Chicken Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole Recipe

By: Becky HardinPosted: 1/29/18Updated: 11/15/23

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Chicken Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole is a favorite comfort food recipe. This casserole is loaded with everything that makes you think of home, and you’ll be shocked how easy it is to put together. This Chicken and Rice Casserole with broccoli and cheese is the type of cheesy recipe your family will request time and time again.

Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Chicken and Rice Casserole with Broccoli (and CHEESE) is the of the best chicken casseroles. This is one of my favorite easy dinner recipes.

If you’re in need of a comforting, easy, CHEESY meal to make your family this week, can I please suggest this chicken broccoli cheese and rice casserole?

There’s just something so homey about rice, broccoli, chicken, and cheese. Seems like something ole Marie Callendar would make, but so much better. Get to cookin’ this amazing dish!

Broccoli Rice Casserole with Chicken

Broccoli Rice Casserole is SO simple to throw together, great for making and ahead and freezing for a friend, or reheating for lunch throughout the week.

I love casseroles because they’re an entire meal in one. We have made so many casseroles on here and some of our faves include Chicken Pot Pie Casserole,Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole, and Enchilada Stuffed Pepper Casserole.

When you make this for dinner, you don’t need an extra side dish. This is main course and side dish in one.

This chicken broccoli cheese rice casserole is the type of recipe that warms the soul while it fills your belly. Its the kind of meal you’ll make again and again when you’re just not sure what to make for dinner. You’ll likely have all the ingredients in your kitchen already, so it’s just a matter of tossing them together and baking them to perfection. I wish I would have realized years ago that recipes like this existed. I would have eaten a lot less frozen dinners!

If you’ve never tried Chicken and Rice Casserole it is TIME…tonight! This EASY casserole recipe is a must make for anyone who loves comfort food.

I hope this Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole warms your home this Winter! It’s a cold one! We all need some easy casseroles in our lives for seasons like this. Looking for some good bread pairings to serve alongside this Chicken and Rice Casserole? Be sure to check out our Icebox Dinner Rolls or Beer Bread Muffins. YUM!

See the recipe card below for details on How to Make Chicken and Rice Casserole. Enjoy!

Looking for more chicken comfort food recipe? Try these favorites:

Chicken and Rice Casserole

4.75 from 31 votes

Author: Becky Hardin

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 20 minutes minutes

Total: 40 minutes minutes

Serves8

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Chicken and Rice Casserole with Broccoli and TONS of Cheese is a favorite comfort food recipe. Loaded with everything that makes you think of home, you'll be shocked how easy it is to come together. This Chicken Rice Casserole is the type of cheesy recipe your family will request time and time again.

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Ingredients

For Topping:

▢ 1 sleeve Ritz crackers crushed
▢ ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
▢ ¼ teaspoon smoky paprika

For Casserole:

▢ 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
▢ 2 cups long-grain white rice
▢ 1 bag frozen broccoli
▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
▢ ½ teaspoon ground sweet curry or mild curry
▢ Meat from 1 Rotisserie chicken or 3 medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
▢ Kosher salt
▢ Freshly ground black pepper
▢ 4 tablespoons canola or olive oil divided
▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
▢ ½-1 medium sweet yellow onion diced & sautéed
▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
▢ 1¼ cup half-and-half
▢ 2 cups shredded cheddar or Gruyere cheese or a blend of both

Instructions

For the Topping:

In a small bowl, combine crushed crackers, butter, Parmesan and paprika. Set aside.

For the Casserole:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Bring chicken stock to a boil and add the rice, broccoli, salt, black pepper and sweet curry. Stir once, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 18-20 minutes or until rice and broccoli are tender.
While rice and broccoli cook:
If using rotisserie chicken, cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes or shred the chicken meat (your preference).
If using chicken breasts, sprinkle breasts with salt & pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons oil to the pan and heat until the oil shimmers. Carefully place the breasts in skillet and cook 4-5 minutes per side (depending on the size of the breasts). Turn off heat and transfer breasts to a paper towel-lined plate to rest (the chicken will continue to cook a bit and will finish cooking while in the oven). Tent the chicken with foil and allow to rest a few minutes, then cut into cubes.
Scoop out the skillet drippings and use the same skillet for sautéing the onions & garlic. If necessary, add 1-2 tablespoons oil and 1-2 tablespoons butter.
In the skillet over medium heat, place the diced onions and cook until onions are translucent. Add minced garlic, stir and turn off the heat.
Add the cut-up chicken, sautéed onion/garlic mixture, half-and-half and cheese to the rice mixture. Mix well.
Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. *See Note.
Sprinkle the cracker topping over the broccoli rice mixture.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbly.
Enjoy!

Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 659kcal (33%) Carbohydrates: 52g (17%) Protein: 38g (76%) Fat: 33g (51%) Saturated Fat: 15g (94%) Cholesterol: 116mg (39%) Sodium: 723mg (31%) Potassium: 657mg (19%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 2g (2%) Vitamin A: 1155IU (23%) Vitamin C: 68.9mg (84%) Calcium: 359mg (36%) Iron: 2.6mg (14%)