Alfredo Chicken and Broccoli Casserole Recipe
I’m sure you’ve seen those meal kits in supermarket aisles. They’re usually filled with pasta and some sort of dried, packaged “sauce” and require you to add in fresh ingredients.
Not only are those meals super-processed, but they don’t even taste very good. And if you have to cook components of it anyway, why not make your own version — one that’s homemade, healthy and absolutely delicious?
This Alfredo Chicken and Broccoli Casserole ticks all the boxes. It’s cheesy, has a good dose of protein, incorporates green veggies and tastes great. Oh and did I mention that it takes very little effort and is gluten-free?
When you’re looking for fast comfort food that’s not in a box, prepare this casserole recipe.
Start by preheating the oven to 350 F and cooking the brown rice pasta according to the package directions. If you can’t get your hands on a brown rice version, you can also opt for quinoa pasta. If you go with gluten, choose 100 percent whole grain.
Then over medium-high heat, add the ghee and chicken. Ghee is great in high-temperature cooking because of its high smoke point. Cook the chicken until it’s no longer raw and set aside.
Chop up the broccoli into small pieces and sauté over medium heat until just tender. Then in a saucepan, cook the butter and kefir. These two ingredients are going to make this alfredo chicken and broccoli casserole super creamy, and the kefir will even give the meal a probiotic boost. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
Place half of the pecorino cheese in a bowl and pour the buttery kefir mixture over it. Yum. Next, place the cooked chicken, broccoli, cheese sauce, spices and remaining pecorino, along with the pasta, in a big bowl and mix it all up.
Add in all but 1/4 cup of the remaining cheese and pour the whole thing into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle the top with the cheese that’s leftover, then bake for about half hour or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
This alfredo chicken and broccoli is sure to be a family favorite, and it takes such little effort. You could sneak in extra veggies, like spinach or finely chopped zucchini, or add in some fresh garlic if it suits your family’s tastes. No matter how you make it your own, it’s sure to be delicious.
Total Time
45 minutes
Serves
4–6
Meal Type
Diet Type
Ingredients:
- 2½ cups brown rice pasta, cooked
- 1½ pounds chicken breast, cooked and cut into strips
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil
- 2 cups broccoli, chopped
- 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter
- 1 cup kefir
- 2 cups pecorino cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon basil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium pan over medium heat, add avocado oil and saute broccoli until tender.
- Add in butter and kefir and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, chicken, spices and broccoli kefir mixture, stirring until well combined.
- Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 25–30 minutes.