When you want to have a delicious, warm meal that will satisfy your tastebuds, try this Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole. It’s baked in a creamy cheese sauce and makes the ultimate comfort food.
Preparing casseroles is one way to make a lot of food for the family without wasting too much time. If you enjoy preparing casseroles, but you would like to try out some new recipes, the Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Casserole is a fantastic choice. It is cheesy and full of plenty of chicken that will provide you with lots of protein.
It is a great meal to make for the family, even if your children are picky. If you have difficulty getting your children to eat broccoli, adding it to this recipe is a fantastic way to get them to enjoy it. The cheese, rice, and chicken offer such great flavor that your children might not even notice the broccoli is even included in this dish.
What You’ll Need to Make Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Casserole
If you want to make the Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole, you need to have these ingredients:
- Cubed Chicken Breast. Cut your chicken breast into cubes before mixing it with other ingredients.
- Italian Seasoning. The Italian seasoning gives more flavor to the chicken breast.
- Jasmine Rice. Use Jasmine rice in this casserole dish because it adds flavor and holds up well with all the cheese.
- Broccoli Florets. Chop down your broccoli florets into pieces before adding them to his casserole.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Use sharp cheddar cheese to get that cheesy taste that goes so well with chicken and broccoli.
- Cream Cheese. Adding cream cheese to the casserole makes it even creamier and cheesier.
Although these are the most important ingredients, you will need several others, including onions, parsley, milk, paprika, cayenne pepper, and more.
How to Make the Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken & Rice Casserole
You can make the Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken, and Rice Casserole by seasoning your chicken and cooking it in a pot with butter for about seven minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pot and then begin cooking the rice and broccoli in the same pot using chicken broth as the liquid for the rice.
In a separate pot, you can start working on the cheese sauce by cooking the garlic and onion together and then adding several ingredients, such as the sharp cheddar, cream cheese, flour, and additional seasonings.
Combine ingredients in a casserole dish and broil until the cheese starts to bubble.
Variations of the Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Casserole
Create different variations of the Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Casserole by adding more to it. You might want to add extra vegetables to the dish, such as carrots, corn, peas, or cauliflower.
Along with using sharp cheddar cheese and cream cheese, you can add other types of shredded cheese to the dish, such as shredded Colby jack cheese. If you get creative, you can prepare this casserole dish differently each time you make it.
Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Salt to taste
To make rice and broccoli
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup Jasmine rice
- 2 cups broccoli florets
To make cheesy sauce
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese , 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese + 1 cup for topping
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9X13 casserole dish and keep it aside.
To cook chicken
- To a bowl with chicken, cubes combine parsley, Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt.
- Heat a heavy bottom pot with butter. Once the butter has melted add in the seasoned chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes
- Once done remove the chicken to a separate plate.
To cook rice and broccoli
- To the same heavy bottom, pot add the chicken broth and rice. Bring it to boil and reduce the flame and cook until the rice is 75% done.
- Add in the broccoli florets and cook along with the rice for 5 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat, add the cooked chicken to it and keep the pot aside undisturbed.
To make sauce
- Heat a medium-sized pot with butter. Add garlic and onion; cook until the onion turns translucent.
- Add flour, cayenne pepper, paprika and stir it for a minute. Pour the milk slowly, whisk until everything well combined.
- The sauce will turn thick and smooth. Now add the cream cheese and 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese. Check for salt and remove the sauce from flame.
Assembling the casserole
- Pour the cheesy sauce over the rice and broccoli pot with the chicken. Combine everything together.
- Add them to the prepared casserole dish and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to high and “Broil” for 4-5 minutes until golden cheesy crust is formed on top.
- Let it cool for 5 minutes before serving the casserole.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can this be made with cauliflower rice?