American
Cheddar Broccoli Chicken Bake
Chicken breasts and broccoli bake under a cheddar sauce built from butter, flour, milk, and cheese, not a canned soup. Breadcrumbs brown on top in the oven.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- The sauce starts with a milk roux, so it tastes like cooked cheese instead of thickened soup.
- Broccoli sits in the sauce rather than being boiled and stirred in later.
- Breadcrumbs on butter brown while the chicken finishes, which gives the top a texture the sauce does not have.
- Pounding the breasts keeps the bake short enough that the broccoli is done when the chicken hits 165°F.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 375°F. Pound the chicken to about 0.75 inch thick and season with 0.5 tsp salt and the pepper.
- 2
Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Move it to a plate; it will not be cooked through yet.
- 3
Melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk, mustard, onion powder, and the remaining salt.
- 4
Simmer, whisking, until the sauce coats a spoon, about 3 minutes. Take it off the heat and stir in the cheddar until smooth.
- 5
Return the chicken to the skillet, tuck the broccoli around it, and pour the sauce over both. Melt the remaining 1 tbsp butter, toss it with the breadcrumbs, and scatter them on top.
- 6
Bake until the crumbs are golden and the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, 20 to 25 minutes. Rest 5 minutes.
Pro tips
- Pound the breasts so they reach 165°F before the broccoli turns olive drab.
- Add the cheddar off the heat and stir until it melts; a hard boil can make the sauce grainy.
- Large florets hold up better than tiny ones in the same time the chicken needs.
Easy substitutions
- Chicken breasts
- Boneless chicken thighs, cooked to 165°F
- Cheddar
- Sharp white cheddar in the same amount
- Whole milk
- Evaporated milk in the same amount for a slightly thicker sauce
Storage and reheating
Storage
Cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat covered at 350°F until the chicken reaches 165°F again, about 20 minutes, then uncover for a few minutes if you want the crumbs dry.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 675
- Protein
- 56 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 39 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Moderate · Oven · High Protein
You might also like
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Rice, chicken, and broccoli bake under a cheddar sauce made from milk, flour, and cheese. It is a plain weeknight casserole, and the broccoli turns soft by the time the cheese browns.
1 hr 10 min · Easy
View recipe
Baked Mac with a Crumb
Elbow macaroni bakes in a cheddar sauce under a buttered breadcrumb crust. The crumb is the reason to turn the oven on instead of stopping at the saucepan.
40 min · Easy
View recipe
Biscuit-Topped Chicken Bake
Chicken, peas, and carrots sit in a pan gravy with refrigerated biscuits baked on top. The biscuits take most of the oven time, and the filling is a pot-pie style mix without a bottom crust.
55 min · Easy
View recipe
Chicken Spaghetti
Spaghetti baked with chicken, green chiles, cream cheese, and cheddar. Use chicken that was cooked to 165°F. This is a potluck bake, not a braise.
45 min · Easy
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
Ham and Potato Casserole
Diced ham, sliced potatoes, onion, milk, and cheddar bake into a layered casserole. The ham is already cooked, so the clock is really on the potatoes turning tender in the milk sauce.
1 hr 20 min · Easy
View recipe
Tomato Rice Beef Bake
Ground beef, onion, and rice bake in crushed tomato and broth until the grains are tender and the liquid is mostly gone. Cheddar is scattered on for the last minutes so it melts on top instead of vanishing into the rice.
1 hr 5 min · Easy
View recipe
Beef and Black Bean Enchilada Bake
Corn tortillas, seasoned beef, and black beans are layered with red enchilada sauce and baked until the cheddar on top melts. The tortillas soften in the sauce instead of staying crisp, so the pan eats like a casserole rather than rolled enchiladas.
55 min · Easy
View recipe
Baked Pork Chops and Rice
Bone-in chops sit on rice, onion, and broth and bake covered until the rice drinks the pork juices.
1 hr 5 min · Easy
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.