Baked Broccoli Chicken and Rice Casserole
on Aug 17, 2023, Updated Sep 28, 2023
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Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole is a classic comfort dish for a good reason! It’s rich, creamy, cheesy, and oh-so filling. This one dish, four-step recipe is about as tasty and easy as it gets!
Chicken broccoli rice casserole is a dish that does it all! Each bite is packed with protein, veggies, and fiber, making it a well-rounded, one dish meal. Plus, this casserole-style dinner complements almost any event or function.
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Serve this cheesy casserole at your next dinner party, take it to the neighborhood potluck, or drop it off for a friend in need. You can even prep this dish ahead of time and store it in the freezer for months; perfect for when you need a hearty and nutritious meal in a pinch!
Give this creamy, salty casserole a bit of a kick with some spicy ingredient swaps! Trade the shredded cheddar cheese for pepper jack and the grilled chicken for a spicy breaded or glazed chicken. You can also toss in some red pepper flakes, buffalo sauce, diced jalapeños, or tabasco to really turn up the heat! The resulting spicy chicken broccoli rice casserole might be even more addicting than the original!
Combine two classic comfort dishes to create chicken broccoli bacon ranch casserole! Simply add some crispy chopped bacon and a packet of ranch dressing mix to the rice mixture. Bake, serve, and enjoy as normal!
Not a huge fan of broccoli? You can omit it or swap it out for another type of vegetable. Cauliflower, peas, carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, and asparagus would all be great additions to this dish.
Ingredient Notes
- Grilled Chicken—Cut into bite-sized pieces. You can also use any leftover shredded, baked, or rotisserie chicken you might have on hand.
- Broccoli—Cooked until fork tender.
- White Rice—Boiled according to package directions.
- Cheddar Cheese—Shredded.
- Chicken Broth—Creates a savory, salty, and creamy base for this casserole.
- Spices—A 50/50 blend of garlic powder and minced onion.
How to Make Easy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the white rice, chicken broth, grilled chicken, broccoli, garlic powder, minced onion, and most of the cheddar cheese.
- Transfer this mixture to a well-greased baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake until the casserole base is bubbly and the cheese on top has slightly browned.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, you need to completely cook the rice before adding it to the casserole. Uncooked rice takes a long time to soften in the oven—by the time it’s no longer crunchy, the broccoli would be mush. The good news is that you can use almost any kind of precooked rice in this dish—minute rice, jasmine, brown, and cauliflower rice all work!
I like serving this comfort dish alongside other classic and hearty side dishes. Homemade dinner rolls, roasted smashed potatoes, creamed corn, and bacon-wrapped asparagus are some of my favorite sides to pair with this casserole.
Because all the ingredients in this casserole are precooked, you can bake it uncovered! You want a lot of the moisture in this dish to evaporate so that your broccoli chicken rice casserole comes out creamy and scoopable.
How to Store Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
If you have any cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole leftover, I recommend storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Any leftover casserole can be reheated in the microwave in 30-second increments; don’t forget to stir it periodically! Heat until warmed through and add an extra splash of chicken broth if the mixture seems too dry.
Chicken broccoli rice casserole is also a great dish to make ahead of time! Simply prepare the dish as normal, top it with shredded cheddar cheese, cover it with a layer of plastic wrap or tin foil, and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow any frozen casserole to thaw overnight before baking as normal.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- You can used steamed frozen broccoli or sautéed fresh broccoli in this dish; both are delicious!
- I like to use a sharp cheddar cheese because I find that the flavor cuts through the creaminess of this dish quite nicely. However, you can also use a medium or mild cheddar in this chicken broccoli rice casserole.
- If possible, shred your own cheese to use in this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese won’t melt as well, leaving your casserole goopy instead of thick and creamy.
- Boost the homecooked flavor of this dish by replacing the dried spices with fresh garlic and onion! Sauté these two vegetables together until softened before adding them to the casserole.
More Recipes
- Sloppy Joe Casserole
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
- Taco Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
If you’ve tried this Broccoli Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe or any other recipe on Bless This Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories.
Broccoli Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups diced grilled chicken, or shredded rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups cooked broccoli, frozen broccoli works great
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 cups cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- While the oven is preheating, combine the rice, chicken broth, grilled chicken, broccoli, garlic powder, onion powder, and 2 cups of cheddar cheese in a large mixing bowl.
- Transfer the casserole mixture to a large baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake the casserole for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- We have tried this recipe with instant rice, long grain rice, basmati, and jasmine rice. It doesn’t really matter what type of rice you use as long as it is cooked before it goes into the casserole.
- We prefer to use sharp cheddar cheese, but you can also use mild or medium.
- In addition to using diced grilled chicken, you can use shredded rotisserie chicken. We like to grab a Costco chicken to use in this recipe.
- You can store your leftover casserole in the fridge covered with plastic wrap or transferred to an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat your leftovers in the microwave for about 1 ½ minutes.
- For this recipe, we used cooked frozen broccoli, but you can also use freshly cooked broccoli.
Nutrition
You are going to love this one dish meal that is Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole. Great for a busy weeknight meal and tasty enough for a Sunday dinner. I am excited for you to try it!
