One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
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This Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole is made all in ONE POT and ready in only 30 minutes. It’s cheesy, it’s comforting, loaded with broccoli and super simple to make!
Chicken and Rice Recipe
I wanted to share with you another favorite one pot recipe of mine. It has rice, chicken, cheese, and broccoli. Pretty much all the food groups you need so you know it’s going to be good. This chicken and rice dish is so delicious, with lots of great flavor and a popular recipe on the blog ever since I first published it back in 2015.
Let’s talk chicken and rice! Who doesn’t love a good chicken and rice casserole sorta dish. But the beauty here is that it’s all made in one skillet, it’s super quick, ready in just 30 minutes, so before you know it dinner is ready to be served.
My favorite part about this casserole is the cheese and I like to place the skillet under the broiler just for a minute or so until the cheese melts and starts to bubble. Simple, quick and pure comfort food. Can’t beat that.
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole Highlights
- The Best Comfort Food. This chicken and rice casserole is so cheesy, totally feel-good type of dish. It’s incredibly flavorful with lots of chicken and broccoli.
- 30 Minute One Pot Meal. Because, yes I wrote a whole book about this, so you know I love these quick and easy meals.
- Ideal For Busy Weeknights. Get dinner on the table in no time at all with just a few ingredients and all in one pot.
- Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken breasts that I cut into 1-inch pieces but boneless skinless chicken thighs will also work quite well.
- Broccoli – I love using fresh broccoli cut into bite size florets, but frozen broccoli will work as well.
- Rice – I used a long grain rice, but medium grain rice will work as well. If you use brown rice, this will require more broth and will take longer to cook.
- Onion And Garlic – Essential flavor enhancers for any casserole. You can use fresh garlic which is the best in my opinion, but you can sub with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Cheese – Lots of freshly grated cheddar cheese for all that cheesy goodness. You can sub with Colby or Monterey Jack.
- Liquids – You’ll need some chicken broth and a can of cream of chicken soup. If you don’t have or can’t find cream of chicken soup, scroll down for instructions on how to make your own.
- Seasoning – Just some salt and pepper to taste.
- This easy dish comes together in just 30 minutes and it’s extremely easy to make. Start by cooking the chicken with the onion first until it’s no longer pink inside, then season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until garlic gets aromatic. Add the broth, cream of chicken soup, rice and cook for a few minutes until the rice cooks through.
- The rice should take about 15 minutes to cook, depending on what type of rice you used. You could use instant rice to speed this up. Brown rice will take a lot longer to cook and may require more broth.
- Add in the broccoli and cheese and continue cooking for a couple more minutes until the broccoli softens.
- Top with more cheese and cover with the lid so that the cheese melts. The chicken is incredibly tender and juicy and the rice is perfectly cooked. You can also place the skillet (if it’s oven safe) in the oven under the broiler for a couple minutes until the cheese starts to brown a bit. If your skillet is not oven safe, you can still do this by transferring the rice mixture to a casserole dish first.
I Don’t Have Cream Of Chicken, What Do I Do?
Don’t sweat it, you can substitute it with cream of mushroom soup or cream of broccoli. If you don’t have any of those either, here’s how you make it:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour and mix until it turns into a paste. Whisk in the milk and chicken broth until the flour paste is dissolved. Season with onion powder, salt and pepper. Continue whisking until the soup is smooth and creamy.
Can I Use Brown Rice?
Of course, just make sure you read the package instructions because brown rice tends to take longer to cook and usually requires more liquid.
Can I Use Rotisserie Chicken?
Why not? This will make this quick and simple chicken broccoli rice casserole even quicker. All you have to do is follow the recipe instructions as written, but just hold off on adding the chicken until near the end when you add the broccoli. Just make sure to cut the chicken in smaller pieces and mix it in to the rice mixture with the broccoli and cheese.
Expert Tips
- Make-ahead: You can prep this the night before, up to and including step 2, then cover the skillet with a lid of aluminum foil and refrigerate until next day when ready to cook. Simply follow the rest of the recipe as instructed.
- If using frozen broccoli, make sure you pat it dry first.
- Feel free to add other veggies to this casserole such as mushrooms, peppers, or cauliflower.
Storage
Store leftover chicken broccoli rice casserole in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this for up to 3 months.
I usually just reheat it in the microwave from frozen, but you can also bake it at 350℉, covered for 20 minutes or until heated through, then uncovered for 5 minutes. Make sure it’s in an oven safe dish like a casserole dish.
More Incredible Casseroles To Try
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
- Taco Lasagna
- Moussaka
- Meatball Casserole
- Cabbage Roll Casserole
- No Peek Chicken Rice Casserole
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One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 2 chicken breasts (cut into small cubes)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¾ cup rice (uncooked)
- 10 ounces cream of chicken soup ((1 can))
- 2 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Cook the onion and chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large oven proof skillet. Add chopped onion and cubed chicken. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the chicken starts to brown a bit and is no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until garlic gets aromatic.
- Add the rice and liquids. Add the rice, cream of chicken soup and chicken broth. Start with 2 cups of chicken broth and if more is needed, add more until rice is fully cooked.
- Cook the rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook over medium heat until the rice is fully cooked, stirring occasionally, should take about 15 minutes or so. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- Finish with broccoli and cheese. Add the broccoli florets and half the cheese then continue cooking for 2 more minutes, until broccoli softens a bit. Sprinkle over the top with remaining cheese and place the skillet under the broiler for a couple more minutes, just until it melts and starts to brown a bit.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
- Make-ahead: You can prep this the night before, up to and including step 2, then cover the skillet with a lid of aluminum foil and refrigerate until next day when ready to cook. Simply follow the rest of the recipe as instructed.
- If using frozen broccoli, make sure you pat it dry first.
- Feel free to add other veggies to this casserole such as mushrooms, peppers, or cauliflower.
- What kind of rice should I use: I used a long grain rice (Basmati) and I recommend a long grain rice over a short grain rice because the shorter grain rice gives you a creamier rice. If using brown rice, it will take longer to cook and may require more liquid. If you wanted to speed this up you could even use quick cooking rice.
- How do I store leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
It doesn’t get much easier than this. Tasty, adaptable and quick. I’ve made this many times and my family loves it!
Would you be able to tell me how I can make this in a casserole dish, or create a recipe like this for a casserole dish? I seem to have errors with it sticking or burning in a one pot dish even with preheating the pan correctly, so I wonder if made in a casserole dish I could avoid that!
Sure! To make it in a casserole dish, cook the chicken and rice as directed in a pot. Then, mix in the broccoli and cheese, and transfer everything to a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes, until bubbly and golden. This method should help avoid sticking or burning. Enjoy!
I found this recipe a while ago and I make it at least once a month now. It’s so easy, uses one pan (so easy cleanup) and it’s delicious! Sometimes I do T have broccoli so I substitute peas and spinach. It’s still really good.
Great to hear you’re enjoying the recipe so much and making it a regular dish! Your substitutions with peas and spinach sound delicious and versatile.
if my broccoli, chicken( I used thighs) and rice ,( I used half jasmine rice and half brown rice) , is already cooked do I need to add the broth or the cream of chicken? And then just combine it all and put it on the broiler for a few minutes with the cheeses?
If your broccoli, chicken, and rice are already cooked, you don’t need to add the broth or cream of chicken. Just combine everything, top with cheese, and broil for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
If I have cooked chicken already cut up, about how much is equivalent to 2 breasts?
Roughly 2 cups of cooked, cubed chicken should be equivalent to 2 uncooked chicken breasts.
My daughter cannot have any dairy so substituted the, cheese, soup for her cheese and used a turkey gravy for soup. Yumm. Was a hit!!
Fantastic to hear that the casserole was a success with dairy-free modifications! Using turkey gravy and dairy-free cheese sounds like a great alternative. So glad it was a hit with your daughter!
Easy, fast, & delicious!! What more can a mom of 3 ask for!! Thank you!
It sounds like you had a wonderful experience with that recipe! It’s great to hear that it was a hit with you and your family!
So so good!! One of our favorite easy meals!!
Thrilled to hear it’s become one of your favorites! There’s something special about a one-pot meal that’s both delicious and hassle-free. Thanks for the love! 😊🍲💛
What’s a serving size? A half cup or 1 cup?
For this recipe a typical serving size would be about 1 cup. This ensures you get a good mix of chicken, broccoli, and rice in each portion.
Was a regular measuring cup used for the rice or a rice cup measure
A regular measuring cup.
Made this for my husband and I tonight. Havig all the ingredients prepped and ready to use is a must as things move quickly. We both enjoyed the dish. He had seconds. If Imake it again, I will steam the broccoli florets a little first. They did not soften well in the pan with the other ingredients. I would probably also add a little more cheese to the topping if you use a big skillet like dId. It was very flavorful!
So glad you and your husband enjoyed the casserole! Prepping ingredients beforehand is always a great tip, and thanks for sharing your insights about the broccoli and cheese. Looking forward to hearing about your next cooking adventure! – Jo
This was very good. I added shredded carrots since I had them in the fridge to use up. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it! Love the addition of carrots for an extra veggie boost. Thanks for sharing! 🥕🧀
This is easy and delicious! I added an extra breast, a rib of chopped celery and used cauliflower because I didn’t have broccoli. Also, I added a cube of Velveeta instead of cheddar.
Great to hear that you enjoyed the dish and made it work with your available ingredients! The Velveeta must have added a lovely creamy texture! Thanks for sharing your tweaks; it sounds like a delightful variation! 🥦🧀🍚👨🍳
This recipe was Soo easy and simple and very delicious
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it! It’s always nice to find recipes that are easy, delicious, and convenient. Keep enjoying your cooking adventures!
Hi there
First time making this recipe. Does this freeze well?
Yep! Freezes well. Just let it cool before freezing!
This is likely a stupid question, but if using condensed cream of chicken soup do you add milk/water before including in this recipe? Thanks.
Not a stupid question at all! For this recipe, you don’t need to add any water or milk to the condensed soup. Just mix it in as is. Hope that helps! Enjoy your cooking!