Chicken and Broccoli Ritz Cracker Casserole

Saw this on Pinterest via Get Off Your Butt and Bake (a great blog!).  I made it and it was deeeelicious!  Not very healthy, mind you, but yummy nonetheless.  My pictures aren't nearly as beautiful as Jonna's but here goes.  I also added some fresh parsley I had on hand which gave a good color to the cracker crumbs along with the poppy seeds.  I also made my sauce in the same pan that I cooked the chicken and I think it added some great flavor (plus, one less dish to clean up).

What You'll Need:

  1 lb. fresh broccoli, chopped

3 chicken breasts
 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

 2 tubes Ritz crackers
 1  stick melted butter
 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

  SAUCE:
 1/3 C. Butter melted
 1/4 C. Cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 C. COLD Water
 1/3 C. Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp. Salt
 1/4 tsp Pepper
 2 Cups Milk
1 1/2 cups of the above Cheddar Cheese

  

What You'll Do:

Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil and cook chicken.

Remove from heat.  In greased glass pan, layer the broccoli and chicken, then set aside.

 

As an aside, I cannot tell you how much more fun it is to cook in a house that actually has kitchen space!  I love the island:

In the same chicken pan heat butter for sauce over medium heat.

 Combine the cornstarch dissolved in water, chicken broth, seasonings, and milk. Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce has thickened.

Turn heat down to low, and add 1- 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Pour over the chicken and broccoli. Top with 1- 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese.

Melt the remaining butter, add the poppy seeds, and stir well. Crush Ritz crackers in large zip-lock bag but don’t crush too small. Add crumbs to the melted butter along with the fresh parsley and stir.

 Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the grated cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

I served with garlicky rice.  YUM!