Creamy Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole

Baked goodness is the antidote to winter. Yes definitely in the form of warm baked cookies and breads and muffins, but also, and please stay with us here, in the form of casseroles.

Chicken Quinoa Casserole with Broccoli in Baking Dish

Cozy, bubbly, throw-it-all-in-one-dish, easy, cheesy, delicious is exactly what calls to our midwestern hearts to warm us from the inside out. WE ARE HERE FOR IT.

Under this cozy food blanket we have generously seasoned chicken, cooked quinoa, crispity delicious bacon, velvety homemade (yes, homemade!), sauce, a tiny bit of Gruyère or whatever kinda cheese you want over the top, and bright green pops of broccoli. Retro? Maybe. Absolutely delicious. YOU BET.

In This Post: Everything You Need For Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole

Watch How to Make Chicken Casserole
Ingredients in This Easy Chicken Casserole Recipe
Grab Your Casserole Dish and Let’s Bake
Canned vs. Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
Freeze Your Casserole
Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole: Frequently Asked Questions

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Steamed broccoli being drained in a colander.

Ingredients In This Easy Chicken Casserole Recipe

The ingredients are pretty simple in order to bring this creamy comforting casserole together, and none of them are canned soup, no ma’am. That’s right, we’re doing some super easy, from-scratch business here to make everything sing.

boneless skinless chicken breasts
fresh broccoli florets
quinoa
gruyere cheese (any kind will work)
chicken broth
milk
poultry seasoning
flour
crisp cooked bacon (optional… sort of)

Grab Your Casserole Dish and Let’s Bake

To achieve maximum velvety creamy goodness, and help everything reach its maximum texture potential, there are a few steps to bring it all together beyond, “Throw in dish. Bake.” Which is a very acceptable list of casserole instructions. But here we’re going to make a sauce, layer the ingredients, save the broccoli until the end to keep it bright and green and tender crisp.

Sauce: Bring the chicken broth and half the milk to a low boil in a saucepan. Whisk the rest of the milk with the poultry seasoning and flour and then add that in and whisk until a smooth creamy sauce forms.
Assemble: Mix the sauce, one cup water, quinoa, and bacon (if using) in a bowl and pour that into the prepared baking dish. Slice the uncooked chicken breasts into thin strips and lay those right over the top of the quinoa mixture. Sprinkle with the seasoning.
Broccoli: Go ahead and give that a quick steam and then set it aside until the last 10ish minutes of baking.
Bake: Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. Give it a check and a stir, and if needed, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes if needed to further thicken. Add that yummy broccoli and a little bit of water, stir until creamy and smooth. Top with the cheese and bake for 5 minutes, or just long enough to melt the cheese.

Mixing Chicken Broccoli Quinoa Casserole in a pan.

Creamy Chicken Broccoli Quinoa Casserole in Serving Dish

Canned Vs. Homemade Cream Of Chicken Soup

Generally speaking, if you’re looking for canned cream of something soup, you look no further than a casserole. Because that is the nature of a casserole and don’t question it, you big city slicker hipster person you.

But we kind of have one foot in both the hipster world and the canned soup world, and so this beauty of a casserole has its own creamy velvety sauce that is made from scratch! *jumping up and down for joy* And it works perfectly for creating that mild, creamy texture that casseroles are known and loved for. We first discovered that whole homemade cream of chicken soup thing way back when, and this turned out to be a great time to put that to use. And then we added bacon. And baked it with everything homey and nostalgic under the sun.

Creamy creamy yum yum. Nothing from a can. Everyone = happy.

Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole with Spoon

Freeze Your Casserole

Another amazing dream scenario when it comes to casseroles, is the whole “put it together and freeze it for later” situation. This one is perfect for that, too! Hide it away in your freezer for the perfect chilly night to pull out, pop in the oven and get that bubbling goodness on your dinner table in no time flat.

We’d recommend preparing the sauce, quinoa and chicken and freezing uncooked, but save the broccoli step for when you’re going to bake. Keeps everything fresher, brighter and a little less squishy that way. You’ll have to add a little bit to the cook time so just keep an eye on it, but all the creamy dreaminess will be yours.

Leftovers also freeze well, we’d just maybe recommend pulling them out to thaw beforehand so it doesn’t have to spend too much extra time cooking in the oven/microwave. Just enough to get heated back through. Add a little extra water/broth to get the creamy sauce back in business and this one will keep on rewarding you through and through.

Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole being dished out with a wooden spoon.

Whether this screams nostalgia to you or if this is your first introduction to the word “casserole,” this easy, saucy, cozy batch of comfort food is an excellent choice any day of the week.

Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole: Frequently Asked Questions

How will I know when my quinoa is done cooking?

You will know the quinoa is done when it is soft and looks as if it has popped open, with the germ of the kernel visible as a little spiral. I’ve gotten quite a few comments about the liquid not absorbing right away – if that’s you, just bake it a little longer. With enough time, it should get that moisture soaked right up into a creamy sauce.

I don’t love quinoa. Can I substitute rice?

Rice takes a lot longer to cook compared to quinoa, but it should work. Just give yourself some extra baking time.

Can I freeze this?

Sure! Just freeze the casserole right before baking it with the chicken and quinoa raw and without the broccoli. Just add the broccoli right before cooking.