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This easy chicken broccoli cheese rice casserole is a convenient make-ahead meal, complete with a creamy sauce made from cream of chicken soup and crispy buttered breadcrumbs on top!
Don’t miss our other popular chicken casserole recipes, like this chicken and stuffing casserole, a cozy chicken casserole with Ritz crackers, and this 5-ingredient crescent roll chicken casserole, too!
This cheesy chicken and rice casserole is the ultimate family-friendly comfort food dinner!
A Few Tips Before You Get Started
- You’ll need shredded cooked chicken, so pickup a store-bought rotisserie chicken for a shortcut, or cook your own chicken at home. One large rotisserie chicken should yield about 3-4 cups of meat. If starting with raw chicken, boil about 1 ½ lbs. of boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs until cooked through (about 10-15 minutes). When cool enough to handle, chop or pull the chicken into bite size pieces.
- If you’re starting with fresh broccoli florets, you’ll need to pre-cook the broccoli slightly before adding it to the casserole. This way it will be nice and tender by the time the casserole heats through. For a shortcut, I like to use thawed frozen baby broccoli florets, which are soft enough when thawed so that you don’t need to steam or pre-cook them before just adding them to the dish. The baby florets are also small enough that you don’t need to chop them. Just thaw, drain, and stir into the casserole!
- This recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked white rice. You can boil your own rice on the stovetop, use leftovers from a previous meal, or cook parboiled rice (such as Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice) in the microwave for a shortcut. If using the microwaveable rice or Minute Rice, cook the rice according to the package instructions before using it in this casserole.
- Slice the celery very thinly so that you don’t have big crunchy chunks in your finished dish.
Directions
This easy chicken rice casserole doesn’t require any sauteing in a skillet, so it comes together quickly. Assemble it in advance for even faster weeknight dinners! You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Whisk together the condensed soup, mayo, sour cream, garlic powder, and onion powder in a large bowl. This is your shortcut creamy sauce — without a roux!
- Stir in the chicken, rice, broccoli, and celery (remember, slice that celery very thin so that it’s soft by the time the casserole is done). Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Pour the rice mixture into a greased 13 x 9-inch casserole dish.
- Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole.
- Melt the butter and stir it into the breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs over the top of the dish.
- Bake the casserole just until it’s heated through. All of the ingredients are already cooked, so don’t bake it for too long or it will dry out and the rice will get mushy. You know a casserole is done when the filling is hot and bubbly and the topping is toasted and golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, thyme, chives, or other herbs for a bright, colorful touch at the end.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole with a side of Southern cornbread, a basket of 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits, a loaf of one-bowl pumpkin bread, Southern fried apples, or our favorite house salad with candied pecans.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- This is a great make-ahead dinner. You can assemble the casserole up to 24 hours in advance and keep it covered in the fridge until ready to bake. When ready to bake, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes.
- You can freeze the casserole before baking. Wrapped tightly, the assembled casserole will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Leftover chicken casserole will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How to Reheat: If reheating an entire casserole, cover the dish loosely with foil and bake in a 350°F oven until warmed through (about 20-30 minutes). Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
More Rice Casserole Recipes to Try
- 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 3 cups cooked, chopped or shredded chicken
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 2 cups frozen baby broccoli florets, thawed
- ½ cup very thinly sliced celery
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
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Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together condensed soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir in the chicken, rice, broccoli florets, and celery. Taste the mixture and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper, if desired.
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Transfer the chicken mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
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In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole.
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Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until the filling is hot and bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
- You’ll need cooked shredded chicken, so pickup a store-bought rotisserie chicken for a shortcut, or cook your own chicken at home. One large rotisserie chicken should yield about 3-4 cups of meat. If starting with raw chicken, boil about 1 ½ lbs. of boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs until cooked through (about 10-15 minutes). When cool enough to handle, chop or pull the chicken into bite size pieces.
- If you’re starting with fresh broccoli florets, you’ll need to pre-cook the broccoli slightly before adding it to the casserole. This way it will be nice and tender by the time the casserole heats through. For a shortcut, I like to use thawed frozen baby broccoli florets, which are soft enough when thawed so that you don’t need to steam or pre-cook them before just adding them to the dish. The baby florets are also small enough that you don’t need to chop them. Just thaw, drain, and stir into the casserole!
- This recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked white rice. You can boil your own rice on the stovetop, use leftovers from a previous meal, or cook parboiled rice (such as Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice) in the microwave for a shortcut. If using the microwaveable rice or Minute Rice, cook the rice according to the package instructions before using it in this casserole.
Serving: 1/8 of the casseroleCalories: 482kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 16gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 496mgPotassium: 336mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 725IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 152mgIron: 1mg
Chicken Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole Recipe Variations
- Swap out the frozen broccoli florets for fresh broccoli or cauliflower florets. Cook the fresh vegetables in boiling water for 2 minutes (or steam in the microwave) until they’re crisp-tender before adding them to the dish.
- Try a different flavor of condensed soup like cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup.
- Don’t have panko bread crumbs? Substitute with buttered Ritz cracker crumbs, crushed potato chips, or crushed Corn Flakes cereal mixed with melted butter.
- Instead of the broccoli, add frozen peas, mixed vegetables, or corn. Steamed green beans, asparagus, or sautéed mushrooms are also great.
- Try other types of cheese instead of cheddar. Good options include Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby, Colby Jack, Swiss, and American.
- Any variety of cooked rice will work. I like long-grain white rice, but a short grain rice, basmati rice, wild rice, or brown rice are fine, too. Just make sure that your rice is cooked before adding it to the casserole.
- To serve a smaller family, cut all of the ingredients in half. Bake the casserole in an 8-inch square pan.
This recipe was originally published in August, 2022. It was updated in August, 2024.
