Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

This is the fourth write up from America's Test Kitchen-The Best Simple Recipes

This was super yummy....the sherry gave it a deeper more complex  flavor and because the sauce was made with a roux it was super creamy and smooth. I added some orzo pasta to round out the meal and make it a bit more hearty. I mixed it all together and popped it under the broiler for a few minutes until it was nice and browned and bubbly.

What you need:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 lbs)
salt + pepper
4 TBSP unsalted butter
1 onion, chopper fine
1/4 cup flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream (i used half+half)
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 1/2 lbs broccoli florets chopped
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese( i also added a little bit of Comte cheese)

What to do:

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 TBSP butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add remaining butter and onion to the empty skillet and cook over medium heat until onion is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in broth, cream and sherry and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes ( I added the broth and sherry first and scraped up all the browned bits on the pan, then added the cream) Return chicken to skillet, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.Transfer chicken to a broiler safe baking dish.

Meanwhile, microwave broccoli, covered in a bowl until slightly softened, 2-4 minutes. Add broccoli and 1 cup cheese to skillet. (at this point I added about 2 cups cooked orzo pasta) Season with salt and pepper and pour broccoli mixture over chicken. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and broil until browned, 2-4 minutes. Enjoy!

I think this recipe is really good! Next time you can try it with chicken pieces, and maybe make it with rice instead of orzo. You also can play around with the cheeses and change it up a bit with the flavors.

What do you think of this recipe? Have you made it? Do you have questions or comments? Please leave me some comments below!!!