This Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole is made all in ONE POT and ready in only 30 minutes. It’s cheesy, it’s comforting, loaded with broccoli and super simple to make!
Chicken and Rice Recipe
I wanted to share with you another favorite one pot recipe of mine. It has rice, chicken, cheese, and broccoli. Pretty much all the food groups you need so you know it’s going to be good. This chicken and rice dish is so delicious, with lots of great flavor and a popular recipe on the blog ever since I first published it back in 2015.
Let’s talk chicken and rice! Who doesn’t love a good chicken and rice casserole sorta dish. But the beauty here is that it’s all made in one skillet, it’s super quick, ready in just 30 minutes, so before you know it dinner is ready to be served.
My favorite part about this casserole is the cheese and I like to place the skillet under the broiler just for a minute or so until the cheese melts and starts to bubble. Simple, quick and pure comfort food. Can’t beat that.
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole Highlights
- The Best Comfort Food. This chicken and rice casserole is so cheesy, totally feel-good type of dish. It’s incredibly flavorful with lots of chicken and broccoli.
- 30 Minute One Pot Meal. Because, yes I wrote a whole book about this, so you know I love these quick and easy meals.
- Ideal For Busy Weeknights. Get dinner on the table in no time at all with just a few ingredients and all in one pot.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken breasts that I cut into 1-inch pieces but boneless skinless chicken thighs will also work quite well.
- Broccoli – I love using fresh broccoli cut into bite size florets, but frozen broccoli will work as well.
- Rice – I used a long grain rice, but medium grain rice will work as well. If you use brown rice, this will require more broth and will take longer to cook.
- Onion And Garlic – Essential flavor enhancers for any casserole. You can use fresh garlic which is the best in my opinion, but you can sub with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Cheese – Lots of freshly grated cheddar cheese for all that cheesy goodness. You can sub with Colby or Monterey Jack.
- Liquids – You’ll need some chicken broth and a can of cream of chicken soup. If you don’t have or can’t find cream of chicken soup, scroll down for instructions on how to make your own.
- Seasoning – Just some salt and pepper to taste.
How To Make Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- This easy dish comes together in just 30 minutes and it’s extremely easy to make. Start by cooking the chicken with the onion first until it’s no longer pink inside, then season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until garlic gets aromatic. Add the broth, cream of chicken soup, rice and cook for a few minutes until the rice cooks through.
- The rice should take about 15 minutes to cook, depending on what type of rice you used. You could use instant rice to speed this up. Brown rice will take a lot longer to cook and may require more broth.
- Add in the broccoli and cheese and continue cooking for a couple more minutes until the broccoli softens.
- Top with more cheese and cover with the lid so that the cheese melts. The chicken is incredibly tender and juicy and the rice is perfectly cooked. You can also place the skillet (if it’s oven safe) in the oven under the broiler for a couple minutes until the cheese starts to brown a bit. If your skillet is not oven safe, you can still do this by transferring the rice mixture to a casserole dish first.
I Don’t Have Cream Of Chicken, What Do I Do?
Don’t sweat it, you can substitute it with cream of mushroom soup or cream of broccoli. If you don’t have any of those either, here’s how you make it:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- â…“ cup all-purpose flour
- â…“ cup milk
- â…“ cup chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour and mix until it turns into a paste. Whisk in the milk and chicken broth until the flour paste is dissolved. Season with onion powder, salt and pepper. Continue whisking until the soup is smooth and creamy.
Can I Use Brown Rice?
Of course, just make sure you read the package instructions because brown rice tends to take longer to cook and usually requires more liquid.
Can I Use Rotisserie Chicken?
Why not? This will make this quick and simple chicken broccoli rice casserole even quicker. All you have to do is follow the recipe instructions as written, but just hold off on adding the chicken until near the end when you add the broccoli. Just make sure to cut the chicken in smaller pieces and mix it in to the rice mixture with the broccoli and cheese.
Expert Tips
- Make-ahead: You can prep this the night before, up to and including step 2, then cover the skillet with a lid of aluminum foil and refrigerate until next day when ready to cook. Simply follow the rest of the recipe as instructed.
- If using frozen broccoli, make sure you pat it dry first.
- Feel free to add other veggies to this casserole such as mushrooms, peppers, or cauliflower.
Storage
Store leftover chicken broccoli rice casserole in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this for up to 3 months.
I usually just reheat it in the microwave from frozen, but you can also bake it at 350℉, covered for 20 minutes or until heated through, then uncovered for 5 minutes. Make sure it’s in an oven safe dish like a casserole dish.
More Incredible Casseroles To Try
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
- Taco Lasagna
- Moussaka
- Meatball Casserole
- Cabbage Roll Casserole
- No Peek Chicken Rice Casserole
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One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 chicken breasts cut into small cubes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup rice uncooked
- 10 ounces cream of chicken soup (1 can)
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cook the onion and chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large oven proof skillet. Add chopped onion and cubed chicken. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the chicken starts to brown a bit and is no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until garlic gets aromatic.
- Add the rice and liquids. Add the rice, cream of chicken soup and chicken broth. Start with 2 cups of chicken broth and if more is needed, add more until rice is fully cooked.
- Cook the rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook over medium heat until the rice is fully cooked, stirring occasionally, should take about 15 minutes or so. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- Finish with broccoli and cheese. Add the broccoli florets and half the cheese then continue cooking for 2 more minutes, until broccoli softens a bit. Sprinkle over the top with remaining cheese and place the skillet under the broiler for a couple more minutes, just until it melts and starts to brown a bit.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Make-ahead: You can prep this the night before, up to and including step 2, then cover the skillet with a lid of aluminum foil and refrigerate until next day when ready to cook. Simply follow the rest of the recipe as instructed.
- If using frozen broccoli, make sure you pat it dry first.
- Feel free to add other veggies to this casserole such as mushrooms, peppers, or cauliflower.
- What kind of rice should I use: I used a long grain rice (Basmati) and I recommend a long grain rice over a short grain rice because the shorter grain rice gives you a creamier rice. If using brown rice, it will take longer to cook and may require more liquid. If you wanted to speed this up you could even use quick cooking rice.
- How do I store leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe is nice, but I would suggest altering your instructions to warn of need for oven proof pan since you suggest putting under broiler for cheese to melt and some browning.
Could I stir in gnocchi at the end instead of using rice? I’ve loved this recipe since I was a kid when my grandmother made it for us. So glad I found it!
You can, but there will be too much liquid so you’ll have to adjust the liquid accordingly.
MAKE SURE YOU USE LOW SODIUM BROTH! This was so easy and quick! Whipped it up with prep in 45 mins. I did not use low sodium chicken broth and instead used a chicken bullion cube with two cups of water in place because that was all I had on hand! that was a mistake. It turned out very very salty which my husband agreed with but didn’t have a problem with lol. It was however, FAR too salty for my taste. I am 6 months pregnant so I’m picky and I’m supposed to be watching my salt intake which I just didn’t consider just how much salt is already in the broth and cream of chicken soup! I think I would go as far as to say the next time I make this I’ll use low sodium chicken broth AND low sodium condensed chicken soup and probably skip the added salt as well and just season to taste after cooking. The flavors were so good I don’t think it would hurt the dish. Overall good recipe and probably would have been less salty if I’d followed it lol I’ll probably make it again! Very easy and affordable.
Easy prep, major flavor and a comfort food home run!
Delicious
Made this last night for supper. I used leftover fried chicken, just removed the skin, bones, and as much breading as I could, and it worked fine!
Very tasty indeed! My hubby went back for seconds, which tells me everything I need to know! Definitely a keeper.
I’m thinking about a couple of variations to try, too: some diced ham with spinach, mushrooms & Swiss cheese . . . or maybe Kielbasa with cauliflower, green beans & cheddar.
Took longer than 30 minutes to prepare. Probably closer to an hour by the time I rounded up, prepped and measured everything. Not a huge deal, but maybe consider revising the stated time.
I guess you just throw the garlic in the garbage because you didn’t say to add it at anytime. Haha
It’s right in step 1.