With no condensed soup, no par-boiling the broccoli, and no pre-cooking the chicken, this chicken stuffing bake streamlines casserole prep for one tasty chicken dinner recipe. Enjoy hearty chicken in a creamy from-scratch sauce with sharp cheddar and broccoli, all topped with a golden-brown stuffing layer.
I've never been able to get enough stuffing, whether it's homemade chestnut stuffing on Thanksgiving to Southern cornbread dressing to boxed stuffing mix on a random weeknight. If stuffing's an option somewhere, I'm going for it.
On one aforementioned random weeknight I was making boxed stuffing, noticed a recipe on the box for a chicken casserole with stuffing on top, and couldn't shake the idea.
This chicken stuffing bake is based on that idea, but instead of leaning Italian in cuisine as they did (with boxed stuffing?) I went full chicken casserole comfort food flavor. Chicken is layered with broccoli and sharp cheddar cheese, smothered in a homemade thick and creamy sauce (no canned soup), and topped with dollops of prepared stuffing.
In the time it takes for the chicken to cook, the stuffing turns deliciously golden-brown in the oven, the cheese melts into the sauce to coat the broccoli and chicken, and the broccoli ends up at the perfect tenderness. Let's dig in!
Recipe Ingredients
- Stuffing Mix: Use your favorite flavor. I often go with reduced-sodium chicken, but an herb variety would be good, too. A 6-ounce box makes the right amount to cover a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- Chicken: Chopped chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs are great. Ensure the pieces are evenly-sized so they cook in the same amount of time. Smaller pieces will cook more quickly.
- Broccoli: Slice the florets into fairly small pieces as they'll be speedier to soften. Don't leave any thick stem pieces as they'll take awhile to become fork-tender. Do not use frozen broccoli as it will release too much moisture and make things soupy and soggy.
- Cheese: Your favorite flavor! I'm partial to extra-sharp white cheddar with the other ingredients here. It melts into the sauce to provide flavor and doesn't make this chicken stuffing bake like an ooey gooey cheesy casserole.
- Chicken Broth & Milk: These make up the bulk of the sauce. This recipe was tested with reduced-sodium broth in mind. Because the roux is responsible for the sauce's extra-thick and creamy texture, a lower-fat percentage of milk (1-2%) is just fine.
- Butter: Necessary in a roux-based dish. I tweak the standard 1:1 ratio to use less fat.
- Flour: Responsible for the thickening characteristic of a roux.
- Spices: These include garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper for an all-purpose flavor boost.
Different than some casseroles, both the chicken and the broccoli go into the baking dish raw (not pre-cooked) to cut down on steps. They both cook up fully and fork-tender in the same amount of time in the oven. See shortcuts below if you're starting with cooked or rotisserie chicken.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Melt butter and whisk in the flour and dried spices. Cook for 3 minutes as the mixture will clump up - that's normal.
- Step 2: Whisk in the broth and milk and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sauce heavily coats the surface of a wooden utensil. Whisk frequently.
- Step 3: While the sauce is simmering, prepare the stuffing mix according to package directions.
- Step 4: Chop chicken and add it to a greased baking dish. Top with small-chopped broccoli florets.
- Step 5: Scatter shredded cheese over the broccoli.
- Step 6: Slowly pour the thickened sauce evenly over everything.
- Step 7: Add small dollops of stuffing over the top surface, smoothing it out so it completely cover in an even layer.
- Step 8: Bake this chicken stuffing casserole uncovered at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked.
Tips and Tricks
- Ensure Even Cooking - Slice the chicken into pieces no longer than 1-inch per side, and ensure the broccoli florets are chopped small without any large stem pieces (slice thinly if including).
- Chicken Shortcut: Pre-cooked or shredded rotisserie chicken can be used in this chicken stuffing bake for a time-saving shortcut. Reduce the bake time slightly and ensure the broccoli florets are cut into small pieces so they cook more quickly.
- Make-Ahead Option: I would use cooked chicken as raw chicken can make the dish overly watery the longer it sits assembled. Assemble everything, cover the dish in foil, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before cooking. Make sure your baking dish is okay with a chilled to heated oven temperature swing, and let it sit out on the counter in the time it takes for the oven to pre-heat.
- Broccoli Shortcut: Cut the florets with as thin of center stems as you can so they bake and become fork-tender more quickly. Sometimes you can find a package of pre-washed and small-chopped fresh broccoli florets in the produce department - just slice any unusually large ones.
More Comfort Food Recipes
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Chicken Stuffing Bake
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup milk your preferred, 1-2% fine
- 1 6-ounce box stuffing mix
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 ounces broccoli florets small-chop
- 1 ¼ cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside for now.
- Melt butter on the stovetop in a large pan set over medium-low heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and all dry spices (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper). Cook for 3 minutes to cook off the "raw flour" taste. It's expected to be clumpy at this time.
- Slowly whisk in the broth and milk until smooth and evenly combined. Adjust the heat so the sauce is at a constant simmer, but not boiling. Cook for 20 minutes, whisking as needed, or until a very thickened consistency that easily coats the back of a wooden spoon. Continue on with the recipe during this time.
- Prepare the stuffing mix - do this according to package directions if you like, but I usually just cook it in the stated amount of water and omit any added butter. Once done, remove it from the heat and set aside for now.
- Add the chicken to the greased baking dish and pat the surface dry with a paper towel. Evenly scatter the small chopped broccoli florets over top, then do the same with the shredded cheese.
- Once the sauce has thickened, slowly pour it into the pan over the chicken/broccoli/cheese to coat everything evenly. Top everything off with an even layer of the prepared stuffing. I use a cookie scoop to add dollops of it across the surface, then use the back of the scoop to smooth the stuffing out into an even layer.
- Bake uncovered on the middle rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked (the largest-size piece registers 165°F in the center with an instant-read thermometer - check several around the dish to be sure). The top should be a nice golden-brown, but if it browns before the chicken cooks fully, tent a sheet of aluminum foil over top and continue baking until done. Let this chicken stuffing casserole rest for 10-15 minutes before scooping and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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