Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with Rice and Cheddar
Add Preferred SourceChicken and broccoli casserole is what I make when I want the whole dinner to come out of one dish. The chicken, the broccoli, and the rice all bake together in a creamy, cheesy base, so there’s a protein, a vegetable, and a starch on the plate without a separate pan to wash.
It comes together in under an hour, most of that while it bakes. I press the chicken and broccoli down into the rice so they partly sink in.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a whole meal in one dish. The chicken, broccoli, and rice bake together, so you get a protein, a vegetable, and a starch without cooking separate sides.
- It’s ready in under an hour. About ten minutes to stir the base and assemble, then the oven does the rest in roughly forty minutes.
- It’s flexible. Fresh or frozen broccoli both work, and the soup and the cheese each have simple swaps if you’d rather use something else.
- Leftovers reheat well. Portions go from the fridge to a plate for an easy lunch or a second dinner later in the week.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need all the ingredients in the photograph below.
- Long grain white rice. Uncooked, stirred into the base so it cooks as the casserole bakes. Spread it in an even layer; the covered bake is on the short side for uncooked rice, so even spreading helps it cook through (there’s more on that in the tips).
- Cream of chicken soup. Two cans, the savory base of the sauce. Cream of mushroom or cream of broccoli soup stand in for a different flavor.
- Milk. Thins the condensed soup into a pourable sauce.
- Garlic powder and onion powder. A teaspoon of each, stirred through the base, where the garlic and onion give it a savory backbone.
- Cheddar cheese. Shredded and divided, half through the base and half over the top, where it melts and browns. Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or Swiss can stand in if you want a different melt.
How to Make Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Prep the oven and dish
Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and lightly grease a casserole dish.
Mix the base
In a large bowl, stir the uncooked rice together with the cream of chicken soup, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, and half of the shredded cheddar, then season with salt and pepper. Stir until everything is well mixed.
Assemble
Pour the rice mixture into the greased dish and level it out. Scatter the diced chicken and the broccoli florets over the top, then press them down so they sink partway into the rice.
Bake, then finish with cheese
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take the foil off, scatter the rest of the cheddar over the top, and return it uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. Because the chicken goes in raw, check that the largest cube has reached an internal temperature of 165°F before serving, rather than going by the timer alone.
Serve
Scatter chopped fresh herbs and a little ground black pepper over the top, then scoop and serve.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Spread the rice in an even layer. An even layer cooks through more reliably in the time given; a mounded, uneven layer can leave the middle firm. The covered bake is on the short side for uncooked rice, so it’s worth taking a moment to spread it flat.
- Give the rice a head start if you want it fully soft. The recipe bakes uncooked rice under foil for 30 minutes, which can leave it a little firm. As the recipe’s own tips note, pre-cooking the rice slightly before it goes in can help prevent a crunchy or undercooked center.
- Grate your own cheese. Freshly grated cheese melts more smoothly than pre-shredded, which is coated with anti-caking agents to stop it clumping.
- Add a splash of milk if it looks dry. If the surface looks dry before the final cheese layer goes on, drizzle over a little milk or chicken broth to keep it moist.
Recipe Variations
- Swap the soup. Cream of mushroom or cream of broccoli soup work in place of the cream of chicken for a different savory base.
- Change the cheese. Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or Swiss stand in for some or all of the cheddar, each melting a little differently.
- Use cooked or rotisserie chicken. Already-cooked chicken can go in place of the raw cubes to use up leftovers; it only needs warming through rather than cooking from raw.
- Stir in extra vegetables. Mushrooms, bell peppers, or a little cooked bacon mix into the base for more flavor.
- Add a crunchy topping. Crushed Ritz crackers or breadcrumbs tossed with a little melted butter, scattered on for the last 10 minutes, give the top some crunch.
- Swap in brown rice, with an adjustment. Brown rice hasn’t been tested here, and it may need more liquid and a longer bake than the recipe gives, so it’s not a one-for-one swap.
- Make it gluten-free. Use a gluten-free cream of chicken soup and check that the cheese and seasonings are gluten-free too.
Make It Ahead
You can assemble this casserole up to a day ahead, since the recipe is written to be made ahead and baked when you’re ready. Because it contains raw chicken, cover it tightly, keep it in the fridge, and bake it within that day. It goes in cold, so check that the chicken has reached 165°F and that the rice is tender before serving, rather than going by the clock. If you’d rather get ahead another way, you can cook it fully and reheat leftovers instead.
How to Store Leftovers
(This section is for a casserole you’ve already baked. Making it ahead to bake later is the separate timeline above; the two aren’t interchangeable, since one is a raw dish held cold and the other is cooked leftovers.)
- Cool it down, then refrigerate promptly. Let the casserole cool for a short while, then get it into the fridge; don’t leave it out on the counter to cool all the way down, since cooked food shouldn’t sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour on a hot day above 90°F. Move portions into an airtight container or cover the dish tightly with foil.
- Refrigerate or freeze. In the fridge, baked leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days. To hold them longer, wrap tightly or portion into freezer containers and freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat in the oven. Warm the dish, covered with foil in a 350°F oven until it’s steaming hot all the way through, to an internal temperature of 165°F; if it looks dry, stir in a splash of milk first to bring back the creamy texture. The recipe suggests skipping the microwave here to keep the texture consistent.
What to Serve With Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
This casserole already bakes a vegetable and a starch into it, so it doesn’t need much alongside. When I add a side, I keep it fresh and sharp to balance the rich, cheesy base. I like a caprese salad of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil with a little balsamic, since its bright, tangy edge cuts through the richness. I also go for baked sweet potato fries with a pinch of paprika, which bring a little sweetness against the savory dish, or grilled asparagus with a squeeze of lemon for a fresh, slightly smoky side.
Making It Go Further
Saving a bit on groceries without skimping on flavor is always a win. Here are three money-saving tips specifically for making Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole:
- It serves six on two chicken breasts. The rice and broccoli make up most of the dish, so it feeds six without much meat.
- Frozen broccoli and a big bag of rice keep the cost down. Both are inexpensive, everyday ways to fill out the dish.
- It uses up cooked chicken. Leftover roast or rotisserie chicken can go in place of the raw cubes, so it doesn’t go to waste.
More Casserole To Try
Here are a few more one-dish casseroles from the site.
Easy Chicken Casserole folds cooked chicken and egg noodles into a creamy, cheesy bake.
Chicken and Rice Casserole bakes chicken thighs over rice in a cream-of-mushroom sauce for another creamy chicken dinner.
Chicken Pot Pie Casserole keeps that pot-pie feel, with chicken and vegetables under a puff-pastry top.
Cowboy Casserole is the hearty one, with seasoned ground beef under a crispy tater-tot and cheese top.
Tuna Casserole bakes canned tuna and egg noodles into a creamy dish with a crisp Panko top.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 2 chicken breasts diced in 1 inch cubes
- 2 cups broccoli florets chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh herbs finely chopped
Video
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350°F). Grease a casserole dish.
- In a big bowl, combine rice, chicken soup, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, half of the cheddar cheese, and season with salt and pepper.1 ½ cups long grain white rice, 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 2 cups milk, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 2 cups cheddar cheese, Salt and pepper
- Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish and level it out. Add the chicken and broccoli florets and arrange them over the rice, you can push them a bit so they partially sink.2 cups broccoli florets, 2 chicken breasts
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with the rest of the cheese and return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
- Serve with fresh herbs and ground black pepper.Fresh herbs
Notes
- Doneness: The chicken bakes from raw, so cook until the largest cube reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, rather than by time alone.
- Rice: The uncooked rice bakes 30 minutes covered, which is on the short side; spread it in an even layer, and par-cook it briefly first if you want it fully soft.
- Make ahead (before baking): You can assemble and refrigerate the casserole, but no more than a day ahead — it holds raw chicken. Bake it straight from cold, going by the chicken reaching 165°F. (This is a raw dish held cold, not a cooked leftover.)
- Storage (after baking): Cool, then refrigerate baked leftovers 3 to 4 days, or freeze up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven to 165°F, adding a splash of milk if dry. (Full steps are in the How to Store Leftovers section above.)
- Nutrition: The nutrition figures below are an estimate provided for guidance, not a guarantee.
Yummy easy and quick.
Thanks Mandy Have only just started to enjoy your recipes.
Really pleased you’ve found them and are enjoying cooking them 🙂