Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Bake

silvershadows's Note:

This dish is much like a casserole and is an excellent way to get just about anyone to enjoy broccoli! My grandmother used to make this, and this is my variation of her recipe, using more cheese because let's face it, cheese is awesome! This dish is a stand-alone meal your whole family will enjoy. If you want to make it even easier to make, you can use pre-shredded cheddar cheese, though honestly the work you put into grating your own is well worth it, it just tastes better! For those concerned with it: You can make a low-fat version of this by using skim mozzarella, skim milk, fat-free margarine, fat free and low sodium crackers, and low-fat or non-fat cheddar. It tastes just as good as the full-fat version, I promise!

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 (10 ounce) package cheddar cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 (10 ounce) can broccoli cheese soup, condensed (Campbell's)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 -1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 (30 ounce) package frozen broccoli cuts
• 1 cup margarine (2 sticks)
• 8 ounces Ritz crackers, crushed (about 2 tubes)
• garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place chicken in baking dish and sprinkle with garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. I love garlic so I pretty much smother my chicken in it.
2. Bake chicken at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook broccoli according to package instructions.
4. Grate cheddar cheese into medium-sized mixing bowl. Add mozzerella cheese, soup, and milk. Mix well.
5. Cube cooked chicken into 1/2 inch or so sized cubes. Place into 9x13 inch cake pan/baking dish.
6. Add broccoli and mix well with chicken, spreading it evenly in the bottom of the pan.
7. On top of chicken and broccolli, spread cheese and soup mixture until chicken and broccolli is well covered.
8. Melt 2 sticks of margarine and mix crushed crackers until crackers are well-moistened. (You can use 1 and 1/2 sticks margarine but 2 seems to work better) Spread evenly on top of cheese and soup mixture.
9. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let cool for around 10-15 minutes to allow cheese to thicken.
11. Enjoy!