Roast Chicken and Broccoli Casserole + Gruyere Roasted Garlic Sauce

Oh yes yes yes, friends.  We take a standard casserole that might usually involve a can of cream of something soup.  We swap any said soup for homemade fondue-style sauce with a whole bulb of roasted garlic.  

We eat our effing veggies, yo.  

I mean, seriously.  I'm a huge fan of 50s-style casseroles, but jazzing them up is one of my most favorite things ever to do.  And this sauce?  It's ridiculous.  I especially like that in this casserole you could use any veggies you want, swap out the protein, change the type of cheese, put quinoa on the bottom instead of rice...you get the picture.  Options.  Take advantage of them.  

This recipe takes a tiny bit of time because you cook the components separately, THEN make the sauce, assemble the whole mess, bake, and eat.  Which takes some time.  But all of the steps are super simple, and if you take the time to make the casserole when you have a little bit of extra time you can just stick it in the fridge for a few days and bake it whenever you'd like.  Ya dig?  

Let's do it.  

You'll need some chicken.  I like boneless, skinless thighs because they don't get dry or grainy.  You'll also need some rosemary, broccoli, stock, heavy cream, gruyere cheese, garlic, and some kind of rice.  I love wild rice because it doesn't get mushy in casseroles.  THEN, in things not pictured, you'll need salt, olive oil, butter, flour, and Worcestershire sauce.  Kind of a long list.  Envision those things pictured here please and thank you.  

We'll start the rice first:  measure the rice and water, set a timer, cook to package directions.  While that's happening, we'll roast the chicken, broccoli, and garlic.  Turn the oven to 450F, and arrange the chicken on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle it with salt and rosemary and drizzle it with olive oil.  

Then, same for the broccoli, but just with salt and olive oil.  Place the bulb of garlic on the same pan.  

Now, roast the chicken and broccoli together for 20 minutes or until everything is cooked through and slightly browned.  The broccoli might have some dark bits, too.  

Switch the pans halfway through so that all the ingredients cook equally.  

While the rice, broccoli, garlic, and chicken are working, grate the cheese.  

Now, onto the cheese sauce!  When the veggies are done roasting (because we use the garlic for the sauce), add the butter and flour to the pan.  

Then, squish the roasted garlic into the pan and whisk everything together for a minute or two.  It'll be a little lumpy because of the garlic, but don't worry about that a bit - bits of roasted garlic in your cheese sauce is a great thing.  GREAT.  

Then, just like any other sauce, we add the stock.  

...and the cream, cheese (save some for the top!), and Worcestershire sauce.   

When all the ingredients are added to the sauce, stir for a few minutes until the cheese has melted, then taste the sauce and add some salt and pepper if you'd like.  Let the sauce bubble for a few minutes, then turn off the heat.  

Now, the chicken should be cool enough to handle.  Shred it into big pieces.  

And we build!  Start with a layer of rice.

Then spread the broccoli all over that.  

Then the chicken.  

And the glorious sauce.  

Top the casserole with any cheese that you saved.  

Then we bake!  450F for 20 minutes or so until the cheese is melted, or a little bit longer if the casserole has been in the fridge.  We want it hot and bubbly.  

LOOK guys.  

This is delicious.  Obviously if you put roasted garlic or gruyere on anything it's a winner, but together?  Killer. 

The rosemary is especially sexy too, and chicken thighs are just GREAT compared to chicken breasts.  Not dry at all.  Be a butt guy in this situation, let the boobs go for once in your damn life.  

Wasn't that a nice way to put that?  The end.  

Roast Chicken and Broccoli Casserole + Roasted Garlic Gruyere Sauce

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 bulb garlic
• salt
• olive oil
• 1 ½ cups wild rice blend cooked to package directions
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 8 ounces grated gruyere cheese

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 450F. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of salt, and the rosemary. Arrange the broccoli and garlic bulb (keep the cloves together) on a separate baking sheet with olive oil and salt. Roast the broccoli, chicken, and garlic for 20 minutes, switching the pans once, until everything is cooked through and slightly browned.
• When the chicken has cooled enough to handle, shred it into large pieces.
• When the garlic has cooled enough to handle, make the cheese sauce. Add the butter and flour to a skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk the butter into the flour to create a roux. When the flour sizzles, slowly pour in the stock, whisking as you go, to create a smooth sauce. Add the cream, Worcestershire sauce, and ⅔ of the cheese. Squish the roasted garlic into the sauce. Stir the sauce until the cheese has melted (there may be a few lumps from the garlic, but that's ok!), and taste: add salt and pepper if you'd like.
• Arrange the rice in one layer at the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Top with the broccoli, then the shredded chicken. Pour the roasted garlic sauce over the dish, and top with the remaining cheese.
• Bake the dish for 20 minutes at 450F until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
• Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 6g

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