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Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

4.94 from 29 votes
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posted: 06/09/21

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

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.

white casserole dish filled with chicken broccoli and rice casserole topped with fried onions

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.

Reader Review

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

  1. Sauté the onions. Soften the onion in melted butter over medium heat. Then stir in the frozen broccoli and cook until no longer frozen.
  2. 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.
  3. Top the casserole. Add cheese and fried onions to the top of the casserole and bake.
a package of gold'n plump chicken breasts on a wood board next to chicken broccoli rice casserole

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.

landscape photo of a white casserole dish with chicken broccoli cheese casserole

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.

landscape photo with two white plates on a blue napkin and straw placemat holding chicken broccoli cheese rice 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.

serving spoon holding chicken broccoli casserole with the rest of the casserole blurred in the background

FAQ

Do I cook the chicken before adding it?

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.

Do I precook the rice?

Nope! Stir in the uncooked instant rice in step 3.

Can I use regular long grain rice instead of instant rice?

Sorry! This recipe was only tested with instant rice.

Can I use fresh broccoli instead of frozen?

Yes! You will just want to sauté it until it is tender rather than the time frame given below.

overhead view of a serving spoon in a casserole dish of chicken broccoli rice casserole

Other Delicious Chicken Dinners

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.

white casserole dish filled with chicken broccoli and rice casserole topped with fried onions
4.94 from 29 votes

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

Serves: 6 people
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
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.

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

To make this dish ahead of time, follow the instructions through #3. Cover with foil and put in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Top with 1 cup cheddar cheese and fried onions. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the casserole has begun to brown around the edges.
Serving: 1heaping cup Calories: 469kcal (23%) Carbohydrates: 26g (9%) Protein: 25g (50%) Fat: 31g (48%) Saturated Fat: 17g (106%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 98mg (33%) Sodium: 938mg (41%) Potassium: 408mg (12%) Fiber: 3g (13%) Sugar: 3g (3%) Vitamin A: 81IU (2%) Vitamin C: 72mg (87%) Calcium: 171mg (17%) Iron: 11mg (61%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
white casserole dish filled with chicken broccoli and rice casserole topped with fried onions

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Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

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Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

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  1. Steve Heiser says

    When you say freeze dried onions are you meaning freeze dried or dehydrated onions in a package and what brand would that be? Thanks Steve

    • Lisa Longley says

      Hi Steve! I don’t think it says freeze dried onions anywhere . . . I searched for that and didn’t find it. I’m talking about the crispy fried onions that come in a plastic container. French’s is the brand most people use. And the other onions called for in this recipe are fresh! I hope you enjoy!

    • Carl Pirro says

      Sounds great Lisa. On my try list. Thank you.

      • Lisa Longley says

        I hope you love it, Carl!

  2. Linda Fenstermaker says

    This may be a really dumb question but do you cook the rice?

    • Lisa Longley says

      Shoot Linda! I KNEW someone was going to ask this question. Why didn’t I just put it in the post?! No, you don’t cook the rice. Its one of the things I love about this recipe, the rice is instant rice so it just gets tossed in.

  3. Shirley says

    I prefer brown rice & not to buy instant rice. Guessing I need 2 cups? Or more? Thanks.

    • Lisa Longley says

      Hi Shirley! I haven’t tried it with brown rice or non-instant rice. If you try it that way, let me know how it goes.

      • Phyllis says

        I would think you would need to cook brown rice first. Would be a great way to use leftover rice.

  4. Linn says

    Do you think I could switch out the milk for chicken or bone broth–or at least half milk and half broth? I’m also going to try it with partially cooked brown rice and leftover rotisserie chicken.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I haven’t tried it that way. I would try with only taking out half the milk – likely it will make the sauce just a little less creamy. If you try it, let me know how it goes.

  5. Katherine says

    I want to make this without broccoli. How much addl instant rice do you think I should add to substitute for broccoli? Thanks!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Hi Katherine! Unfortunately, I can’t really give you a good answer to this question because I haven’t tried it and because more instant rice means more liquid to make it cook well. So it’s not a simple swap. If you aren’t a fan of broccoli, but do own an Instant Pot, try this Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Casserole instead!

  6. Kristi Doyle says

    Is the chicken cooked before added to the mix?

    • Lisa Longley says

      Nope, raw chicken.

  7. Sheila Zimmerman says

    are you pre-cooking the chicken? Thanks!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Nope

  8. Natalie says

    hello, i’m sorry if this is a stupid question but in the recipe description it says cook time is 1 hour and 5 minutes but in the actual directions it says cook for 45, which do i do?

    • Lisa Longley says

      The extra time accounts for what you need to do on the stove top. Sorry that wasn’t more clear.

  9. Vicki says

    Can you use fresh broccoli?

    • Lisa Longley says

      Yes, you can!

  10. Cathy says

    Just asking if you can use fresh broccoli instead of frozen broccoli

    • Lisa Longley says

      Yes! Fresh broccoli would also work. It will need to sauté for slightly less time.

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