Wok's For Dinner: Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Last Fall & early Winter, hubs and I were both sick for a couple months in a row. We both had bronchitis, and both developed pneumonia. It wasn't a fun couple of months. Our good friends Rob & Ginny were sympathetic to our plight and surprised us one day with a homecooked meal so we wouldn't have to worry about dinner. It was so thoughtful. And it was so good! Hubs insisted on getting the recipe so I, too, could make this meal for him. I had just the right ingredients to use it for my April Once a Month Cooking menu. This is Ginny's recipe (the "I" referred to below is Ginny):

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pkg Stovetop stuffing
Cooked, cubed chicken
Broccoli (if fresh, then lightly steam; if frozen can thaw or leave frozen)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Crushed croutons

Directions:
Prepare Stovetop as directed; spread into pan. Layer on chicken, then broccoli. (I always use frozen, it saves a step, but will cook faster if thawed). In a bowl, mix together both soups plus a large spoonful of sour cream. Spread mixture over broccoli. Add shredded cheese to top, then sprinkle on crushed croutons (I rarely do croutons, but it adds a nice crunch). Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly.

I made this recipe a little backwards. I put the broccoli in the pan first, then the chicken, then the soups & sour cream with the Stovetop on top of that. It still worked out great and didn't affect the flavor in the slightest. If you want to freeze like I did, I recommend putting into a disposable 8x8 pan, cover and freeze. You don't need to bake the meal at this time; just prepare all the ingredients, put in the pan & freeze. Thaw at least 48 hours in the frig. Bake for 30-45 minutes.

We all really enjoyed this meal and had leftover Carrot & Raisin Salad from a couple nights ago. This meal is right up the kids' alley because they both love broccoli (or broccoli trees, as we call them). In fact, they asked for seconds--seconds!! That's two days in a row for my daughter!! The kids must be going through a growth spurt.