Looking for a hearty one-pot meal that's perfect for busy weeknights? This easy cheesy Chicken Broccoli Potato Casserole is your new go-to! With only a few minutes of prep time, you can pop it in the oven or slow cooker and return to a complete and satisfying meal for the whole family.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Potato Broccoli Casserole Recipe:
- Low Effort: After just a few minutes of prep, your slow cooker can do the rest of the work while you go about your day. Or, make it ahead of time and pop it in the oven for a ready-to-eat meal in under an hour.
- Family-Friendly: Chicken, potato, and broccoli baked in a creamy sauce and topped with gooey cheddar cheese makes for the ultimate comfort food that both kids and adults will love!
- Simple Ingredients: Everything in this casserole is easily found at your nearest grocery store, and you likely already have many of the ingredients in your kitchen.
Let’s Get Started! Here’s What You’ll Need:
Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Boneless skinless chicken breasts work the best here, as they cook quickly and evenly and require minimal prep work.
Gold potatoes: Also known as Yukon golds, golden potatoes are perfect in this casserole for their creamy texture and light, buttery flavor.
Broccoli florets: I use fresh broccoli in this chicken and broccoli crockpot recipe but frozen can also work in a pinch.
Chicken broth: I’m using canned broth, but you can also use chicken stock or bouillon dissolved in 1 ¾ cups of water.
Cheddar cheese: I like to grate fresh cheddar for this recipe because it melts better, but you can also use a pre-shredded cheddar or another favorite cheese blend to save time.
Sour cream: Makes the sauce creamy and adds a subtle tangy finish to it.
Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce to give body to the casserole.
Seasonings: To enhance the casserole's flavors, you'll need only garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
Equipment:
Crock Pot or Slow Cooker - You’ll want a device with at least a 6-quart capacity so the casserole has enough space to cook evenly.
9x13” Casserole Dish (if oven baking) - If you’re making this casserole in the oven rather than the slow cooker, you’ll want a 9x13” dish to evenly distribute the casserole ingredients.
Large Mixing Bowl (optional) - Though you can mix the ingredients directly in the slow cooker insert if desired, you will want to use a mixing bowl if you plan on transferring it to a casserole dish.
Knife & Cutting Board - For preparing the potatoes, chicken, and broccoli.
Meat Thermometer - To ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165° after cooking.
Cheese Grater (optional) - Though you can use pre-shredded cheese in this recipe, you’ll need a cheese grater if you shred fresh cheddar yourself.
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Potato Casserole
Mix the casserole base.
Whisk together the chicken broth and corn starch in a large bowl or slow cooker insert until well combined. Once the corn starch is fully dissolved in the broth, add the sour cream and stir that in.
Prepare and add the potatoes and broccoli.
Scrub your potatoes, then dice cubes around ½ inch and add them to your bowl or slow cooker. Next rinse your broccoli and separate the large broccoli florets into pieces with a knife, keeping smaller florets whole. Cut stem pieces into sections roughly the size of the diced potatoes. Add those to the mix as well.
Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.
Once cut, add the chicken to the bowl or slow cooker on top of the broccoli and potatoes.
Season the casserole.
Since we're not using canned soup here, we need to add a fair amount of flavor. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Add cheese and mix.
To start, add half of the shredded cheese to the mixture and stir until the seasonings and cheese are evenly distributed. If you’ve prepared the casserole mixture in a bowl, transfer it to a greased 9x13” pan to bake in the oven, or add it to the slow cooker insert. Top the casserole mixture with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
Slow Cooker or Crockpot Cooking Instructions:
Pop that lid on your ceramic insert and cook the casserole on LOW for 4-5 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
Oven instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then cook for 50-55 minutes. If desired, broil the casserole for 1 minute for a golden brown topping.
Recipe Success Tips
- Mix the corn starch and broth well. Corn starch dissolves readily in room temperature liquids but not hot ones, so to avoid clumps we want to make sure it is fully mixed before adding the next ingredients.
- Don’t overcrowd the ingredients. The chicken, broccoli, and potatoes need enough room to cook properly, so use at least a 6-quart slow cooker or 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Cut the ingredients based on cook time. Potatoes and broccoli stems take a bit longer to tenderize, so those should be smaller than your broccoli floret pieces. Chicken should be cut about the size of the potatoes to ensure that all the ingredients cook fully and evenly.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken’s temperature. Once it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, it is safe to eat.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken broccoli potato bake is a complete meal on its own, but also pairs perfectly with crusty bread, green salad, or an extra vegetable like these side dishes:
Storage Directions
Refrigeration: Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Let the casserole cool completely, then freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or until thawed through.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers in the microwave on medium for 2-3 minutes, or in the oven covered with aluminum foil at 350°F for 10-20 minutes, until heated through.
FAQs
Absolutely! If you want to cut down on prep time and dump the ingredients directly into the slow cooker before a busy day, just prepare the casserole mixture and cover it with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, or until you’re ready to cook it. However, keep in mind if your dish is fridge-to-oven safe, many glass casserole dishes are not, so refrigerate covered in the mixing bowl and transfer to room temperature bakeware before cooking.
For a shortcut option, you can definitely use leftover rotisserie chicken in this recipe. Since the chicken will have already been cooked, you can chop it into bite-sized pieces and add to the casserole during the last 1-2 hours of cooking time if slow cooking and last 15 minutes if baking.
You can if you want to make clean-up as easy as possible, but slow cooking on low it doesn't stick nearly as much as the oven baking method, and soaking the insert in soapy water makes it pretty easy to clean. For cooking on high or in the oven I would grease your dish with cooking spray, butter, or a bit of olive oil.
Yes, you can swap it for the broth and corn starch. I would also reduce your salt down to a ¼ teaspoon or so since canned soups tend to have quite a bit more than broth does.
More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Honey Maple Glazed Turkey Breast
- Slow Cooker Tri-Tip Roast
- Slow Cooker Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Sausage Potato Casserole
Enjoy!
I hope your entire family loves this chicken casserole. If you make this easy recipe be sure to come back and leave a review or tag me on social media, I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Broccoli Potato Casserole Recipe: Slow Cooker or Oven
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb chicken breast boneless, skinless
- 1 lb broccoli
- 1.5 lb gold potatoes
- 14 oz chicken broth 1 can
- 8 oz cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoon corn starch reduce to 2 tablespoon for oven
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Preparation Instructions
- In a large bowl or slow cooker insert, combine chicken broth and corn starch in ceramic insert and whisk until well combined. Stir in sour cream.
- Wash produce and dice potatoes into roughly ½" cubes. Cut broccoli with larger florets being separated into pieces and smaller ones kept whole. Stem pieces should be cut to a similar size as potatoes. Add potatoes and broccoli to bowl or slow cooker.
- Cut chicken breast into bite sized pieces and place in bowl or slow cooker. Top with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add half the shredded cheddar and stir to combine. For oven cooking, transfer bowl contents to a greased 9x13 pan. Top mixture with remaining cheese.
Cooking Instructions
- Slow Cooker: Place lid on cooker and turn slow cooker on LOW for 4-5 hours, or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook for 50-55 minutes, broiling for a minute at the end if desired.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. It is recommended to use your preferred calculator with the actual ingredients you use for optimal accuracy.
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