Chicken and Broccoli Bake Recipe

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

*This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclaimer here. While we may use affiliate links, we would never allow this to influence product listings or recommendations.

This chicken and broccoli bake is perfect for those nights where you want a comforting homecooked meal, but don’t have the energy to really do very much. Made in just one baking tray, the washing up is minimal and, aside from grating a little cheese, the prep is practically non-existant!

Can I make it in advance?

You can make this in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in the oven. Note that the sauce may split a little when reheating but it won’t affect the taste at all.

If you’re very organised you could also get everything ready right up until it goes in the oven and store in the fridge then pop it in the fridge for a few hours and toss it in the oven when you get home.

This recipe isn’t ideal for freezing as the sauce will come out very split and bitty.

Is it healthy?

This recipe can easily be slotted into a balanced diet. It contains around 640 calories and doesn’t require any sides so is an average meal for most.

If you are watching calories or carbs then this may not be the best option, given that it contains a generous portion of pasta and a little cheese. However, you can make this a little more saintly by using a small portion of pasta and using skimmed/low fat milk instead of full fat.

If you are looking for a lighter pasta fix then you might want to try this healthy tuna pasta salad, which comes in at just 350 calories and around half the carbs.

What’s in it?

Here are the main ingredients for this chicken and broccoli bake. For a full list including weights and measurements jump to the printable recipe card.

Pasta – while any kind will work, fusilli or farfalle work best. Spaghetti will make the dish very flat, while varieties such as rigatoni (with holes) may trap the flour inside.
Milk – full fat or skimmed both work, but full fat will give a creamier sauce
Dijon mustard
Oregano
Chicken breast – skinless and boneless
Mushrooms
Tenderstem broccoli
Cheddar cheese

Substitutions

Broccoli – While tenderstem broccoli gives a cute and healthy topping to the dish, you can use regular broccoli. Cut into small florets and mix it in at the same time as the chicken (given the tenderstem broccoli is so thin it needs to be added later to the dish to prevent it from becoming over-done).

Cheddar – You can really use any type of cheese you like. Obviously, the strength will affect the overall taste. Also, I recommend using a grateable cheese so you can easily distribute it evenly in the dish. Otherwise, you may end up with clumps of cheese in parts.

Mustard – If you aren’t a fan of mustard you can leave this out. Or substitute for a different type of mustard such as wholegrain.

Oregano – an Italian herb mix can also be substituted

Mushrooms – the mushrooms can be substituted for spinach or green beans.

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Place the pasta in the bottom of a baking tray and then scatter the flour on top.
Pour over the milk, stock and mix in the garlic, mustard and oregano.
Top the mixture with the chicken and mushrooms and then stir everything together. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and layer the tenderstem broccoli on top. Scatter with the cheese and place back in the oven, uncovered, for a further 20 minutes.

If you are looking for more great pasta recipes then check out:

Products that work well for this recipe: