This casserole is a variation of a recipe that my mom used to make when I was growing up. It was a chicken and broccoli casserole. While that one was yummy, I like this better. I love the addition of carrots and cauliflower. The colors are pretty, and I think it tastes better.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly coat a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
Bring an inch of generously salted water to a boil in a 6 quart pot.
Add chopped vegetables to boiling water, and boil for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp-tender.
Drain really well.
Combine soup, mayonnaise, and lemon juice, and whisk.
Add chopped chicken and 1 cup of shredded cheese, and stir together.
Spread vegetables in bottom of prepared pan.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Pour chicken/soup mixture on top of veggies, and spread.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover tightly with foil, but be careful that it isn’t touching the cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
- 3 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets (2 cups or 2 pounds)
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (2 cups or 2 pounds)
- ½ pound carrots, chopped (1 cup)
- 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly coat 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
- In a 6 quart pot, bring 2 cups generously salted water to a boil. Add broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, and boil until crisp tender -3 or 4 minutes. Drain completely.
- Mix soup, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Add chicken and 1 cup cheese, and fold together.
- Arrange vegetables in bottom of prepared baking pan.
- Spread chicken/sauce mixture on top.
- Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese, and cover tightly with foil, taking care that it doesn’t touch the cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 10 minutes more.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
- Originally, I only used broccoli in this recipe. Somewhere along the way I added the cauliflower and carrots. If you want to make it eliminate the cauliflower and carrots, use 5 cups of broccoli.
- Also, it works great with healthy request soup and light mayonnaise.
