We may earn a commission when you click on the affiliate links in this post.
Busy night? This Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole has your back! It’s hearty, creamy, cheesy, and loaded with flavor! And it comes together with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. Perfect for using up leftover chicken, this family favorite delivers comfort food satisfaction with almost no fuss.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“So delicious! Whole family loved it!” – Kim
“This is pure comfort food. I was looking for something to make that would use up some cooked chicken and broccoli and came upon this recipe. It was a quick dinner to put together and my husband loved it. The only change I made was to increase the rice to four cups. Yummy!” – Lori
“I try a new recipe every week and this is the 1st one my husband said to put into the repeat list.” – Katherine
A Cozy Weeknight Favorite
I grew up in a family with a lot of siblings. Which meant weekdays (and evenings) after school were packed with after-school activities, sports, and other events. Between running us around to all of our various appointments, my mom didn’t usually have much time to prepare dinner. More often than not, she would turn to this Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole recipe for a quick, easy, and hearty dinner that everybody would love. And I’m confident you’ll love it too! This casserole is the ultimate cozy comfort food. It’s creamy, cheesy, and full of flavor. With tender chicken, fluffy rice (or quinoa), and fresh broccoli baked in a rich, savory sauce, it’s a warm, satisfying meal that comes together in no time. It’s perfect for busy weeknights or anytime you need an easy, crowd-pleasing dinner!
This casserole is a meal in itself, but it also pairs nicely with a fresh Caprese Salad with Cherry Tomatoes or a side of Quick Garlic Bread, or finish it off with a sweet Raspberry Peach Cobbler.
❤️ Erica
Table of Contents
- 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- A Cozy Weeknight Favorite
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole
- Tips and Substitutions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing and Reheating Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole
- More Meals to Try
- How to Make Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole
- Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
This savory dinner is a complete meal with chicken as a main ingredient, and broccoli and rice as the side dishes. Most of these ingredients you already have on hand in the pantry or refrigerator.
- Cream of chicken soup – Make a homemade-style cream of chicken soup, or buy the canned version at the store. Either way, they both give so much flavor and creamy texture to the dish.
- Sour cream – Also adds a creamy base with a sweet and tangy flavor to the cream sauce.
- Mayonnaise – This may sound different, but it is a MUST for this casserole dish. So tasty and adds flavor to the broccoli.
- Lemon juice – Balance out the cream bases and give a hint of sweetness to the dish, as well as keep the broccoli and chicken looking and tasting fresh.
- Milk – Creamy base that will help cook the chicken and make it tender and moist.
- Cooked rice or quinoa – Prepare the rice or quinoa according to the package directions. This will already be cooked before adding it to the casserole. Rice or quinoa both work well for this dish. Feel free to do it the original way with white or brown rice if you don’t prefer quinoa.
- Chicken – Make your chicken breast ahead of time, then shred the chicken, or for a quicker, way buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it.
- Broccoli florets – Your broccoli will need to be cut either big or small depending on your family’s preference.
- Cheddar cheese – Shredded cheese will be sprinkled over the top of the chicken and broccoli ingredients.
How to Make Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole
- Mix – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, milk, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Combine – Gently stir in the cooked rice (or quinoa), shredded chicken, and broccoli until everything is evenly coated in the sauce.
- Bake the casserole – Spoon the mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.
- Add cheese and finish baking – Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese and return to the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve warm with a squeeze of lemon juice or a sprinkle of salt and pepper, if desired.
Tips and Substitutions
Try these added tips and any modifications to help make this chicken rice and broccoli casserole recipe just how you like it! Make this family dinner with these ideas in mind and have a few different ways of enjoying this broccoli rice casserole.
- Cutting chicken – Instead of shredding your chicken, you can cut it into bite-size pieces.
- Substitute – Use cream of mushroom soup for a different flavor.
- Lighter ingredient – Try chicken broth instead of milk for a lighter casserole. It will still give good flavor as well as keep the chicken tender and moist.
- Creamy sauce – This tastes great if you do 1 cup of Greek yogurt instead of ½ cup of mayo and sour cream.
- Vegetables – Add in your favorite vegetables like fresh green beans, chopped onions, sliced celery, or cut-up carrots.
- Rice – Use either white rice, long-grain rice, or brown rice.
- Seasonings – For more flavor, add a tablespoon of basil and/or garlic powder. Black pepper and kosher salt are also two classic seasonings that are always on a dining room table.
- Cheese choices – Switch to a more flavored cheese like sharp cheddar cheese or add half jalapeño shredded cheese and cheddar cheese for a hint of spice. We love making this cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole!
- Topping – Once the cheese has melted, add a layer of crushed Ritz crackers with melted butter to the top and bake for a few more minutes to give more texture and depth to the casserole dish. It is similar to breadcrumbs and gives a soft crumb texture on top.
“This is pure comfort food. I was looking for something to make that would use up some cooked chicken and broccoli and came upon this recipe. It was a quick dinner to put together and my husband loved it. The only change I made was to increase the rice to four cups. Yummy!”
-Lori
Frequently Asked Questions
Rice and quinoa have close to similar textures and flavors. The nutritional value of quinoa is higher, as quinoa is a complete protein and high in fiber and minerals. Rice is a rich source of carbohydrates. Brown rice in particular also has a high fiber content and is also rich in several vitamins and minerals, which may help to reduce blood pressure. Both have great benefits!
You can substitute fresh broccoli for frozen but I don’t recommend it. Fresh broccoli will take a bit longer to cook, but it is firm and has more flavor, whereas frozen broccoli will be on the softer side. If possible, stick with using the fresh broccoli!
Even though a lot of the ingredients are already precooked or already cooked, it is still important to heat the casserole thoroughly. Use an internal thermometer to heat up to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Storing and Reheating Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole
This is an easy dish to store in the refrigerator, freeze, and reheat! We love this chicken rice and broccoli casserole for those busy weeknights. Simply make it ahead and store, freeze it, and reheat it for a quick and easy dinner!
- Refrigerate – Simply cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil, or plastic wrap, or place it in an airtight container in the fridge for four to five days.
- Freezer – Place the rice and broccoli casserole chicken in a freezable baking dish. When ready to thaw, place in the fridge overnight before cooking.
- Reheat – When ready to reheat, place back in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook until warmed up. If using a microwave, cook in 45-second intervals or until it is warmed through.
Read More: 35+ Quick and Easy To Follow Dinner Ideas Your Family Will Surely Love
More Meals to Try
Looking to mix up your dinner time plan? There are loads of great ideas on our website. Check out a few of these for starters.
How to Make Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole
Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
Ingredients
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 cup milk
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3 cups cooked rice or quinoa prepared according to package directions
- 3 cups shredded chicken use rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken or even canned chicken
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine cream of chicken, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, milk, and salt & pepper.
- Gently stir in rice, chicken, and broccoli.
- When evenly covered in sauce, spoon the mixture into a 9×13 glass baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve with salt, pepper, and lemon juice for garnish.
I love your recipes
can i make this without the mayo, not a big fan of the stuff?
Yes you can use Greek yogurt instead. It won’t taste exactly the same but it will be close. Hope this helps!
not a fan of yogurt as well, does this recipe really need yogurt or mayo to still be satisfying.
I try a new recipe every week and this is the 1st one my husband said to put into the repeat list. I baked the chicken while getting everything else ready then cubed it. Followed the recipe and added 1 TBSP minced garlic and medium onion, chopped. Used my favorite Goya total seasoning liberally. At the end I only had a bit of cheddar cheese so substituted Monterey Jack. Next time I will try Pepper Jack and brown rice.
Wow – that is quite a compliment! Thank you and please thank your husband as well! 🙂
So delicious! Whole family loved it!
Can the lemon juice be omitted? I am out of lemons and wanted to make this tonight without running to the store.
It can be omitted!
This is pure comfort food. I was looking for something to make that would use up some cooked chicken and broccoli and came upon this recipe. It was a quick dinner to put together and my husband loved it. The only change I made was to increase the rice to four cups. Yummy!
Making this right now for dinner. Doing a few things different. Cooked quinoa in chicken broth (1.5 C quinoa to 3 C broth), omitted chicken because we are on a tight budget and I can’t find chicken cheaper than $8 around these parts. Used cream of potato soup instead of cream of chicken because I find cream of chicken soup nauseating. Tasted the broccoli and quinoa mixture before baking, and it tastes good. Can’t wait to try the finished product! Thanks for this recipe.
We are trying not to used processed food. What could I substitute for the canned cream of chicken soup?
If you do a google search for Cream of Chicken soup substitutes you will get a lot of options. We don’t have one available on our site yet as we are still trying to figure out the perfect recipe for it! We will let you know as soon as we come up with one! 🙂
Doesn’t the quinoa need to be rinsed really good? I even rinsed it really well and it still tasted bitter. What am I doing wrong?
It could have been the brand/type of quinoa you used?
Hey, this sounds amazing. When you say 3 cups of cooked quinoa do you mean 3 cups of quinoa and then cook it ?or is the 3 cups once it has already been cooked? If so, how many cups uncooked is that?
It is 3 c. once it has already boon cooked. I would say 1 1/2 c. uncooked….
Can this somehow be made in the crockpot? Maybe just the chicken, broccoli and sauce – and then add the cooked quinoa later? We’re trying to avoid using the oven with the hot weather recently. Or is there maybe a way to cook it on the stove top?
I guess you could try it in the crock pot.. haven’t tried either method before. Let us know how it turns out!
Do you think this can be prepared and frozen before cooking it? I’m 8 months pregnant with #3 and trying to prepare dishes now so we have homemade meals when the baby arrives.
Yes, definitely!
Do you think I could substitute cauliflower florets for the broccoli? I love broccoli but my dad isn’t a big fan, but I wanted to try this soo badly and was thinking of a way I could without the broccoli. And we all love caiflower.. But I’m not sure how to do that or if it will work? If so would the cooking time and all change? Thanks!! (:
Um… Sure! You can absolutely try it with cauliflower. If you steam or boil it like the broccoli it shouldn’t change the baking time at all. Let me know how it turns out! You could also do half of each..
HI! How many servings would you say this is? Maybe 8?
I would say about 8 to 10.