Chicken bake with unmentionable vegetables

Ingredients

1 head broccoli, cut into florets
½ head cauliflower, cut into florets
60g butter
1/3 cup plain flour*
3 cups (750mL) milk
1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 cup grated tasty cheese

Topping

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs*
½ cup freshly grated parmesan
Finely chopped zest and juice of 1 small lemon

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter the base of a 2.5 or 3L casserole dish or 6 individual dishes. Cook broccoli and cauliflower in a steamer or the microwave for 4-5 minutes until just tender and drain well.

Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for one minute. Gradually whisk in milk to prevent lumps forming; add salt (if using). Bring to the boil, keep stirring, until the sauce thickens.

Stir chicken, cheese and vegetables into sauce. Spoon into prepared dishes.

Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, and lemon zest and juice in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over chicken mixture. Bake for 20 minutes until top is golden and crunchy.

Notes:

Allow me to pat myself on the back. My children have eaten cauliflower and broccoli! However, I did blitz some of the cooked vegetables in my mini stab-mixer food processor, finely chopped the chicken, mixed this with some sauce and made them their own little dishes. The things you do.
The lemon juice and zest adds a lovely, well, zest, to the topping and helps cut through the rich cheese sauce. No. 1 son refused to eat the topping because of the lemon, whereas The Princess started only with the topping. But they ate it!
* Make this gluten-free using corn flour instead of plain flour and gluten-free bread crusts to make the crumbs.
Thanks to Jodie for this fabulous family friendly recipe.
Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.