Chicken  broccoli casserole 5 Ingredient

Broccoli is considered a superfood because is high in many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium. Is also very low in calories, providing only 27 calories per ½ cup.  Read more about the 5 main benefits of broccoli.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole Ingredients

Before we get to the full recipe below, let’s talk about  the main ingredients to make our shopping list. To make this broccoli chicken casserole recipe, you will need:

• Broccoli cut into florets or frozen broccoli about 4 cups
• Heavy Whipping cream abut a cup
• shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Chicken: you can use chicken breast baked in the oven or saute in olive oil in a skillet.  1 pound
• grated parmesan cheese about ¼ cup

Shopping list

1 1/2 cups  medium heads of broccoli

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

3 chicken breasts

¼ cup parmesan cheese

1 cup  shredded mozzarella

How To Make Chicken Broccoli Casserole – Instructions

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large 12-inch skillet set over medium-high heat.

Stir in broccoli and season with salt, pepper, and continue to cook for 3 more minutes, or until just beginning to soften.

Shred or chop cooked chicken and arrange in baking dish. Remove broccoli mixture from pan and layer over the chicken. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl combine heavy cream, salt, pepper, half of shredded mozzarella, and parmesan cheese.

Pour the mix over chicken mixture and broccoli inside the baking dish; using a spoon, stir and mix until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and light golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Serve.

Can I substitute frozen broccoli for fresh in a casserole?

Yes, you can substitute fresh broccoli for the frozen broccoli. Frozen broccoli will cook faster than fresh broccoli. Also, the size you cut your broccoli will affect its cooking time as well. Depending on how you like the broccoli, you will need to cook it longer. If you like your broccoli more on the softer side, cook it longer. Otherwise, cook it for less time.

How do you defrost frozen broccoli?

To defrost frozen broccoli you can place the pieces in a bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and drain off the water.

Can you defrost broccoli in the microwave?

Yes, you can defrost broccoli in the microwave. Use the defrost or low-power setting to avoid cooking the broccoli. It is better to stop the microwave and stir the broccoli around every 30 to 60 seconds so that it thaws evenly without cooking . Follow this steps:

1. Pour a bag of broccoli into a microwave safe dish with a lid and add about 1/4 cup water.
2. Microwave on high for five minutes
3. Check every 2 minutes to stir the broccoli around
4. Drain

What can I use if I don’t have heavy cream?

Half & Half with butter. To make 1 cup of heavy cream mix ⅞ cup of half-half with ⅛ cup of melted butter  Keep stirring (or whisking) quickly until it thickens.

Whole milk & butter. To make 1 cup of heavy cream mix ¾ milk with ¼ cup of melted butter

Canned coconut cream. Leave the coconut cream at room temperature. Pour the liquid and the cream into one bowl and thoroughly mix. This will give you a thick and creamy base.

Whipped coconut cream

To make whipped coconut cream, remove the chilled coconut cream from the fridge. When you open the can, pour out the liquid that has separated.

Place the hardened cream in a separate bowl and whip using your hand mixer (or another mixer). You can also add sugar and vanilla just like you would with heavy whipping cream.

Measure whipped coconut cream in a 1:1 ratio for any dessert you would use whipped cream for.

PLANT-BASED MILK & OIL

For 1 cup of heavy cream mix  ⅔ cup milk with ⅓ cup oil. Mix the milk and oil until it starts to thicken

PLANT-BASED MILK + CORNSTARCH

For 1 cup of heavy cream, mix 1 cup of milk with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (arrowroot powder)