Company Chicken Casserole is a creamy chicken-and-stuffing dinner with broccoli tucked into the filling and buttery bread pieces toasted on top. The stuffing does two jobs: the bottom layer softens under the sauce, while the little bit saved for the top gives each spoonful some crunch.
This version starts with chicken breasts gently cooked in broth, garlic and a couple of onion wedges. Keep that cooking liquid. It goes into the sour cream and soup mixture, carrying the chicken flavor through the whole dish. Once the chicken is shredded, the sauce comes together in a mixing bowl.
Before the pan goes on the stove
Keep the stuffing dry at this stage
Choose herb-flavored dry stuffing mix. Toss it with melted butter as directed, rather than preparing it with the liquid on its package. The creamy filling supplies moisture to the bottom layer during baking. Save some of the buttered mix for a light scatter over the top; it does not need to cover every bit of sauce.
Use the soup straight from the can
The cream of chicken soup is condensed and goes in undiluted. Sour cream adds richness and a little tang, while the reserved broth loosens the mixture enough to spread. Together they make a generous sauce for the chicken and stuffing. Adding the soup can’s usual extra water would change that balance.
Thaw and drain the broccoli
The frozen broccoli needs to be fully thawed before assembly. Drain it well and blot away water caught between the florets. Break any large pieces into smaller bites so they spread through the chicken. Scatter the broccoli evenly so each serving gets a few bites.
Gently cook the chicken and keep its broth
Pour the chicken broth into a wide pan with the minced garlic and two wedges from the small onion. Add the chicken breasts. The broth sits shallowly in the pan, and the lid helps keep the heat around the chicken. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and cover the pan so the chicken cooks gently.
Simmer for about twenty minutes, checking the thickest part of each breast for 165°F. The size of the pieces matters, so allow more time if needed. Keep the heat gentle rather than letting the pan boil hard, which can reduce the broth too far before the chicken is ready.
Lift the cooked chicken onto a plate and shred it into bite-size pieces. Keep the strands short enough to scoop easily from the casserole. Reserve the broth left in the pan and remove the onion wedges. Stir that reserved liquid into the sauce.
Two bowls, then one baking dish
In the first bowl, toss the herb stuffing with the melted butter until the bread pieces are lightly coated. Turn the mixture from the bottom so the butter reaches the loose crumbs as well as the larger pieces. Set aside a portion for the topping before putting the rest in the baking dish.
In the second bowl, blend the sour cream, condensed cream of chicken soup and reserved broth until smooth. A hand mixer on low makes this easy. Scrape the sides of the bowl so there are no pockets of unmixed sour cream. The sauce should spread easily across the chicken and broccoli.
The layer order
- Buttered stuffing: lightly press most of the mixture across the greased dish.
- Chicken and broccoli: spread the shredded chicken evenly, then scatter the drained florets over it.
- Sauce and topping: cover the filling with the creamy mixture and finish with the reserved stuffing.
Take the sauce close to the edges so the corner portions have creamy filling too. Spread gently rather than stirring the layers together. Sprinkle the remaining stuffing lightly across the surface, leaving some sauce visible between the bread pieces.
What to look for in the oven
Bake uncovered for about thirty minutes. The sauce should bubble near the edges, the middle should be hot, and the exposed stuffing should turn golden brown. The bread pieces should look toasted, with some edges darker than others. Give the casserole a little longer if the center needs more time.
Scoop down to the bottom of the dish when serving to bring some softened stuffing along with the chicken, broccoli and topping. Expect a creamy, spoonable portion with a few loose crumbs. A wide serving spoon is useful for bringing the layers together.
Serve it with something fresh
The casserole already has its chicken, vegetable and stuffing, so a simple side is plenty. A crisp salad or Marinated Cucumbers, Onions and Tomatoes brings a sharp, fresh contrast to the creamy filling. Keep extra bread optional; the buttery stuffing makes this a filling meal on its own.
Questions before you bake
Should I cook the stuffing according to the package first? No. Use the dry mix and melted butter for this recipe. Preparing a separate batch of moist stuffing first would add liquid and change the texture of the bottom layer.
Why is the filling thinner than expected? Check the broccoli and the soup. Water left in thawed florets can loosen the sauce, and condensed soup should go into the bowl without extra water. Drain the broccoli thoroughly before layering it.
For another chicken-and-stuffing dinner, try Rotisserie Chicken and Stuffing Casserole. If you prefer a rice base, Broccoli Rice Cheese and Chicken Casserole is another option.
Company Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
Chicken and broth
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 garlic cloves freshly minced
- 1 small onion cut into wedges; use 2 wedges to cook the chicken
Buttered stuffing
- 4 cups herb-flavored stuffing mix dry
- 4 tbsp butter melted
Creamy filling
- 1 can cream of chicken soup 10.5 oz, condensed, undiluted
- 1 pint sour cream 16 oz
- 8 oz broccoli florets frozen, fully thawed and well drained
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Pour the chicken broth into a wide pan with the minced garlic and 2 wedges from the small onion. Add the chicken breasts.
- Bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the thickest part of each chicken breast reaches 165°F (74°C). Allow more time if needed for larger breasts.
- Remove the cooked chicken and shred it into bite-size pieces. Reserve the cooking broth left in the pan and remove the onion wedges.
- Pour the melted butter over the dry herb-flavored stuffing mix and toss until lightly coated. Reserve a portion for the topping.
- In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer on low to blend the sour cream, condensed cream of chicken soup and reserved cooking broth until smooth. Do not dilute the condensed soup with extra water.
- Lightly press most of the buttered stuffing into the prepared baking dish. Spread the shredded chicken over it, then scatter the fully thawed, well-drained broccoli across the chicken.
- Spread the creamy sauce evenly over the chicken and broccoli, taking it close to the edges. Sprinkle the reserved buttered stuffing over the top.
- Bake uncovered at 350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes, until the center is hot, the sauce bubbles near the edges, and the stuffing topping is golden brown. Allow more time if needed, then serve warm.
