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Sunday, April 13, 2014

Creamy Chicken, Quinoa, and Broccoli Casserole

 So it has been a while since I have had a full week at home to cook a great meal!  I spent a full week at home about two weeks ago and had fun getting some new recipes cooked!  We are trying to eat very healthy so you will see a trend in that.  Casseroles can often be fattening are heavy and high in calories, but this one was so refreshing and used some of our favorite ingredients.  If you cannot find Gruyere cheese, Swiss cheese is a good replacement for it and has a similar taste. This was absolutely amazing and made for great leftovers! 

Ingredients
  • 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2 cups water, divided
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • ¼ cup shredded Gruyere cheese (any kind will work)
  • 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Sauce: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish  Bring the chicken broth and ½ cup milk to a low boil in a saucepan. Whisk the other ½ cup milk with the poultry seasoning and flour; add the mixture to the boiling liquid and whisk until a smooth creamy sauce forms.  Do not add to quickly because then it may form chunks.
  2. Assembly: In a large bowl, mix the sauce from step one, one cup water, and quinoa, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Dice the chicken and lay the chicken breasts cubes over the top of the quinoa mixture. Sprinkle with the seasoning if you would like. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
  3. Broccoli: While the casserole is in the oven, place the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute until it turns bright green and then run under cold water to blanch it. Set aside.
  4. Bake:  Remove the casserole from the oven, check the mixture by stirring it around in the pan, and if needed, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes to get the right consistency. When the quinoa and chicken are cooked and the sauce is thickened, add the broccoli and a little bit of water (up to one cup) until the consistency is creamy and smooth and you can stir it up easily in the pan. The amount of water will depend on how thick the sauce is.  At times I do not add any.  Top with the cheese and bake for 5 minutes, or just long enough to melt the cheese.
    Recipe slightly changed and photo from here.

18 comments:

  1. I made this tonight and it was a hit. I did not have broccoli or almond milk. I subbed fresh, chopped spinach and regular milk.

    I have been looking for an alternative to Southern Chicken Casserole. THANKS. I still told my boys it was chicken casserole. They ate and loved it.

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    1. Spinach sounds amazing! I may have to steal that idea from you!

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  2. do you use raw or cooked chicken in this? sounds amazing!

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  3. Just made this for my girlfriend and I. Used a blend of Romano cheddar and feta

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  4. Sounds great but what is poultry seasoning

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    1. Here is the recipe I use to make a larger batch. I season chicken with it regularly.

      http://allrecipes.com/recipe/poultry-seasoning/

      McCormick and other spice companies also make it in small containers in the spice aisle! Enjoy!

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  5. I'm trying tp figure out what to pair with this meal for a dinner party. Any suggestions?

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    Replies
    1. Terri,

      It is a pretty hard meal in itself. I would do something lighter like an asparagus and side salad. You could also go a bit lighter on the chicken in the dish and then do some sort of meat dish so it acts more as a side dish. I hope this helps because I know you want multiple options for a dinner party!

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  6. Does it matter what type of flour you use? Suggestions

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    1. No it does not. I used whole wheat flour because it seems to add to the earthy flavor of the quinoa. The flour just thickens the dish so any flour should work fine.

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  7. Yours looked like it browned on top, mine didn't at all... what do you think I might have done wrong? I went through the recipe again and it looks like I did everything right :/ - Brittany

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    Replies
    1. If it's not browned the way you like it you can put it higher up in your oven so the top is closer to the heat on the top (my oven heats from the top and bottom). With some other dishes if I have issues with it browning I will broil for a few minutes just to get that extra crisp, because that is my favorite!

      Also, I am sorry for the delay in response. The holidays put a lot of things on hold!

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  8. I made this tonight as I had some broccoli to use up, it was a huge hit. Super easy to put together, although it did take a bit longer to cook. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for a great recipe.

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  9. Due to a variety of food allergies, I avoid gluten and dairy. This recipe was so easy to modify and still tasted great. I used tapioca flour instead of wheat flour and avoided the cheese!

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  10. I can't eat quinoa. What other things can I use without seeds of small.
    I can eat rice, noodles ect.

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  11. Looks delicious - could you replace the step 1 sauce with Campbell's condensed cream of chicken?

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