Easy Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole

4.83 from 17 votes

Easy Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole

Easy Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole is a one-pot wonder that’s sure to become a family favorite. With the combination of chicken, rice, broccoli, and, of course, cheese, you know it’s going to be delicious. It can be made ahead of time and produces awesome leftovers.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 494kcal

Author: Chula King

Ingredients

1 pound (16 ounces) boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces (See Tip 1)
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 can cream of mushroom soup (See Tip 2)
½ cup (4 ounces) mayonnaise (See Tip 3)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I usually add around ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper)
2 cups cooked rice
12 ounce package of frozen broccoli florets (See Tip 4)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, divided (See Tip 5)
¼ cup bread crumbs (See Tip 6)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 2 ½-quart or 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with non-stick vegetable spray. Set aside.
Cook chicken in 1 Tablespoon melted butter in a skillet over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside.
Whisk together cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Add chicken, rice, broccoli, and 1 cup of shredded cheese to the soup mixture. Stir well to combine. Correct the seasonings.
Transfer to a prepared casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil. If desired, the casserole can be made in advance up to this point and refrigerated.
Bake in preheated 375°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until heated through.
Remove from the oven; remove the aluminum foil. Top with remaining shredded cheese and bread crumbs. Dot with remaining butter. Return to the 375°F oven for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted, the bread crumbs are golden, and the casserole is bubbly.(See Tip 7)
Yield: 6 to 8 servings. (See Tip 8)

Video

Notes

These days, it's not unusual for the chicken to be tough. To easily tenderize the chicken, brine it in a mixture of 4 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar for 30 minutes. Remove from the brine and pat dry.
You can use cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom soup.
You can use sour cream if you don't want to use mayonnaise.
You can use 4 cups of fresh broccoli florets instead of the frozen broccoli. Blanch the fresh broccoli for 2 minutes, submerge it in ice water, and drain well. I like my broccoli crisp-tender, so I don't thaw or cook the frozen broccoli. Don't be tempted to use frozen broccoli pieces. In my experience, the pieces are mainly the tough stems. Also, if your frozen broccoli florets have a lot of stem pieces, add another 3 to 4 ounces of the florets.
I like to use extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, but you can use sharp Cheddar or regular cheddar.
Rather than bread crumbs, you can use crushed Ritz crackers, crushed corn flakes, or Panko bread crumbs..
Instead of making one large casserole, divide the mixture between two smaller casserole dishes. Bake one and freeze the other for another time.
If there are leftovers, they can be reheated for several minutes in the microwave or in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Nutrition