Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Always a hit, this cheesy chicken broccoli & rice casserole is a comforting dish that is perfect for feeding your family or taking to a friend in need.
This cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole is a family favorite. Loaded with rice, chicken, cheese, and broccoli, it needs only a salad and bread to make a hearty meal.
I’ve made this on many a Saturday and kept it in the fridge to bake the next morning before church. Left in a warm oven, it is a perfect dish to come home to for a Sunday lunch!
Can cheesy chicken broccoli casserole be made ahead of time?
Absolutely! If you are making this casserole ahead of time either to serve family or a gift to a friend, you can assemble this casserole and keep it in the freezer to store. Once you remove it from the freezer, let it defrost and follow the original baking instructions. As I mentioned in the recipe card below, preheat the oven to 350F bake for an hour with an aluminum foil covering, remove the cover, and add the topping.
How long should I cook cheesy chicken broccoli casserole?
This casserole takes a little over an hour to cook, super fast and easy! You will want to bake this casserole for an hour, remove the covering, add the topping, and pop it back in the oven. Keep a watchful eye on it towards the end to ensure you are not burning the topping. When it begins to get golden brown and bubbles, it should be ready to go.
What meat goes with cheesy chicken broccoli casserole?
Chicken is the perfect meat for this recipe as it goes so well together with broccoli! For this recipe, I use 2-3 boneless chicken breasts. For this dish, the chicken was cut up into bite-sized pieces. Cutting them into smaller chunks will help ensure the chicken gets fully cooked. If you leave the breasts as they are, you increase the risk of the meat being uncooked.
Is cheesy chicken broccoli casserole good for you?
It definitely is! This casserole has it all! It has protein from the chicken and vitamins and minerals from the broccoli. While it is a pretty simple recipe, this dish has everything you want for dinner all in one pan. This well-rounded casserole is a GREAT option for a nutritious meal that is delicious and super easy to make.
What can I serve with cheesy chicken broccoli casserole?
We love this casserole with salad or Mississippi Green Beans and this cheesy bread (that tastes like Jim ‘N Nicks cheese biscuits). This makes enough to feed at least 8 and makes wonderful leftovers.
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
A comforting family favorite loaded with broccoli, rice, cheese & chicken.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CASSEROLE:
- 1 cup Uncle Ben's converted rice (converted rice is wonderful; it cooks perfectly every time)
- 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (uncooked)
- fresh broccoli, chopped into small pieces (1 large or 2 small crowns)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cans cheddar cheese soup
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- FOR THE TOPPING:
- 1 1/2 - 2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed
- 7 TB butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 TB poppyseed (optional)
Instructions
- FOR THE CASSEROLE:
- Spray a large baking dish (11 X 13) with cooking spray.
- In large bowl, mix milk, cheddar cheese soup, salt, pepper & garlic powder. Whisk until smooth.
- Remove 1 cup of soup mixture and set aside (this will be used at the end of the recipe).
- Fold rice into larger bowl of soup mixture. Stir, and pour into bottom of casserole dish.
- Sprinkle chicken pieces with dry soup, salt, pepper & garlic powder.
- Lay chicken pieces on top of rice mixture.
- Scatter broccoli atop chicken.
- Sprinkle shredded cheddar atop broccoli.
- Pour remaining cup of cheese sauce over casserole.
- Seal tightly with foil; bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove foil and add topping.
- FOR THE TOPPING:
- Crush the Ritz crackers and put into medium size bowl.
- Add melted butter, garlic powder and poppy seeds.
- Mix well until all crumbs are buttery and poppy seeds are throughout.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 2093Total Fat 126gSaturated Fat 80gCholesterol 339mgSodium 6080mgCarbohydrates 185gSugar 17gProtein 52g
Cass! So glad to hear these were a hit! I’ve never had any leftovers either:-)
So I made this last night for my prayer group-AMAZING! Only one serving remained and one friend asked to take it home! Definitely a big hit!