Cheesy Chicken & Brocolli Bake

For reasons unknown (probably climate change or something), Baltimore has been decidedly fall-like this week.

Unlike many of you, however, I consider it blasphemous to consume anything with pumpkin in it outside the months of September through December. So no pumpkin lattes or protein shakes or the like - yet. But I have been using my oven more, which is nice. Comfort food almost always comes from the oven.

And this easy bake is comfort food at its best. Now I made it from raw veggies (cauliflower, broccoli) but you can easily use frozen for a quick weeknight prep. The amounts listed yield this lovely little casserole dish (notice it isn't much bigger than the salad plate it's sitting next to) full of  yumminess.

Nik's Cheesy Chicken & Brocolli Bake

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. chicken (I used thighs, use breasts if you like those better)
• 1/2  a large head cauliflower, cut into florets OR 2 cups frozen cauliflower florets
• 1 small head of broccoli OR 1 cup frozen broccoli florets
• 8 oz. can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup whatever shredded cheese you like (I used Mexican blend)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, to taste
• Optional: 1/2 an onion diced and/or more veggies (I didn't javascript:;use onions because it would have required another pan and I didn't want to dirty one!)

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken thighs and place them on a baking sheet. Bake until done. Once done, remove the skins and transfer to a rack to drain of excess oil. If you are using chicken breasts, I'd advise the morning before you make this you use my meat marinating method (which makes it so tender that most newbies can even tolerate it) and then proceed to grill the chicken in whatever manner is easiest for you (I use my Foreman Grill).

While the chicken is baking set a small pot of water on to boil. When it is boiling, add both the cauliflower and broccoli florets and cook until fork tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain.

Now here's where your personal style comes into it. I personally pick the broccoli out and mash the cauliflower in a large bowl then add the broccoli florets back in. If you're looking at this post going "Ain't nobody got time for that!" then it's perfectly fine to mash it all together. The broccoli will not yield willingly though!

Cut your chicken into the appropriate sized pieces and add it to the bowl and mix. Then add your soup and mix again. Transfer all this to your small casserole dish and top with grated cheese, then with Parmesan.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until cheese is as melty and brown as you like it.

This is a really easy, really comforting meal, especially if you're one of those people, like me, whose pursuit of protein almost always leaves you missing out on your veggies! Here's a few more shots I took of this dish. Enjoy!