This Low Calorie Chicken Broccoli Casserole Recipe is just 269 calories and has 21.3g of protein! It’s so low in calories that you can have seconds without guilt!
You can use your favorite pasta to make this healthy casserole, even protein pasta (I like chickpea pasta for this recipe).
And this recipe is also great for leftover chicken! If you happen to have some, just skip the chicken cooking step and shred your leftover chicken. As a bonus, this will save you about 5 minutes, and about $5!
Low Calorie Chicken Broccoli Casserole
What You’ll Find in this Article:
Ingredients in Healthy Broccoli Chicken Casserole
As I noted above, you can use protein pasta in place of traditional pasta. I like Banza protein pasta, though admittedly it does fall apart a little. To avoid that, don’t mix it too often while cooking, and don’t cook it at a high boil. And if if does fall apart a little there is no harm, it’s all going into a casserole anyway!
You can also get creative with the types of pasta you use. I made it with rigatoni, but penne, elbow pasta, and even rotini work. You just need a short pasta for this recipe. So use what you have, or your favorite.
Shopping List for Healthy Chicken Broccoli Casserole:
- Rigatoni pasta (elbow, penne, and rotini also work)
- Broccoli florets
- Olive oil
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened almond milk (or 1% dairy milk)
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper (low sodium tips in the nutrition section below)
- Olive oil spray
- Parsley (optional)
How to Make Healthy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
I was sure to make this is different baking dishes so you can see it works in just about anything you want to bake it in. Including a large cast iron skillet.
My favorite however, was a 9×13 baking dish. It made for a more shallow casserole, but it also meant more cheesy topping. So use what you have, but I recommend a 9×13 if you have it.
How to Make Healthy Broccoli Chicken Casserole:
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
- When the pasta is almost done, add the broccoli to the water. Then drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the oil, chicken and onions.
- Cook, mixing the onions often until the chicken is cooked though (if you are in a rush you can quarter the chicken breasts before adding to the pot).
- When the chicken is cooked though (about 10 minutes) remove from the pot and place on a plate to rest.
- To the pot with the onions, add in the garlic and the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon, continuously, until you have a light brown paste. (about 5 minutes)
- Add in 1 cup of milk and whisk well to remove any flour lumps.
- Mix in the remaining milk and increase the heat to medium-high. Mix often, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the sauce has thickened and coats the spoon. (about 10 minutes)
- Meanwhile shred the chicken with two forks.
- Turn off the heat, and add in the pasta, shredded chicken, 1/2 of the cheese, salt and pepper.
- Mix well, until all the pasta is coated and the cheese is melted.
- Move to a casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese. Spray lightly with olive oil and broil for 2-5 minutes until the topping is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Meal Prep Tips:
- Cook the casserole according to the directions.
- Cool completely.
- Scoop out single servings into meal prep containers.
- Cover and freeze, or refrigerate.
- Will hold in the fridge for 3-4 days and the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To reheat from frozen, microwave for 3-4 minutes. Will need less if you stored in the fridge.
Low Calorie Chicken Broccoli Casserole Recipe
This low calorie chicken and broccoli casserole is easy and delicious. And it can be meal prepped! See my noted above on meal prepping this yummy dish.
More Low Calorie Pasta Recipes:
Low Calorie Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 box (13-ounce) box of rigatoni pasta (elbow, penne, and rotini also work)
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 yellow onion minced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 cups unsweetened almond milk (or 1% dairy milk)
- ½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- Olive oil spray
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
- When the pasta is almost done, add the broccoli to the water. Then drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the oil, chicken and onions.
- Cook, mixing the onions often until the chicken is cooked though (if you are in a rush you can quarter the chicken breasts before adding to the pot).
- When the chicken is cooked though (about 10 minutes) remove from the pot and place on a plate to rest.
- To the pot with the onions, add in the garlic and the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon, continuously, until you have a light brown paste. (about 5 minutes)
- Add in 1 cup of milk and whisk well to remove any flour lumps.
- Mix in the remaining milk and increase the heat to medium-high. Mix often, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the sauce has thickened and coats the spoon. (about 10 minutes)
- Meanwhile shred the chicken with two forks.
- Turn off the heat, and add in the pasta, shredded chicken, 1/2 of the cheese, salt and pepper.
- Mix well, until all the pasta is coated and the cheese is melted.
- Move to a casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese. Spray lightly with olive oil and broil for 2-5 minutes until the topping is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition and Calories in Broccoli Chicken Casserole Recipes
One serving is about 1.5 cups (one and one half cups). If you use a different pasta that could change the serving size slightly.
Lower the Carbs More: You can easily drop the carbs and increase the protein with the help of protein pasta. You can also double the chicken and broccoli, and use only 1/2 of the box of pasta.
Drop the Sodium Count: If you want to lower the sodium, skip the salt. The cheese has a decent amount of “bite” and the dish will still be wonderful.
More Weight Loss Recipes:
Lose Weight By Eating Cookbooks
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Article History:
- Originally written and published December,ber 14, 2022 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on May 4, 2023 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on September 19, 2023 by Audrey Johns
