This Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole is ultimate comfort food. With easy ingredients and the ability to make it ahead, this chicken broccoli and rice casserole will become part of the meal rotation.
I partnered with Gold’n Plump® to bring you this delicious dinner recipe.
I’m so excited about today’s recipe! It is a spin on my Broccoli Rice Casserole, but made with chicken to stretch it into a full dinner recipe. This great recipe can be made completely from scratch. It can be made ahead and frozen. Your family will love this classic dinner recipe.
Made this last week, it was delicious! Leftovers for lunch the next day were great too. Very easy and quick to put together with ingredients I had on hand. Thanks for another great recipe.
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Sauté the onions. Soften the onion in melted butter over medium heat. Then stir in the frozen broccoli and cook until no longer frozen.
- Mix together the casserole ingredients. Mix together the condensed cream of chicken soup, milk, spices, vegetables, chicken, instant rice, and some of the cheese. Pour it into the casserole dish.
- Top the casserole. Add cheese and fried onions to the top of the casserole and bake.
Totally from scratch Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
I know there are a lot of people who get turned off from recipes that call for condensed soup.
I get it. So this chicken broccoli rice cheese casserole has the short cut of using the store bought condensed cream of chicken soup. But, you can also substitute that with my homemade condensed cream of chicken soup!
It makes the exact amount the can gives you, so it’s a perfect swap out.
Make Ahead Chicken Broccoli Casserole
I love that this chicken broccoli cheese rice casserole is an easy make ahead meal. This makes it perfect for a busy week night.
Follow the instructions up until you put the mixture in the casserole dish and the stop. Cover it and put it in the refrigerator.
When you get home from work the next night, pull it out, add the remaining cheese and fried onions, and pop it in the oven. Just five extra minutes of bake time and you have a delicious chicken and broccoli casserole.
Freezer Friendly
This chicken broccoli rice casserole makes a great freezer meal!
Use an aluminum disposable baking dish so you don’t have to worry about your frozen glass or ceramic dish cracking and breaking in your hot oven.
Like the instructions above, you want prepare your casserole but not top it. Wrap it several times in aluminum foil or plastic wrap before placing it in the freezer.
When you are ready to bake it, take it right from the freezer, top it with the remaining cheddar cheese and fried onions and put in the oven.
Bake your frozen casserole for 45 minutes covered at 350 degrees. Then remove the foil and bake another 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbling.
Serving Size
This recipe makes 7 cups. The nutritional information listed in the recipe card below is based on six servings. So each serving is one overflowing cup.
FAQ
Nope! The chicken goes into the recipe in step 3 raw. It will absolutely cook through in the 45 minutes this casserole is in the oven.
Nope! Stir in the uncooked instant rice in step 3.
Sorry! This recipe was only tested with instant rice.
Yes! You will just want to sauté it until it is tender rather than the time frame given below.
Other Delicious Chicken Dinners
- This Butter Chicken Recipe is super popular and my family loves how perfect that sauce is over rice.
- I’m obsessed with this Bourbon Chicken. It’s like take out but better!
- And everyone loves the amazing flavors in this Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs.
If you make this Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole or any of my other dinner recipes, please let me know by leaving a comment! I love hearing what’s working for you and what’s not.
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 16 ounces frozen broccoli
- 1 teaspoon onion powder optional
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 10 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup (store bought or homemade)
- 1 cup milk (I used skim)
- 1 cup instant rice
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 pound Gold'n Plump Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts diced (uncooked)
- 1 cup fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- In a large sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the onion, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broccoli, and cook until no longer frozen, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of chicken soup, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in the broccoli onion mixture, diced chicken, instant rice, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
- Top with remaining cheese and fried onions. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 15 minutes.
Notes
Debbie Jacobs says
I have made this for the second time and am sharing it for a meal w a new mom from church. I did make a few changes but it came out delicious! I doubled the recipe this time, used breasts from a rotisserie chicken plus one cooked breast chopped up together. I used frozen broccoli cooked in pan after the onions and added some fresh broccoli I chopped and steamed in the microwave partially cooked. Then added to pan with the other broccoli with melted butter. I partially cooked the 2 cups of rice w 2 cups of water (4 min). It absorbed all the water and I knew it would dry out the casserole if just added in. Since it would be rebaked I didn’t want it to come out too dry. Great flavors and so nice if getting home late to just pop in the oven to heat.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Margaret Imrie says
Thank you for your delicious recipes. I can’t wait to try them. Margaret from Richmond NSW Australia
I hope you enjoyed it!
Dianne says
Love all your recipes. In the Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole can I use egg noodles instead of instant rice as no one in my family likes rice.
Yes! Just cook the noodles first and drain them just slightly earlier than you would if you weren’t using them in a casserole.
Deborah says
What would you suggest to replace the fried onions for the topping ? It sounds delicious, but don’t care for thoes. Tia !
I know a lot of people enjoy crushed crackers with some melted butter.
Leslie says
Can I use pre-cooked shredded chicken in this recipe instead of raw chicken?
Yes!
Betty Lou Cushing says
There was no place to forward it to anyone so don’t have any comments!!
Louise Kelley says
I made this but couldn’t find the fried onions in the store, so I toasted some panko bread crumbs in a sauté pan with a little bit of butter, mixed in an little bit of onion powder, and used that instead. Tasted great!
I’m so glad you liked it!
Anita DeGier says
I’m trying your Chicken broccoli Casserole recipe tonight.
My Mothers maiden name was Longley.
I hope you love it!