Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice Casserole
ALWAYS A WINNER! Can be made ahead of time, and leftovers taste even better! So cheesy, comforting and hearty!
I think I just found my favorite weeknight casserole dish.
It’s not too heavy. It’s not too healthy. It’s just right.
With the perfect cheese-rice-broccoli-mushroom ratio to please everyone.
And it doesn’t have any kind of “condensed cream of soup” here.
You can also sub low-fat cheddar and sour cream to save on some calories without sacrificing too much taste.
Best of all, you can easily make this ahead of time.
Simply prep until step 5 and step aside. Pop in the oven 20-22 minutes before serving time.
Boom. Done.
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice Casserole
ALWAYS A WINNER! Can be made ahead of time, and leftovers taste even better! So cheesy, comforting and hearty!
Ingredients
- 1 (6-ounce) package long-grain and wild rice mix
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 ¼ cups chicken stock
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups leftover shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Melt butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, mushrooms and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in wine and chicken stock. Cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in broccoli, sour cream, chicken, 3/4 cup cheese and rice. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
- Place into oven and bake until bubbly and heated through, about 20-22 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
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This is a great and comforting dish . . . an easy way to get more veggies in the weeknight meal. Also, this would be a great dish to take to someone because it can be completely prepared and recipient can just pop in over for 20 minutes. Make early in the week, and the leftovers are terrific for lunch or another dinner.
I made this tonight , but I pressure cooked 2 large chicken breast’s while I was cutting the veg and prepping the other ingredients .. then shredded the chicken and added …WOW it was soooooo good !!
Made this! The bomb! We could not get enough! It is now in our fave club! Thank you!
This is one of my absolute favorites to make for dinner during the week! And the leftovers always taste just as good.
When I finished cooking this, I realized that I completely spaced out and forgot to add the garlic. Oops. It was still damn delicious!
The only intentional alteration I made was to cook the rice in broth instead of water.
I made the recipe tonight. I ended up adding more mushrooms and a little bit more cheese. It was amazing! Even my daughter, who is very picky, loved it.
This is a winner! Great flavor combination. Thanks for sharing!
I got some wind in my sails tonight and made this recipe. It is beyond what I imagined and incredibly yummy! I will most definitely be making it again… thank you!
I want to freeze this.. should I stop at step 5?
Yes, that is correct. Let cool completely; transfer to a ziplock freezer bag. Lay the bag flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help freeze quickly). You can stack it once they are frozen to save on storage space. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, or until heated through. Hope that helps, Jennifer!
Whoops! I used the seasoning packet, but it was still really good!
Instead of cremini mushrooms can I substitute it for cream of mushroom soup
Hi Brittany! Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
This was fabulous! So good and so easy! Perfect for my family of four on a busy school night! Thank you…your recipes NEVER disappoint!
Can I substitute cream cheese for sour cream? Chicken brother for wine? Thank you.
Yes and yes!
This was delicious, thank you! It will work it’s way into our regular rotation. How do you think this recipe would freeze? I’d love to make a few and have them on hand if they’ll freeze well. Any suggestions for reheating from frozen?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Wonderful-will make it again, more depth of flavor than how I would normally make chicken/rice/broccoli/cheese casserole. A few substitutions: used boiled/diced chicken breast instead of rotisserie chicken, used chicken broth when making rice instead of water. I can count on your recipes to be worth the effort-thank you!
Super yummy. I forgot to buy mushrooms, and had to use carrots instead as they were all I had on hand! Still awesome. Will make again.
I am learning how to cook and am also on a serious budget at the moment and do not currently own stove top safe pans that I would trust as “oven safe.” Would it substantially hurt the flavor or consistency of the dish if I transfer it a more oven safe casserole dish prior baking?
Not at all!
This is one of my favorite recipes! I never have wild rice so I just use regular rice. Sometimes I sub cauliflower for thr broccoli
I made this tonight and it was really delicious! I didn’t have the rice mix, so I just cooked 1 cup of basmati rice first and used that. I didn’t have cheddar cheese, so I used pepper jack, and I diced a couple of seeded jalapeños in with the onions since we like it spicy, and I used diced, cooked turkey instead of chicken. Otherwise, I followed it exactly. It was so good my husband went back for THIRDS, and my son, who hates “casseroles” went back for seconds. (I call them “bakes” instead of casseroles so he doesn’t freak out.) This is a winner.
can i sub out heavy cream or half and half for the wine? i dont care for cooking with wine and i’d love for this to be creamy.
You can substitute additional chicken stock.
Yum! Can’t wait to try this. My toddler loves rice dishes and its a great way to get him to eat his veggies.