Broccoli can be a hard sell in many households, but this casserole recipe makes it a sure-fire hit every single time. Better yet, it's easy to pull together and a holiday pot-luck sensation too. Need a last minute side-dish for the holiday dinner? Yep, we've got that covered too. Our Pecking Order® leads with black pepper and earthy turmeric and adds just the right flavors to the chicken to compliment the rice and broccoli.
The chicken here is cooked in a slow cooker or InstaPot, but feel free to cook your chicken any way you'd like and apply the Pecking Order® and salt (to taste) after you've pulled it. The broccoli is blanched for 1 minute in boiling water. This preserves the deep green color and also takes the bite out of the raw vegetable without cooking it all the way through (to a mush) which is key to getting good final consistency and mouth-feel. Here in Cozumel we could only find cream of chicken with mushroom soup, feel free to switch the cream of chicken for cream of mushroom. We're definitely cheese fans, but feel free to adjust the cheese to your personal tastes and what you have on hand (both quantity and type of cheese, we just like the sharpness of Cheddar here). The last step is always the hardest... let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. If you can keep everyone's hands off it for that long, please do reach out to let us know. That would be a first!
As always, from our table to yours... #SpiceConfidently #EssenceOfFlavor #ChemistryInTheKitchen #CasaMSpice
— Mike Hernandez
ingredients
For the Casserole:
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup Casa M Spice Co® Pecking Order®
- 1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets
- 3 cups white rice, cooked and cooled
- 1 10-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 12 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated or julienned
- 3 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, julienned
FEATURED QUOTE
The broccoli is blanched for 1 minute in boiling water. This preserves the deep green color and also takes the bite out of the raw vegetable without cooking it all the way through.
- Mike HernandezLET’S GET COOKING
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1.
Add the chicken, salt, and Casa M Spice Co® Pecking Order® into a slow cooker or InstaPot. Mix well to season the chicken, then cover well and cook on slow-cook high for about 4 hours or until the chicken falls apart. When the chicken is cooked, pull it, then refrigerate it to cool.
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2.
While the chicken is cooking, cook the rice. We have a great Rice Cooker Poblano Rice recipe here. Once the rice is cooked, cool it in the refrigerator.
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3.
Preheat your oven to 325°F.
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4.
While the oven is preheating, roast your chiles. If you have a gas stove, you can turn it on high and lay the chiles directly onto the flame, The goal is to get a char on the outer skin of the poblano, not cook it all the way through. You can also roast on the grill, with a creme brulee torch, or directly on an electric stovetop burner too. Remember, you're not cooking the chiles, just burning the skin all the way around, so turn them regularly. When they are uniformly charred, pull them from the heat and put them into a paper bag or a sealed mixing bowl to sweat. They should sweat for 10 minutes or so. Pull the chiles out and peel the skin off, then cut the stem off and slice the chile in half. Remove the seeds, and julienne. Reserve for topping the casserole.
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5.
In a pot big enough to blanch your broccoli, bring salted water to a rolling boil. Add the broccoli all at once and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat off, remove the pot, and drain immediately into a colander in the sink. Run cold water over the broccoli to stop it from cooking.
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6.
Grease a 9"x13" baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
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7.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the condensed soup, sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, the cooked pulled chicken, and half of the cheese.
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8.
Add the cooked (cooled) rice in an even layer to the bottom of the baking dish and then the blanched broccoli on top of the rice (agan a single, even layer).
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9.
Spread the chicken mixture evenly over the top of the broccoli and top with the julienned poblano chile strips and remaining cheese.
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10.
Bake for 40-60 minutes (depending on the oven) until the top is golden and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting and serving (if you can keep people's hands off of it that long).
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