Well, you know me and my love for combining chicken dishes with classic soups. I mean just look at my French Onion Chicken recipe that not only went viral, but now EVERYONE is making their own recipe versions of it. Call me a trendsetter, I guess.
So this time I take a classic Broccoli Cheddar Soup approach, thicken it up to be more of a sauce-like consistency, load it with a mix of both softened and crunchy broccoli, pour it over some tender and juicy chicken cutlets and then top it off with a buttery, crunchy Ritz Cracker crust!
If you love broccoli, chicken, Cheddar and Ritz Crackers, boy are you EVER in for a treat!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Let’s start with some chicken…
…and coat it in a flour mixture.
Then, add some vegetable oil to the Instant Pot and heat it up…
…in order to lightly brown all the chicken on each side.
When done, set aside.
Now let’s take some broccoli crowns…
…and rip them up into individual pieces, dividing them into two groups: one that’s about 2/3rds the broccoli and the other with the remaining 1/3rd.
Take some shallots…
…and dice ’em up!
Now go back to the pot, and add in some butter until it melts…
…followed by the shallots.
Cook them in the butter for about 3 minutes or until browned.
Add in some chicken broth…
…return the browned chicken…
…and top it off with the larger, 2/3 group of broccoli. Secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400…
…take a bunch of sharp cheddar cheese…
…shred it up and set aside.
Now let’s make our Ritz Cracker topping by taking a sleeve of Ritz…
…and smashing it up REAL good right in the bag (a kitchen mallet helps!)
Add some butter to the mashed Ritz…
…melt it in the microwave and then mix together to combine. Set aside.
Once the the pot’s done cooking, remove the chicken with some tongs…
…and place in a casserole dish.
Give the pot a stir…
…and you’ll notice the broccoli will basically fall apart. Keep stirring until most of it does.
Now, take our remaining 1/3 of broccoli…
…and add it to the pot while heating it up on “Sauté.” Allow the new broccoli to be heated for a few minutes until it softens a bit.
Now, add in some heavy cream…
…hot sauce (if using)…
…and all the cheese in batches. Stir until all the cheese is blended in.
Finally, add in a cornstarch slurry and bring to a bubble. As soon as it bubbles, turn the pot off.
The sauce will thicken significantly once it cools down after a few minutes.
Generously spoon the sauce and broccoli all over the chicken, covering it all…
…and then top it off with the Ritz Cracker mixture!
Pop it in the oven…
…and remove when the Ritz topping has become a golden brown crust!
Serve…
…and DIG IN!ENJOY!
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Chicken
Picture Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup, but as a sauce spooned over chicken and then finished off with a buttery Ritz cracker crust. Dreams do come true.
Ingredients
- 1.5 – 2lbs of chicken cutlets/breasts, sliced thin (about 1/8″ thick)
- 1/2 cup of flour mixed with a few dashes of garlic salt and onion powder, for dredging
- 3 tbsp of vegetable oil (if using 2lbs of chicken, use 1/4 cup)
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of salted butter, divided into 1 tbsp and 3 tbsp
- 2 shallots, diced
- 1 – 1.5 lbs of broccoli crowns, broken up into individual pieces and divided into two groups: 2/3 and 1/3
- 1.5 cups of chicken broth (I used 1.5 cups of water + 1.5 tsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon)
- 16 oz of sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (I suggest using a good sharp Cheddar for this but you can totally use two 8oz pre-shredded bags)
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 tbsp of hot sauce (optional)
- 1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers, crushed
- 3 tbsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp of water to form a cornstarch slurry
Instructions
- Dredge all the chicken in the flour mixture and set aside
- Add the vegetable oil to the Instant Pot. Hit “Sauté” and Adjust to the “More” or “High” setting and wait for it to read “Hot.”
- Add the chicken in batches and lightly brown for about 45-60 seconds on each side. Remove, set aside on a paper-towel lined plate and repeat until all chicken is lightly browned. Chicken should be lightly browned like in the video for reference
- Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in the pot while deglazing (scraping) the bottom of it. Add the shallots and stir and set for 3 minutes or until slightly browned
- Add the chicken broth and then add the chicken back to the pot. Top with the larger 2/3 group of the broccoli, secure the lid and hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 5 minutes.
- As the chicken’s cooking in the Instant Pot, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and create the Ritz Cracker topping by adding the crushed crackers along with the other 3 tbsp of butter in a bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and then mix together well. Set aside
- When the chicken’s done, quick release, remove with tongs and place in a 9×13 casserole dish. Hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Sauté” again. Stir the broccoli already in the pot and mix with the broth. It will basically break apart (which we want) so make sure it’s nice and combined. Then add in the other reserved 1/3 of broccoli which will give the sauce some substantial broccoli presence and crunch as well. Stir for 2-3 minutes so the additional broccoli heats up and slightly softens
- Add in the heavy cream and stir and then add the shredded Cheddar in batches and stir until fully blended stirring constantly so the cheese doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Once everything begins to bubble, add the cornstarch slurry and stir well. Allow for about 2 minutes of bubbling while stirring frequently and then turn the pot off and let cool as it will thicken. Once the bubbles die down, spoon the sauce all over the chicken in the casserole dish and sprinkle the Ritz Cracker topping over it
- Pop in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the Ritz topping has become a nice golden brown (keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn as all ovens vary).
- Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes and serve with a rice of your choice
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
You’ll likely have some leftover sauce. You can use this in any number of ways! On another dish, over pasta or even as a Broccoli Cheddar Soup!
Want it spicier? Add more hot sauce!
Julie
This looks wonderful and I cannot wait to try it. Would it be possible to the leave the chicken and broccoli in the IP, top it with the Ritz and use the air fryer lid instead of baking this? If so, how would this best be accomplished?
Jeffrey
Sure can! About 5-10 minutes on broil.
Tony
This is my favorite recipe. I make it at least once a week.
Tony
Can I use half and half instead of heaven cream?
Jeffrey
Sure! But heaven cream does sound heavenly!
Paula
Jeffery! You forgot to add sliced sauteed baby belle mushrooms!
Denise MacInnis
I was wondering if you could tell me approximately how many ritz crackers would be in a sleeve. We don’t get them packaged that way, ha just loose in a box. Thanks
Denise MacInnis
Oops I just saw the pictures and was able to count the crackers ahaha approx 30. Sorry for the bother. Thank you.