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This Dump-and-Bake Chicken Broccoli Casserole with stuffing on top is an entire easy dinner that bakes in one dish — no prep required. Even the noodles and the chicken cook together in the same pan, making this recipe the answer to your busy weeknight prayers!
If you’ve hung around this blog for more than a few minutes, then you know that I’m a big fan of dump-and-bake meals that I can stir together and pop in the oven without much effort. This creamy cheesy chicken broccoli casserole with stuffing is no exception! It’s made with pasta (no rice), for a delicious twist on a classic dish.
How to make Chicken Broccoli Casserole:
You’re going to love how quickly this Campbell’s Chicken and Broccoli Casserole comes together. Just stir everything in a bowl, add stuffing for a crispy crumb topping, and it’s ready for the oven. Like I said, this recipe will be your new weeknight best friend!
Ingredients:
- Chicken breast
- Frozen baby broccoli florets
- Elbow macaroni pasta
- Cheddar cheese
- Condensed cream of chicken and cream of celery soups
- Chicken broth
- Garlic powder, salt and pepper
- Dry stuffing mix
- Butter
- Combine the uncooked chicken, frozen broccoli, uncooked pasta, and grated cheese in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the soups, broth and garlic powder.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the chicken mixture and stir to combine.
- Transfer the ingredients to a 3-quart baking dish.
- Finally, prepare the crumb topping by stirring together the dry stuffing and the melted butter. Sprinkle over top of the casserole.
- Bake the casserole in a 400 degree F oven, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking for about 10 more minutes, or until the pasta is tender, the chicken is cooked through, and the topping is crispy and browned.
What goes with this casserole?
This is a perfect one dish meal, which includes protein, carbs and veggies, so you really don’t need anything more on the side. If you’d like to add something more to the table, try serving the chicken broccoli casserole with any of the following sides:
- A simple green salad dressed with Green Goddess Dressing;
- Biscuits, dinner rolls or a loaf of crusty French bread;
- Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans;
- Perfect Oven Roasted Asparagus;
- Brown Sugar Roasted Acorn Squash;
- 5-Ingredient Easy Cranberry Salad;
- 3-Ingredient Cranberry Orange Sauce
Can Chicken Broccoli Casserole be frozen?
Leftover casserole will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can freeze the casserole before or after baking; however, I find that the texture of the noodles is mushy when thawed. Just be aware that it won’t be quite as good if you choose to go this route. The casserole will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- We’re using the stuffing mix as a crunchy topping for the casserole. You do NOT prepare the stuffing according to the package instructions, so the topping will not be a typical moist stuffing. Instead, it’s more like a crispy, flavorful breadcrumb topping. NOTE: If you’re looking for a chicken broccoli casserole with a prepared, soft stuffing, you can find the best recipe here.
- Don’t want to use stuffing mix on top? You can substitute with crushed Corn Flakes cereal that you toss with butter, or with plain breadcrumbs. I just love the flavor and texture of the stuffing.
- You do NOT need to thaw the broccoli before it goes into the dish.
- Use any chicken that you prefer. I find it’s easiest to cut up the chicken tenderloins, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs or regular chicken breasts also work.
- Don’t like the idea of using raw chicken in this dish? Cooked chicken works fine, too! Try using leftovers from another meal or a rotisserie chicken that you pick up from the deli.
- I prefer to use cheese that I grate by hand (rather than the packaged pre-shredded cheese) because it melts smoother into the casserole.
- Swap out the soups for other flavors. You can use two cans of cream of chicken soup, two cans of cream of celery soup, a can of cream of mushroom soup, etc. Whatever you like best!
- Yes, you can use canned chicken for this casserole! To do so, substitute about 2 small cans of chicken for the 1 lb. of raw chicken. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
- I use Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned stuffing mix, but you can substitute with any flavor/brand stuffing mix that you prefer.
More easy chicken broccoli casserole recipes that you might enjoy:
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with Stuffing
- Chicken Divan
- Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
- Cheddar Crusted Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast or tenderloins, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 (12.6 ounce) package frozen baby broccoli florets (about 5 cups total)
- 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup (NOT diluted)
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup (NOT diluted)
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste (I use 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper)
- 2 cups dry stuffing mix (I used Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned stuffing mix)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine uncooked chicken, frozen broccoli, uncooked macaroni and cheese.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together soups, broth and garlic powder. Pour wet ingredients into the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, toss dry stuffing mix with melted butter. Sprinkle over top of the casserole.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking for 10-15 more minutes, or until pasta is tender, chicken is cooked through, and topping is browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- We're using the stuffing mix as a crunchy topping for the casserole. You do NOT prepare the stuffing according to the package instructions, so the topping will not be a typical moist stuffing. Instead, it's more like a crispy, flavorful breadcrumb topping.
- Don't want to use stuffing mix on top? You can substitute with crushed Corn Flakes cereal that you toss with butter, or with plain breadcrumbs. I just love the flavor and texture of the stuffing.
- You do NOT need to thaw the broccoli before it goes into the dish.
- Use any chicken that you prefer. I find it's easiest to cut up the chicken tenderloins, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs or regular chicken breasts also work.
- Don't like the idea of using raw chicken in this dish? Cooked chicken works fine, too! Try using leftovers from another meal or a rotisserie chicken that you pick up from the deli.
- I prefer to use cheese that I grate by hand (rather than the packaged pre-shredded cheese) because it melts smoother into the casserole.
- Swap out the soups for other flavors. You can use two cans of cream of chicken soup, two cans of cream of celery soup, a can of cream of mushroom soup, etc. Whatever you like best!
- Yes, you can use canned chicken for this casserole! To do so, substitute about 2 small cans of chicken for the 1 lb. of raw chicken. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
- I use Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned stuffing mix, but you can substitute with any flavor/brand stuffing mix that you prefer.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in December, 2014. It was updated in March, 2020.
Perfect comfort food for a cold winter day; thanks for sharing this one!!
Thanks for stopping by, Dan!
I love 1-Dish/Pot recipes and I love the combination of broccoli, chicken and cheese, the kids will dig right in.
Thanks, Joanne! It’s definitely a classic combination of ingredients…made EASY! 🙂
If using fresh broccoli, do I need to cook before hand?
Hi, Debbie! It depends on your preference. If you don’t mind the broccoli crisp-tender at the end, you don’t need to pre-cook it. If you like it nice and soft, I would parboil the fresh broccoli before adding it to the dish. Hope you enjoy!
Joanne, it’s definitely a kid pleaser! And I think it’s pretty darn good, too! 🙂
Oh yes! I will be trying this!!
Enjoy!!
This uses 2 bowls & a casserole. I just mixed soup & broth in a deep casserole, added other ingredients. Mixed well, wiped sides with a paper towel, placed in oven. Now that’s a one dish meal. Although only 8oz of chicken is pretty low in protein for 4 servings. Very good meal and I never thought of cooking chicken & pasta at the same time. Other recipes call for you to cook each separately. Thanks.
Glad that it worked for you, Diane! Thanks so much for giving it a try and for stopping by!! 🙂
Does the stuffing get mushy since you put it on the casserole at the beginning? Would it be better to wait and add the stuffing topping after you take the foil off and then cook for the remaining 10 – 15 minutes?
Hey, Holly! No, I haven’t found that the stuffing gets mushy at all. You can certainly wait to add it at the end, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Enjoy!
I tweaked the recipe a bit by adding poultry seasoning, doubling garlic powder and adding ground mustard to the cream mixture. I also chopped a small white onion and added that to the chicken/broccoli/cheese mixture. I followed cooking directions exactly and, unfortunately, there were pieces of uncooked chicken. Next time I’ll NOT add the topping, cook at 400 for 25 minutes, stir/redistribute and cook another 25 minutes, THEN add topping and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. There were entire pink and jelly like pieces which turned my husband off. He refused to eat anymore. Otherwise it smelled fantastic and leftovers (cooked for longer) were great.
It’s not really a “dump and bake”. You have to use 2-3 bowls, and it took me about 15 minutes to get everything together.
we love this! making for the second time in 2 weeks. thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for letting me know, Tilley! I’m so glad that you enjoy it!
I would just suggest, if you prefer less dishes to clean up, mix up the wet ingredients in the greased casserole dish, then just add in the other ingredients after everything is well combined.
Something to think about!
Yes! Great tip, Valerie! 🙂
This recipe is similar to a broccoli cheese casserole that I have made for about 40 years, but with chicken added. I didn’t add the pasta, because I wanted to freeze half pre-cooking, but I did everything thing else according to your recipe. Rave review from my grandson and his friend. And believe me, they aren’t always easy to please. Thanks for the recipe. I will make this again and again
That’s awesome, Glenda! I’m so glad that the kids approved! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. 🙂