Lightened Up Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Cassrole

It has been pouring here, literally all. day. long.  The temperature dropped about 10 or more degrees, and the wind has been howling.

Blame it on the pregnancy hormones, or maybe it is just the monsoon going down outside, but ever since lunch time I have been craving comfort food.

So, I decided to do what any woman in her right mind would do, and took to Pinterest to search for the perfect recipe to accommodate my needs.  Naturally I was tempted by the apple cider caramels and pumpkin-sour cream coffee cakes that popped up in my feed, but then I stumbled across this recipe for creamy chicken and broccoli casserole, and I just knew, it was exactly what I was longing for.

Now I’d be lying if I said that the cooler weather doesn’t instantly make me want to ditch the grill and head straight for my crock pot, and that cheesy, creamy goodness doesn’t make me weak in the knees. However, in the spirit of trying not to gain 100+ pounds this pregnancy, I instantly began wondering if I could make this recipe at least, somewhat, low-fat.

After a trip to the grocery store, and a few ingredient substitutions, I was ready to throw together my version… which in my opinion, has to be just as good as the original.  I didn’t feel like anything was missing while eating this, it totally satisfied my cravings, and hopefully I spared myself a few added pounds… Even if I did go back for a second helping, you know, for the baby.

Lightened Up Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

(adapted from this recipe found on Pinterest)

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

1 cup of light sour cream

1 cup of shredded 2% milk cheddar cheese

1 cup of 2% milk colby jack shredded cheese

1 bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed and chopped

s&p to taste

Cook chicken and shred (I love cooking chicken breasts in the crock pot on low in chicken broth to shred and have on hand for the week for recipes, so that is the method I used, but you could certainly just boil your chicken.)  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Transfer mixture to a 9×13 pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Serve over rice.

This was super easy to throw together and will no doubt be great leftover.  The perfect simple dinner for a chilly rainy night.