Creamy Chicken and Quinoa Cordon Bleu Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cups double batch homemade condensed cream of chicken soup , (the equivalent of 2 10.75-ounce cans cream of chicken soup)
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained
- 1-2 cups cooked diced chicken
- 1 cup chopped deli ham, or leftover ham of any sort
- ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 cups broccoli crowns, chopped into bite-size pieces if needed
- ¼ cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X11- or 9X13-inch pan (see note above) with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the homemade condensed cream of chicken soup, broth, salt, pepper, quinoa, chicken, ham, Swiss cheese and Monterey Jack cheese.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven, uncover, and give it a good stir. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for about 12-14 more minutes.
- While the casserole bakes, steam the broccoli (in the microwave or on the stovetop) until bright green and just barely crisp-tender. Stir the broccoli into the casserole, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 10 minutes until the quinoa is plump and tender and the edges are golden and bubbling.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. This is really important as it will help the casserole to firm up and also make sure the quinoa is completely tender. Serve warm - don't wait too terribly long to serve it as it gets less creamy the longer it sits.
Notes
Make Ahead: this casserole can be entirely prepped up to 12 hours (and probably longer; I made it the morning of) ahead of time. After spreading the quinoa mixture in the pan, cover and refrigerate. The steamed broccoli can also be refrigerated in a tupperware or bag to add during cooking time (same with the Parmesan cheese). Bake as directed.
Baking Time: if using a 9X13-inch baking pan, chances are you can get away with decreasing the baking time. I used a slightly smaller dish but since it's a casserole, the size of pan is pretty adaptable. Just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't overcook.