Cheesy Chik’n Green Chile Broccoli Casserole

Jump to Recipe

Everyone loves a good casserole, am I right? I can’t remember how many times I made this before I was vegan. It’s cheap, easy, delicious, and can feed a lot of people which is a great meal in my book. I’ll be straight up with you and tell you that I cut a lot of corners on this recipe. Next time I will make this from scratch and share that with you, but this recipe is great for anyone that doesn’t have the time, energy, or ability to make it from scratch. This recipe is perfect for a family because it goes a long way and is so easy to make.

Feel free to sub out whatever brand vegan cheddar and vegan chicken strips based off what you want or have on hand. I find the taste of Daiya’s block cheddar is the best tasting and the closest to what I remember shredded cheddar, so I take the time to shred it myself. I made the mistake of putting most of the shredded cheese on top, in an attempt to act like it was going to melt like dairy cheese. It didn’t take so I ended up just stirring it well and letting it melt that way. I have altered the instructions and cooking time to work with that. It won’t have that melty, cheesy, look you get from dairy cheese, but it is just as cheesy and delicious.

 I find some name brand vegan chicken strips to have an odd texture to them, but I do like the Sweet Earth Mindful Chik'n Strips. I get them at Whole Foods and one package is enough. They come with big chucks, so I chop them up to get farther with one package.

I decided to mix my love for green chile chicken enchiladas with chicken broccoli casserole by adding my favorite 505 Southwestern Hatch green chile to this. When I make it from scratch, I think I might make a cheesy, green chile, cream of mushroom base to really make it a true hybrid recipe. My love for green chile runs deep because I grew up in New Mexico, and I think everyone should experience it’s greatness. Growing up you could get green chile almost anywhere because it was a staple. McDonald’s even sells green chile cheeseburgers there, so you know it’s a big deal. You can obviously leave it out, but it makes the casserole better in my opinion and worth trying once.

The real winner of this is Annie’s vegan cheesy rice. They make it so easy to get the perfect cheesy rice for the base. You have to treat it like a risotto, low and slow with lots of stirring. It’s definitely worth the wait and work if you do as the instructions say. This is great on its own or with spinach added like I have done in the past. It also has ¼ cup of veggies mixed into the sauce which is nice to sneak into any meal.

I know this meal may seem like a splurge because I use all name brand items to make this, but I did the math, and it breaks down to about $3-$4 a person if you make six-eight servings out of this dish. That’s not bad in my opinion, and I am interested to compare it to when I make it all from scratch.

This makes great leftovers and seems to be just as tasty a couple of days later. Good in a sealed container for up to a week.

I hope you like this family favorite as much as I do, it really hits the spot for so many reasons. Let me know in the comments below if you ever made this casserole, and if you would ever try the vegan version.

Thanks for reading,

Jessica

Cheesy Chik'n Green Chile Broccoli Casserole

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Yield: 6-8

Author: Jessica Morton

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

Ingredients

• 2 Boxes Annie’s Aged Cheddar Vegan Cheesy Rice
• 2 TBSP vegan butter (I use Earth Balance. This is for making the rice)
• 1 Box Sweet Earth Mindful Chik’n Strips
• 7 cups broccoli heads chopped into smaller pieces
• 1 Block Daiya medium cheddar cheese, shredded (makes about two cups)
• 4 TBSP Hatch green chile (I am a loyal 505 Southwestern fan, so it is all I use)
• 1 TBSP garlic powder
• ½ TSP TJ’s Vegan Chicken-less seasoning salt (this item was discontinued, but you can find a hack recipe here.)
• 2 TBS TJ’s 21 Seasoning Salute
• Fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

1. Start by shredding the cheese, chopping up chicken and broccoli into smaller pieces. They should be a little bigger than bite sized. You can keep everything in the fridge until it gets closer to adding it all to the rice. It takes some time for the rice to cook.
2. Melt butter in large pot at medium heat. If you use a large pot, you can get everything in the one pot before moving it to the baking dish. Add the rice from both boxes and lightly toast in melted butter for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 5 cups of water, seasoning mix from boxes, and spices listed above. Mix well until there are no clumps. I like using a whisk at first to help get rid of all the clumps and it all mixed together. Season to taste as rice cooks. Bring to a boil, stir. Simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until water has cooked down and the rice is in a thick, cheesy sauce. Make sure you stir often and keep an eye on the rice. It will stick to the bottom of the pot and burn if you don’t keep an eye on it. This is why I prep everything in advance, so I can focus on the rice.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit when the rice is almost done.
4. Take a large 9x13 baking dish and spray it with any non-stick spray or rub olive oil all over the dish to avoid the casserole from sticking.
5. Once rice is cooked, pull from heat, and add the broccoli, chik’n, green chile, and cheese to the mix. Vegan cheese doesn’t melt like regular cheese, so if you top the casserole with cheese, it won’t look like dairy cheese does after melting.
6. Add the mixture to the baking dish and spread it out evenly throughout the dish.
7. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, pull out and stir well to help the cheese melt within the casserole. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are getting crispy.
8. Serves 6-8 and can be kept in the fridge covered for up to a week.