One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

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 – 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Add in the broccoli and cheese and continue cooking for a couple more minutes until the broccoli softens.
4. 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
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup milk
• ⅓ 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.

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.

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Recipe originally shared May, 2015.