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chicken and cauliflower cheese savoury crumble with peas

Chicken and cauliflower cheese bake

Chicken and cauliflower in a cheesy creamy sauce with a crispy breadcrumb topping

Course Main Course
Keyword bake, chicken
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 3-4 chicken breasts cooked then sliced/or chopped into pieces
  • 1/2 cauliflower broken into florets
  • 1/2 courgette sliced, then halved
  • 1 stick celery chopped
  • 1 shallot peeled, diced
  • cheese sauce homemade or shop bought
  • breadcrumbs panko or homemade (I used 3-4 slices of bread made into breadcrumbs
  • Parmesan cheese grated, optional
  • 1 clove garlic chopped or crushed, optional
  • 90 g pancetta or bacon lardons optional
  • handful broccoli florets optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan

  2. Parboil the cauliflower (and broccoli if using) in a saucepan of boiling water, for around 5 minutes til tender. Drain, then set aside

  3. If you've only got raw chicken breasts, then slice/chop into chunks, then fry in some oil until cooked through and lightly browned, set aside.

  4. In the pan, add a little more oil, then fry the pancetta til cooked, adding in the shallots, courgette, celery, then the garlic to get a bit of colour.

  5. Make the cheese sauce, if making it yourself.

  6. Transfer the chicken, cauliflower, and rest of the veg and pancetta into a baking dish. Pour over the cheese sauce and mix to coat everything.

  7. In another bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the grated parmesan, then sprinkle liberally over the chicken and cauliflower cheese filling.

  8. Top with more grated cheese (if you're like our house!)

  9. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until hot and the topping is lightly browned, and the cheese is a bit bubbling. You could put under the grill for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese and crisp the top if you want intead.

  10. Serve hot with green veg on the side.