Cheesy Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Casserole Recipe

Yesterday while I was at the nail salon, I had an epiphany. For weeks I have been trying to come up with a recipe for a chicken and rice dish, but I was coming up completely dry.

I was searching for recipes online and in my cookbooks and magazines, but nothing seemed quite right and I really wanted something that was my own.

Why, you ask? I don’t know, sometimes I just get an idea in my head and it then becomes a personal challenge (or obsession), which is exactly what happened here. I really felt that I needed a chicken and rice dish in my repertoire.

So who knew  you could have such clarity while in a nail salon? But, there I was, sitting there, when all of a sudden the answer became so clear and I knew exactly what I needed to do.

I would make a chicken and rice dish based on my recipe for cheesy hashbrowns…..why hadn’t I thought of this sooner?!

I have this really great recipe for a cheesy hashbrown casserole (or as we folks in Minnesooota call it, a hotdish) and I figured it would be very adaptable for a chicken and rice dish. So, I came up with this cheesy chicken rice and broccoli bake.

I sauteed cut-up boneless chicken breasts and chopped onion and garlic. For rice, I used brown rice. As I little side note, I used Minute brown rice for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was and it cooked up SO much faster that regular brown rice.

I figured it needed some veg, so I added some frozen broccoli. For the sauce, I used cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese and a little thyme. Oh….and butter!

I don’t often use cream soups in recipes, but this is one where it just works. So if it works, don’t mess with it!

This recipe would be great to make ahead and freeze before you bake it. Then on a busy day, just defrost and pop it in the oven and let the oven do all the work for you!

Tips and Tricks

• If you’re short on time a rotisserie chicken is a good substitute for chicken breast. Just shred or chop it and add the cooked chicken to the casserole.
• Once the casserole has been assembled, it can be spooned into a zip loc bag and frozen until you’re ready to bake it. Once you’re ready to bake it, thaw completely and spoon into a 9 x 13 baking dish. It may need an extra 5 to 10 minutes of baking time until it’s browned and bubbly.
• This is a large casserole, so make sure you use a large mixing bowl to combine everything.
• If your family is smaller, you can divide the uncooked mixture, freeze half for later and bake the other half in a 9×9 baking dish.
• I like to use frozen chopped broccoli for the convenience.

Ingredients Needed to Make this Cheesy Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Casserole

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Boneless chicken breasts – You can substitute cut up or shredded rotisserie chicken.
• Onion – I prefer red onion, but any onion that you have on hand will work.
• 2 cloves garlic
• Butter 
• Cooked rice – I have made this with both white rice and brown rice and both work equally well.
• Frozen chopped broccoli – You can use fresh broccoli, but I find the frozen chopped broccoli is so much easier to work with in this recipe.
• Salt 
• Black pepper
• Cream of mushroom soup
• Cream of chicken soup
• Sour cream – Regular or lite both work for this recipe.
• Shredded sharp cheddar cheese – I prefer sharp over mild because the flavor stands out more.
• Dried thyme – 1 tbsp fresh thyme can be substituted.

How to Make Cheesy Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Casserole

• Chicken breasts into bite size chunks.
• Season with salt and black pepper.
• Preheat a skillet over medium high heat.
• Melt 2 tbsp of butter in the pan.
• Sauté chicken until browned and cooked through.
• Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
• Melt 1 tbsp butter in pan and add onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
• Remove from pan and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine soups, sour cream and final 2 tbsp butter, melted.
• Add thyme and stir in.
• Stir in cheese.
• Add the chicken, onion / garlic mixture, broccoli and cooked rice, mixing well to combine.
• Spoon into a 9×13 baking dish.
• Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees until brown and bubbly.

ENJOY!