A cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe that is easy and healthy! Made with broccoli and no condensed soup – this is the best dinner made in one pan! Low fat, low salt, dairy free and delicious!
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Up until a few months ago, I had never really eaten casseroles.
Growing up in an Italian family, we never really ate them (We had lots of pasta, like Ricotta Cavatelli and Pasta Fagioli instead).
Now that I’m making my own meals, the ingredients in many casseroles weren’t appealing to me since they typically have a lot of fat, salt and are low on protein.
This cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole has completely changed my mind when it comes to casseroles. It comes together in one pan and is protein and veggie-packed!
Whether you are a casserole lover or skeptic, I’m sure this recipe will be a family favorite.
This chicken broccoli rice casserole is also extremely versatile based on your dietary needs and preferences (see green box below).
Why we love Chicken and Rice Casserole
This chicken broccoli rice casserole is so easy and delicious and here are some of the reasons we love it:
- One Pan – This chicken broccoli rice casserole comes together in the casserole dish that it is cooked in. We love one-pan dinners because fewer dishes mean less clean-up!
- No Condensed Soups – Many casseroles call for condensed soups, but most of those are loaded with salt and preservatives, which I don’t prefer.
- Healthy Ingredients – This casserole is made with lean chicken, rice, and lots of broccoli florets (substitutions in the green box below), which makes it a much healthier option than other casseroles loaded with creamy soups and sodium. Also, it is protein-packed with 34g per serving.
Broccoli Chicken Rice Casserole Ingredients
To make this chicken broccoli rice casserole, you’ll need:
- chicken breasts
- white rice
- chicken broth
- broccoli florets
- onion
- parmesan cheese (optional)
- cheddar cheese
- olive oil
- salt and pepper, garlic powder, parsley
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
How to make Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all ingredients (except cheddar cheese) in a large casserole dish (Here’s a link to the one we used).
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, add cheddar cheese then bake uncovered for additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
How long to cook Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole?
Chicken broccoli rice casserole needs to bake for at least 45 minutes, but can bake up to an hour.
Chicken Rice Casserole Substitutions
This casserole is very versatile. Here are some ways to customize it:
Chicken: Chicken thighs or chicken tenders could be substituted for chicken breasts in this recipe.
Cooked Chicken: If you are using cooked chicken, reduce the cooking time by half. You could easily use a rotisserie chicken.
Rice: We used white rice in this recipe. I wouldn’t recommend using brown rice in this recipe. We tried it multiple times and couldn’t get the cook time/broth ratio down. I don’t recommend substituting cauliflower rice, either, as it will make the casserole mushy.
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil for olive oil.
Broccoli: You can substitute cauliflower or add more broccoli.
Cheese: Cheddar cheese can be substituted with mozzarella cheese or whatever cheese you like
Dairy-Free: This recipe can be made dairy-free by omitting the cheese.
Spices: You can substitute fresh herbs for the dried herbs in this casserole. You could also try our Mexican Chicken Casserole
Buffalo Sauce: You can add 2 tbsp Franks red hot to this casserole or try our Buffalo Chicken Casserole.
Can you put raw chicken in a casserole?
Yes, you can. This cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole calls for raw chicken. It fully cooks in the recommended time.
Cooked chicken (like a rotisserie chicken) can also be substituted, and you can cut the cooking time down by half.
What goes with Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole?
This Chicken and rice casserole is a complete meal in itself! If you’re looking for other thigns to serve it with try:
Chicken Rice Broccoli Casserole FAQ
Yes, you can. This cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole calls for raw chicken. It fully cooks in the recommended time.
No! The rice cooks in the liquid added to the chicken broccoli rice casserole. Using cooked rice will cause the casserole to be mushy.
This recipe calls for raw chicken that fully cooks during the recommended cook time. However, cooked chicken (like a rotisserie chicken) can be substituted, but cut the cooking time down by half.
Yes, it is safe to cook raw chicken and rice together. This cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole calls for raw chicken. It fully cooks in the recommended time.
The basics of a casserole are usually a protein (sausage, chicken, beef), carb (potatoes, rice) liquid (soup, broth, water), and spices or cheese for flavor
Yes, you can put raw broccoli in a casserole! As long as it is cleaned/washed it will be totally safe to eat!
Storing Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole:
Refrigerator: You can store this casserole in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Does broccoli rice casserole freeze well?
I haven’t tried freezing this chicken broccoli rice casserole, but I think it might work. Rice can get soggy in the freezer.
Can this recipe be made ahead? I haven’t tried making this ahead of time, but I think it would work.
Can this recipe be reheated? Yes, this casserole recipe also tastes great when reheated. You can reheat in the microwave, in the oven set at 350°F until the center is cooked through, or sauté on the stove.
Other healthy one-pan recipes:
We love easy and healthy one-pan recipes. Here are some of our favorites:
- Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Fajita Casserole Recipe
- One Pan Healthy Paella
- One Pan Balsamic Chicken, Pasta & Vegetables
- Ground Turkey Stir Fry
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Whole30 Pesto Chicken Zucchini Noodles
- Chicken Stew Instant Pot Recipe
Love chicken? If so – here are some of our other favorite healthy chicken recipes!
Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts cut into cubes
- 1.5 cups dry white rice medium-short grain, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups broccoli florets raw – about 1 lb
- ½ cup onion minced
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese optional
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large casserole dish, mix together all ingredients except cheddar cheese.
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, add cheddar cheese on top. Bake uncovered for additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Sabrina Buchalski says
Can you use brown rice instead of white? And low sodium broth?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Sabrina- You can’t use brown rice, I have noted this multiple times in the blog post. The cook time is different with brown rice and we tested it multiple times but couldn’t get it right. You can use whatever broth you like – low/no salt, vegetable/chicken/beef broth will all work.
Kelsey says
This was yummy! I like this because it is flexible! My process had to be a little different because I already had cooked chicken and rice and my broccoli was frozen. I threw in some chicken tenders for my picky 3yo too. And then I also made a simply gravy to put on top of it. Thank you for inspiring a simple and delicious dinner!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Kelsey! Thanks!
Amber says
This was fantastic and kid friendly! Even better the next night with some extra cheese!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Amber!
katie hartman says
Made this tonight, it was so delicious. Thought maybe I did something wrong cause it seemed too easy. Nope, it really was great and easy to put together. Thanks for sharing it!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it!!
Akaley says
This was so much better than I expected. Will definitely be making this a regular meal because it was easy and delicious!! Thank you!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Akaley!
Shelby says
So easy and delicious. Wish I had this recipe when my kids were little!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Shelby!
Christine says
I’m confused on the broth amount. A cup of long grain rice says to use 2 cups broth. And I’ve always had my rice turn out perfectly just following the directions (and leaving the lid on). Of course 1.5 cups of rice should call for 3 cups of liquid. Do the other ingredients make up the added moisture needed? Thanks so much.
The Clean Eating Couple says
This recipe calls for 2 cups of broth. Broccoli and chicken release moisture as they cook, and because it’s covered and baking at a low temp it cooks differently than if you were too just cook rice in a pot. Hope this helps!
Katrina says
Another delicious recipe! This has become one of my easy go to dinners. There’s barely any prep and you just toss it in the oven! I did sub the cheddar cheese for mozzarella once or twice simply because that’s just what we had in the fridge! It was just as good.
Victoria J says
If I were to use frozen veggies in this- do you think I’d need to adjust the cook time or amount of broth? Just trying to guess here because I have all the ingredients except only frozen veggies and no fresh, but I’m super excited to make this tomorrow
The Clean Eating Couple says
Sorry but I don’t know how this would work. Casseroles are finicky and I’m afraid they’d turn out mushy
Amanda says
I love being able to make a whole meal in one dish! The broccoli gets roasted and the rice slightly crispy around the sides. The melted cheese on top…so good! This was a delicious meal that my whole family loved. Will definitely be making again!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Jackie says
Made this for dinner last night and the whole family loved it! I stopped making casseroles because of all the creams of chicken/mushroom/cheddar. Thank you so much for great recipes without that nastiness!
Chantel says
if i left out the chicken and substituted it for cauliflower instead for a vegetarian dish, would i need to cut the cooking time in half? any adjustments at all? thanks!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi – I’m sorry but I have no idea. chicken and cauliflower cook completely differently. I’d try to find a vegetarian casserole recipe which might be better for you!
Annaliese says
Simple, quick and delicious for the whole family!!
Lori says
If you forego the cheese, do you still bake the dish for 55 minutes?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yes, the cheese doesn’t impact the cook time.
Maggie says
GREAT recipe–I cheated a bit by omitting the rice and broth, then adding a bag of cooked steam in the bag cauliflower rice when I took off the foil and added the cheese.
Katherine says
First of all, I love your site. I am new to clean eating and this is the best site I have found. I made the chicken and rice casserole with broccoli. It was good, however, too much rice for me. Next time, I am going to double the broccoli and cut the rice in half.
Dae Lowe says
Great recipe! We loved it!
Alicia says
Can I use frozen veggies?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I haven’t tried it- I think they would be super soggy so I wouldn’t recommend it!
Gabrielle says
please tell me what I did wrong! it’s a very simple recipe and I followed exactly. The rice is still hard after cooking for an hour and 15 minutes. The chicken was pink after 45 mins and had to keep cooking. It’s inedible!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Gabrielle – I don’t know what went wrong here, but it seems like something is off with your oven. After 45 minutes in the oven there is no way the chicken could still be raw. I really don’t know what could’ve happened here!
Halle Hammond says
I was so excited to try this recipe, and wanted to love it so much! I cooked exactly as instructed, except added about half of a cup of frozen peas and used cooked shredded chicken instead of raw. I cooked at 350 for the entire 45 minutes (knowing the rice would not be fully cooked after half of that, as the note mentions). Unfortunately, the rice was still pretty tough after removing from the oven and some broth was pooled in the corners.
The Clean Eating Couple says
This is really strange..I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work for you! Did you use white rice? The recipe needs to have short grain white rice to work!
Kat says
Hello! I made this and it came out great! I had been marinating some chicken tenders in basil pesto to cook and went to Clean Eating looking for a rice and veggie side dish. I ended up combining my basil pesto chicken and making the recipe without the oil and Parmesan cheese. I cooked it in my toaster oven as to not heat up the kitchen! I will make it again another time with the standard original recipe. Thank you for such great recipes!
Jen says
Loved the flavor and simplicity. However, a good portion of my rice was not fully cooked. Not sure why.
PJ says
Can frozen broccoli be used?