One Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

While I was checking my last casserole related post, tater tot casserole popped up. But wait, that recipe was published on March 24th, 2022, almost a year ago! I can't believe that I only made casserole about once a year? Such comforting and fulfilling meal should show up on my dining table more often, don't you think so?

One pot chicken broccoli rice casserole - 

Ingredients (about 6 portions)?

• 2 chicken breast
• 1 broccoli
• 1 1/4 cups basmati rice
• 2 1/2 cups shredded medium Cheddar cheese
• 1 can/300 grams cream of chicken
• 1 can/300 grams cream of mushroom
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon mixed Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• Some parsley

How?

What seems to be a common ingredient to find in the states can be a slight hassle in Taiwan. I'm talking about "shredded" Cheddar cheese. 

There are chunky Cheddar from mild to sharp, but not the shredded kind. Somehow most of the grocery stores only carry shredded mozzarella or shredded mixed cheese. Good thing that I have a food processor at home, so the shredding work can be done in no time.

Once you've got a hold of enough shredded Cheddar, it's time to start prepping other ingredients. Separate the broccoli to florets, trim-off the fibrous outer layer from the stem then cut to smaller chunks. Finely chop the parsley.

Cut the chicken to bite size pieces. Season with 1 teaspoon of mixed Italian seasoning along with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

I used a Dutch oven, add 2 tablespoons of butter and turn to medium heat. Wait till butter melts then add in the chicken. Cook till slightly browned on both sides. Scoop out the meat and set aside.

Still using the same pot, drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil. Also pour in 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock and add 1 1/4 cups of basmati rice. Use regular measuring cup for the rice, not the Asian rice cup.

Bring the entire thing to a boil then lower to a simmer.

Cover with lid and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Once ready, remove the lid, add in broccoli and mix till evenly distributed.

Put the lid back on and this time cook for 10 minutes. Please resist the temptation of peeking inside the pot.

After 10 minutes, turn-off the heat and just let it sit for 10 more minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/175 degrees Celsius.

Finally the wait is over. Remove the lid and transfer seared chicken over. Also add cream of chicken and cream of mushroom. Pour in the milk and sprinkle half of the shredded cheese all over. Mix till blended.

Top with all the remaining cheese.

Put the lid back on and into the oven for 15 minutes.

Carefully take out the Dutch oven and remove the lid. The cheese should be melted but not browned. 

So we have to put the pot back to the oven, uncovered, and cook all the way till the top gets a lovely brown color.

Remove the pot from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and the casserole is now finally ready to serve. 

This is the dish I learned back when I was an exchange high school student in Minnesota. The cafeteria served all kinds of casseroles for lunch and I love them all, chicken broccoli rice casserole in particular was like one of my top three favorites. 

Sometimes I would add a bit of Tabasco sauce for an extra kick, even dried red pepper flakes will do. No need to worry about the heat because all that oozy cheese will balance-off the spiciness.

You can store the leftovers in the fridge and reheat for future meals. The best method is to reheat the casserole in the oven using lower heat over longer period of time. However, speedy microwave works well too for individual portions.

Extended reading:

• Recipe that brings back memories - tater tot casserole

Oven Roasted Broccolini with Aged Parmigiano Reggiano and Lemon

Believe it or not, I've only got one stove at home at the moment. So sometimes when prepping meals with about 3 dishes, I have to plan smart. Perhaps one stir-fry using the stove, something roasting in the oven, and induction cooker standing by for other possible needs.

So you might be able to guess it, this oven roasted broccolini was made under similar situation. I remember there was pork stew on the stove and some pickles on the side. One smart housewife here. 

Oven roasted broccolini with aged Parmigiano Reggiano and Lemon - 

Ingredients?

• 300 grams broccolini
• 1/2 yellow lemon
• Some aged Parmigiano Reggiano
• Some black pepper
• Some salt (optional)
• Some olive oil

How?

Slice the lemon to wedges and set aside. Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat the oven to 395 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius.

Trim-off the very bottom of the broccolini if it appears to fibrous, otherwise simply halve the broccolini lengthwise. Lay them flat and cut side down on the baking sheet.

Drizzle olive oil throughout and sprinkle some black pepper. You can decide if some salt is needed here too. Since we are going to grate quite the amount of cheese over, it can be slightly salty already. So perhaps either skip the salt first or only sprinkle a tiny amount to begin with. You can always add more in the end if the whole dish tastes too plain.

Into the oven for about 11 to 12 minutes, also check once a while. It's ready when the florets appear darker and even slightly charred.

Remove baking sheet from the oven. 

Transfer broccolini to the serving plate while still hot. Squeeze 1 to 2 wedges of lemon and grate the cheese all over. Taste and see if more salt is needed. Serve with extra lemon wedge on the side. 

 

This is the oven-roasted version. However, if you got a grill going on, use it. The direct heat and fire from the grill can bring out even more flavors. The steps are basically the same, just the cooking time might shorten few more minutes for the grill.

Extended reading:

• Oven roasted broccoli
• Roasted cauliflower