Presidential Chicken–chicken broccoli cheddar casserole reimagined into a healthy, protein packed dinner.
Presidential Chicken
Today’s recipe is my healthier take on Nixon Chicken, a recipe credited to the Nixon family. The recipe was shared in the LA Times and is chock full of mayonnaise and cream of mushroom soup. I opted out of those two items and chose to use greek yogurt and cottage cheese instead. The result is a nutritious, delicious broccoli, chicken and cheddar casserole that has lots of protein and fills you up fast! You’ll love the melty cheese on top for a bit of decadence.
If you have cooked chicken on hand this dinner comes together in just a few minutes. I always love to keep cooked chopped chicken in my freezer in 2-3 cup increments. Sometimes I buy the Costco rotisserie chickens for this purpose and sometimes I make my Instant Pot basic chicken.
For sake of ease and convenience I used frozen broccoli florets but you can definitely use fresh broccoli. I suggest cutting it into small florets. You could also use cauliflower or green beans in the place of broccoli.
Try making this for meal prep this week and have it for lunch all week. Serve over a side of brown rice or quinoa to complete the meal.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Frozen broccoli–or fresh small florets
- Cooked, chopped chicken–use rotisserie chicken or make your own
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Pepper
- Kosher salt
- Poultry seasoning
- Smoked paprika
- Cottage cheese–or ricotta
- Plain greek yogurt–or sour cream
- Cheddar cheese–or another type of cheese you like
Steps
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl stir together broccoli, chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, poultry seasoning, smoked paprika, cottage cheese and yogurt.
Spread the mixture in a 9×9 inch baking dish.
Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes.
Notes/Tips
- Try serving this over rice or quinoa with a side of fruit.
- This recipe is gluten free and low carb.
- Try making homemade Greek yogurt in your Instant Pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with cottage cheese are Illinois Casserole and Starbucks Egg Bites.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Presidential Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Chicken broccoli cheddar casserole reimagined into a healthy, protein packed dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 (12 oz) package frozen broccoli
- 2 1/2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl stir together broccoli, chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, poultry seasoning, smoked paprika, cottage cheese and yogurt. Spread the mixture in a 9×9 inch baking dish.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes.
Notes
I cook my chicken in the Instant Pot using my basic, shredded chicken recipe and I use plain greek yogurt that I make in the Instant Pot.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Oven
More Chicken Broccoli Casseroles…
Cracker Barrell Broccoli Cheddar Chicken (Instant Pot or Crockpot)
An Instant Pot or Crockpot take on the Cracker Barrel favorite! It’s got chicken, cheese, broccoli, creamy sauce and Ritz cracker topping.
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
A lightened up, easy pressure cooker version of a favorite casserole. This version uses brown rice and for the creaminess it uses greek yogurt instead of cream of chicken soup.
Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Bowl
Brown rice is topped with a savory asian-inspired sauce, tender pieces of chicken and bright green, barely cooked broccoli florets.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Lisa Binion says
Presidential chicken is absolutely delicious! I made it even more “presidential” though by adding fried crumbled bacon to it. I’m making it again tonight. In addition to the bacon, I’m also going to add mushrooms sauteed in butter. We had those as a side the first time I made it and decided that I just needed to add them to the dish itself.
Karen says
I love those ideas!