Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole is an easy dinner the whole family will love, tender chicken, fresh broccoli, and rice in a cheesy sauce.
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This chicken broccoli casserole is a simple recipe made from scratch, no canned soups in this one or this Chicken Stuffing Casserole. Perfectly seasoned and baked to perfection, this casserole is a wholesome and delicious meal that will leave you craving more.
You might also want to try my Mexican Rice Casserole and Ultimate Chicken Casserole for another easy weeknight dinner!
Why this recipe works
This is an easy chicken dinner using simple ingredients the entire family will love like my Chicken Pot Pie Casserole or Creamy Chicken Casserole. The tender chicken and broccoli, fluffy rice, and cheesy creamy sauce come together to create a comforting and delicious meal that is sure to please your taste buds. This is a complete one-pan meal like my Mushroom Chicken and Rice or this Tater Tot Casserole served with a side of my Garlic Bread.
Ingredients needed for Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Chicken: I use chicken tenders but you can certainly use chicken breasts, boneless skinless chicken thighs, or even leftover rotisserie chicken.
- Rice: Long grain rice is recommended, or leftover rice for an easy shortcut, brown rice can also be used if you prefer.
- Chicken broth: I use low sodium, but regular will also work.
- Broccoli: I use fresh broccoli but frozen broccoli will also work.
- Cheese: I like to use Colby cheese but cheddar cheese is also delicious.
How to make this cheesy chicken casserole
- Step 1: In a medium saucepan add the rice ingredients and bring to a boil, place a lid on top.
- Step 2: Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.
- Step 3: In a medium saucepan add the broccoli and steam it until slightly tender.
- Step 4: Add the crushed Ritz crackers and melted butter in a small bowl and mix.
- Step 5: In a large skillet add olive oil and saute the diced chicken until done then remove to a plate.
- Step 6: Add the butter and diced onions, saute until translucent and add in garlic. Whisk in flour.
- Step 7: Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a low simmer.
- Step 8: Reduce heat and add in the milk and seasonings.
- Step 9: Add back in the chicken, broccoli, rice, and cheese and mix.
- Step 10: Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the chicken mixture followed by the buttery crackers mixture and bake until golden brown!
Recipe tips
- For a short cut use a store-bought rotisserie, canned chicken, or leftover shredded chicken breast from my Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken or my Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken.
- You can make your rice in a rice cooker or even use leftover rice.
- If you don't have a 12-inch oven-safe skillet transfer everything to a 9x13 casserole baking dish.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Ritz crackers are my favorite, but potato chips are also delicious or even Panko bread crumbs. Cornflakes and French fried onions also add a great crunch.
Recipe Faq's
I love broccoli florets in this recipe but other vegetables that would be delicious are mushrooms, green beans, cauliflower, carrots, and even zucchini.
Yes, make this casserole the day before cover it and place it in the refrigerator. When ready to bake remove the casserole from the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to help bring it to room temperature. Then add the Ritz cracker topping and bake until bubbly cheesy goodness.
You can freeze it, I just recommend leaving off the topping until ready to bake. Cover a freezer-safe container with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Yes, omit the flour, and chicken stock and whisk in a 10-ounce can of cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of milk.
Yes, this recipe requires rice that has already been cooked or you can try my Paprika Chicken Rice Bake. It's great to use up any leftover rice you might have.
More casserole recipes
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Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 2 cups water
- 7 tablespoons butter divided
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups broccoli
- 1 sleeve Rits Crackers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 2 cups shredded cheese
Instructions
- Heat a medium saucepan on medium-high heat add rice, water, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt give it a stir and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside
- Add the broccoli to a saucepan with about 1.2 inches of water cover and steam for 2-4 minutes drain the broccoli and set aside. You can also steam the broccoli in the microwave if you prefer.
- In a small bowl add the crushed Ritz crackers and 2 tablespoons of melted butter and mix until combined and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- In a large oven-safe 12-inch skillet on medium-high heat add the olive oil and the diced chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove to a plate.
- In the same skillet add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt, then add in the diced onion and cook 2-3 minutes then add in the minced garlic and cook another minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir.
- Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
- Add in the milk and seasoning and whisk until combined.
- Add in the chicken, broccoli, rice, and 1 1/4 cups of the cheese and stir. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top then sprinkle the Ritz cracker mixture on top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
Wendie
So happy you loved it Laurel ๐
Laurel Lynn
I made this tonight & it was so good & easy- next time I will use more cheese in the sauce & topping for more flavor- but the sauce is so creamy! I wanted to post a photo but couldn't figure out how
Diana
Love..love..love this recipe..making it today for the second time..first time I used low sodium Ritz crackers & mild cheddar it was delicious but didn't have a strong flavor.( still good).this time... I'll be using sharp cheddar.i also season my chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika,dry thyme s&p I brush little olive oil on both sides & air fry them then cube cut it instead of cooking it the pan..gives the chicken & meal a lot of flavor...thank u for sharing!
Wendie
Yay Debe so happy you loved it ๐
Debe
although a little putzy to put together after working all day, the results are superb. i used "everything seasoning " ritz crackers for topping and they were the bomb. def will make this one over and over!
Wendie
Yes, that info is in the faq in the post above the recipe card.
Jessica
does this work as a freezable casserole?
Wendie
You went right past the printable recipe to write this comment. The recipe is always at the bottom of the post. You can scroll to the bottom or hit the jump to recipe button at the top to skip any extra recipe tips.
Eileen
For your Chicken Broccoli rice casserole I could not find any amounts needed of butter, crackers, rice, cheese etc. Did I miss where you listed the portions of each ingredient. Iโm not that good a cook.