This chicken broccoli rice casserole cooks in just one pot, perfect for busy weeknights.
Chicken and broccoli are baked in a creamy, three-cheese sauce with rice under a crispy breadcrumb topping.
You’ll Love This One-Dish Dinner Because…
- Quick & easy, this cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole is a one-pot meal that saves you time in the kitchen.
- Skip the cream of chicken soup; this broccoli rice casserole has a simple homemade sauce.
- Pure comfort food, it’s a quick stovetop casserole with a homemade sauce.
- Enjoy it for meals or lunches all week long.
Ingredient Tips and Variations
No need for a can of cream of mushroom soup; this broccoli chicken casserole has a sauce so easy it practically cooks itself!
- Chicken: This recipe uses cooked chicken; use rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken or turkey. You can also poach chicken breasts and shred them.
- Broccoli: I prefer the texture of fresh broccoli florets, but frozen broccoli will also work. You can replace it with other vegetables like cauliflower, sliced carrots or mushrooms.
- Rice: Instant rice (such as Minute Rice) is a timesaver, which makes this recipe quick to prepare.
- Broth: Chicken broth is added for flavor and to cook the rice.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese and dried herbs make the sauce creamy without being too heavy. You can swap it for flavored cream cheese like garlic or jalapeno.
- Cheese: You can use what cheese you have on hand—ensure at least one cheese has a bold flavor.
Variations
- Replace the onion with 1 teaspoon of onion powder and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Instead of breadcrumbs, try homemade crispy fried onions or crushed Ritz crackers as a crispy topping.
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Cook onion and garlic in butter in an oven-safe pot.
- Stir in cream cheese, herbs, broth, rice, and broccoli. Rest for 5 minutes.
- Once the rice is tender, add bite-size pieces of chicken, sour cream, and cheese.
- Top with cheddar and breadcrumbs and bake (recipe below).
Leftovers and Storage
- Keep leftover chicken broccoli casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat portions in the microwave.
- Freeze portions in freezer-safe containers for up to one month and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- You can freeze a fully baked and cooled casserole by lining the casserole dish with foil and gently lifting it out once frozen. Wrap in foil and plastic wrap and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw and reheat as detailed above.
More Cozy Casserole Recipes
Did your family love this Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole? Leave a rating and a comment below.
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Try this cheesy one-pot chicken broccoli rice casserole for a tasty all-in-one meal!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups instant rice
- 4 cups broccoli florets chopped into small pieces
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
Topping
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a Dutch oven or large oven-safe pot, cook onion in butter over medium heat until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Stir in cream cheese, oregano, and basil and stir until the cream cheese is smooth and melted. Add chicken broth, rice, and broccoli.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat and cover. Let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
- Once the rice has rested and is tender, stir in chicken, sour cream, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
- Top the casserole with cheddar and breadcrumbs (if using).
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is lightly browned.
Notes
Using raw Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs: Replace cooked chicken in this recipe with 1 lb of fresh chicken. Cut into bite-sized pieces, season with salt & pepper, and pan-fry the chicken pieces in 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat until no pink remains, about 7-8 minutes.
Bake In a Casserole Dish: If you do not have a Dutch oven or oven safe pan, prepare the recipe as directed and then transfer it to a 3qt or 9×13 baking dish or pan. Bake as directed.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1.74cups | Calories: 428 | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 851mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1046IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 366mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Chicken, Dinner, Entree
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Made this for a group function at church and everyone loved it! Love having the various serving options, sure made it easier. Thanks!!
This was bland except for the parmesan flavor. Everything cooked up well, including the broccoli.
Can this recipe be make ahead of time?
I have never made this casserole ahead but you should be able to prep up to Step 6 and then bake later. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
This is a favorite in our house. I use short grain brown rice that I pre-cooked so I reduced the liquid a bit. I also added mushrooms and blanched the broccoli. That is what I like about your recipes, we can add a bit extra to make them our own.
Loved this!! I precooked jasmine rice because that’s what I had but followed everything else exactly. I might precook broccoli a bit next time but that’s just personal preference. Will definitely make again!
My super fussy family loved this. There were no leftovers and I’ve been asked to make it multiple times.
Excellent and easy casserole. It doesn’t end up all mushy like so many other chicken casseroles. This will definitely be a regular at our house!
I love the way you tell what all the possible variations to your recipes are. I also really appreciate the pictures of the assembly of the ingredients. But after all the great info I put this together with broccoli, fresh mushrooms & mixed vegetables. I also took your idea of French fried crispy onions!!! What a hit this dish was, thank you for this & all of your delicious ideas!!!
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe and that you found the provided information helpful!
Can I use Cauliflower rice instead of instant rice?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Suzanne. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I enjoyed it with Cauliflower rice. I didn’t make it with regular rice so I don’t have anything to compare it to
Thank you for sharing Suzanne! I am glad you enjoyed this recipe.
If using with precooked rice do you still use the same amount of broth? Does anyone know?
If using pre-cooked rice, you will want to reduce the broth to about ¾ cup (depending on the type of rice). Start with ½ cup and simmer the broccoli until tender-crisp. Stir in 2 ½ cups of cooked rice and cook until the rice is heated through adding more broth as needed.
Thanks. You are officially my favorite go to for recipes. I appreciate you very much for helping me out.
Thank you so much for your kind words JonT, you made my day! So glad you’ve enjoyed the recipes!
Was wondering if using frozen broccoli should we cook that first or thaw it?
Hi Tabitha, you should be able to add them to the recipe as is without thawing first.
Would love to try this casserole but don’t have cream cheese or sour cream and don’t want to have to purchase these ingredients as we just 2 seniors. What can be substituted.
Also, if using cooked rice would you alter the liquids.
Hi Ellen, we have only tried this recipe as listed so I am not sure how it would turn out without the cream cheese or sour cream. You could try replacing it with plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese but maybe another reader has attempted it and can provide some insight! As for the rice you should be fine to sub in cooked rice without altering the recipe.
SOOOOO good. Good winter comfort food!
Good, basic recipe for leftover chicken / turkey. Pass this down to new cooks.. made this Sunday and got 5* reviews..
That is wonderful, Linda! So happy everyone enjoyed it!
Great recipe! Didn’t miss the cream of chicken soup at all.
So happy you enjoyed it, Anita!
I do not use instant rice, how do I change this casserole so I can cook it for my family?
(Chicken Rice casserole)
You can substitute long grain white rice that has been cooked or any variety of leftover cooked rice can be used. I hope this helps Diann!
The Dijon chicken breasts were wonderful! Very easy to make and tastes delicious. My husband said this is a keeper!
I am so glad you and your husband loved the recipe Paige!
Delicious!! I made it with rotisserie chicken and brown rice. The cheese sauce combo has great flavor! I also used panko bread crumbs along with the cheddar cheese for the topping. Baking it for 20 minutes was the perfect time.
I am so happy to hear you loved the recipe Paige!
When does this casserole go in the oven?
After the topping is added the casserole is baked for 20 minutes.
So I always read a recipe prior to making… this one is missing something? Does it go into the over or not? With instant rice it doesn’t really need it. I think the oven is specifically for the Topping portion and not to cook the casserole… Can anyone who has made this clarify? I would love to make it soon…
Sorry for the confusion. The casserole is baked with or without topping to melt the cheese and heat through. Enjoy!
Does this hold up well if put in the freezer before the 20 minute bake and baked at a later time? Trying to find a good freezer recipe for this type of casserole. You’re recipes are always my favorite!
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Angela, but it should work just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!