Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole (Super Cheesy Family Favorite Dinner!)
My chicken broccoli rice casserole is an easy dish loaded with creamy chicken sauce, tender chicken, broccoli, rice, and cheese flavors! All of the tasty ingredients are layered into a single casserole dish for an extra simple meal! It's a long-time family favorite casserole that works wonderfully for feeding a hungry crowd any night of the week!
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Instructions
Heat a large skillet (that has a fitted lid) with the olive oil to medium-high heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Add the cut pieces of chicken breasts or thighs and season generously. Pan fry the bite-size pieces of chicken until they are no longer pink inside, then remove from skillet and set aside.
Use the same skillet (with the pan juices from frying the chicken). Add the rice and stir it into the juices, then stir in the water or chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook on low for 10 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease your 9x13 baking pan or a 2.5 quart casserole dish, or coat with non-stick cooking spray.
Stir in the broccoli florets, return the cover, and continue cooking an additional 5-7 minutes on low heat.
While your rice and broccoli is cooking, combine the cream of chicken and cheddar cheese condensed soups with milk in your prepared baking dish. Stir the cooked chicken in with the sauce then finally, add the cooked rice and broccoli.
Top with shredded cheddar cheese and optional Panko breadcrumbs then bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and golden.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving, about 5 minutes.
Notes
This is one of those recipes that is ideal for using leftover ingredients. You can speed this along if you have leftover rice, rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, or any chicken leftovers with mild seasoning.
The frozen steamable broccoli is another time-saver ingredient to swap for fresh broccoli.
Use 10-16 ounces of frozen broccoli to substitute for the 4 cups fresh broccoli florets.
If desired, finely dice or grate about half of a medium-sized white or yellow onion and saute the onion with the chicken.