Cheesy chicken vegetable bake has quickly become a new favorite one-pan dinner. It is low-carb and high-protein, but most importantly, it is delicious.
I could also definitely see making the dish without the chicken. It would be a wonderful side dish or meatless entrée with simply the vegetables and cheese. Although it does require a few steps to assemble, it is easily ready in under an hour.
Elements
Broccoli: Our favorite veggie is the base layer of the dish.
Olive Oil: Olive oil is used to sauté the vegetables and chicken.
Chopped Vegetables: I have used onions, ripe bell peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms and all worked well. This is a great opportunity to use up random veggies in your produce drawer before they go bad.
Chicken Breast: I used one medium-sized chicken breast for this recipe.
Garlic: Minced garlic adds great flavor. Check out my kitchen gadgets post for my favorite tool to make mincing garlic a breeze.
Cottage Cheese: With the recent emphasis on eating enough protein, cottage cheese is having a moment. We think ALDI cottage cheese is delicious. Considering it is getting hard to find, I don’t think we are alone in this!
Egg: An egg adds structure to the dish and binds the cottage cheese and cream cheese.
Cream Cheese: Gives the bake a wonderful creamy texture.
Salt & Pepper: Added to taste to bring out the flavors.
Mozzarella Cheese: A layer of melty mozzarella cheese is the perfect finishing touch.
Preparation
Preheat your oven then prep the broccoli. The broccoli is steamed until slightly softened before going into the baking dish. You don’t want the broccoli completely softened as it will get more cooking time when the dish is finished in the oven.
While the broccoli is steaming, sauté the vegetables. The veggies are given a five-minute head-start before adding the chicken. The chicken should be cooked and the vegetables should start to soften. Much like the broccoli, the vegetables can still be a little crisp at this point.
Add the cottage cheese, egg, and cream cheese to a small bowl and whip until thoroughly combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Layer the broccoli evenly along the bottom of the baking dish. Next, add the chicken and vegetables. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the chicken and veggies. Finally, sprinkle with cheese.
Bake until bubbly and the cheese is starting to brown. I switched the oven to broil for a few minutes until the mozzarella cheese was nicely browned.
Plate and enjoy!
Cheesy Chicken Vegetable Bake
Ingredients
- 2 cups broccoli chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1½ cups chopped vegetables mushrooms, onions, peppers
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¾ cup cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 oz cream cheese softened
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Steam your broccoli for 7-10 minutes until slightly softened, drain and set aside. At the same time in a large skillet over medium high heat, add in the oil. Sauté the remaining chopped vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, egg, salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
- Spray a 7×11 inch shallow baking dish. Add in the broccoli, then the vegetable and chicken mixture evenly in the bottom of the dish. Spoon the cheese and egg mixture on top of the chicken and spread with a spatula. Finally, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Turn on the broiler to help brown the cheese for a few minutes if desired.
- Serve and enjoy.