowl of chicken chunks. Often times, I will purchase a bulk amount of boneless skinless chicken breast and batch cook it all in my grill pan with some good seasonings on it. Once done, I cut it into chunks and freeze it on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Once it is frozen a bit, I’ll toss it into a freezer safe container (used takeout bowls with lids work great here!) and then I can pull it out anytime I want to make this easy chicken broccoli casserole dish. I recommend doing this kind of meal prep anytime you can. The possibilities are endless for what you can do to make quick and easy meals in a snap!
Combine Mayo, Dill Weed, Salt and Minced Garlic
Mix 1 cup of whatever mayo you have on hand with 1 teaspoon of dill and a couple of minced garlic cloves. Don’t forget the 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I’m using my homemade avocado mayo here, I’ll have a recipe for it coming real soon! If you’ve never made your own mayonnaise, you are missing out! We love using our farm fresh eggs with a healthy avocado oil.
Add the Cheese and Red/Green Pepper
Shred up some cheddar cheese. I used about 2 ounces of a block which looked like 1 cup shredded cheese. Add that to the mayo and herb mixture. Now you can either chop 1/2 cup of red/green onions or grab a chunk our of the freezer and rinse them off, like me. Anytime I can use the bounty from my garden in the middle of winter, I’m going to! These may look frost covered, but they rinse off just fine, like any other frozen vegetable you would be using in a casserole recipe.
Mix in the Broccoli and Cooked Chicken
Chop your fresh broccoli into bite sized pieces or rinse your frozen broccoli. I just used a small head of broccoli here. Combine it with 2 cups of cooked chicken. You can use shredded, canned or chunked, just toss it in there and get it all combined. Add the final mixture to a small baking dish. At this stage, you can add a can of crescent rolls to the top if you want, just brush it with a beaten egg white and sprinkle with sliced almonds. This makes it more of a meal for 3-4 people. We don’t each much of the processed foods anymore so I just skip this step and add the almonds right to the top of the dish. They toast up nicely in my air fryer.
If your air fryer doesn’t have a pan to bake in but instead uses a basket, you could use these basket liners to cook this recipe in. Amazon offers them at a really great price by the 100.
Let’s Cook This Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole Dish
I cooked this in the air fryer oven for 12 minutes at 400 degrees. If you are doing it in the oven, I suggest 375 for 22-25 minutes. The almonds on the top will start to brown when it’s done. There is a fine line in the air fryer between getting it just perfect and burning some of the broccoli tops so be sure to watch it closely the first few times. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough. If you decided to top it off with crescent rolls, just cook until it is golden brown on top.
I cut this casserole dish right down the middle for 2 people or lunch for me 2 days in a row. I’ll be honest, since I’m by myself, today I ate it for lunch and dinner. Yes, it is that good!
Here is the Finished Dish
Ingredients Needed for Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole Dish
- 1 Cup Mayo
- 1 tsp Dill
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup shredded or crumbled cheddar
- 1/2 Cup red or green pepper
- 1 cup or more bite sized broccoli florets
- 2 Cups chunked chicken
- slivered almonds (can leave off and it’s still delicious)
Combine all and add to a baking dish. Bake in air fryer oven at 400 for 11-12 minutes, watching it to be sure it doesn’t burn on top. If you are cooking in a regular oven, I recommend baking this easy chicken broccoli casserole dish on 375 for 22-25 minutes.