Cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole is the easiest win of the week, and this one is a dump-and-bake. Raw rice, frozen veg, chicken, and broth go into one dish, and the oven does everything else. An hour later, out comes a bubbling, golden casserole with creamy, cheesy rice underneath. Prep takes five minutes; there’s nothing to brown or boil, and the only thing to wash is the dish. Hello, free evening.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken breast: cut into 1-inch chunks, no smaller. Breast has almost no fat, so small pieces dry out and go stringy over a long bake. Buying it pre-diced keeps prep to five minutes. Boneless thighs swap in one for one and stay juicier.
- Frozen broccoli, carrots and onion: they go in frozen on purpose. They release water as they thaw, and that water helps cook the rice. Any frozen veg of a similar total weight works, such as green beans or cauliflower.
- Long grain white rice: the only rice that works here. Brown rice needs well over an hour, and the chicken won’t survive that long. Instant rice turns to mush. Jasmine and basmati are both fine.
- Chicken broth: cooks the rice and seasons it at the same time. Vegetable broth swaps in directly. Water works, but the rice tastes flat.
- Full-fat cream cheese: melts into the rice and becomes the sauce. Reduced-fat cream cheese splits into grainy curds after an hour in the oven. Let it sit out while the oven heats, because softer cream cheese breaks into pieces more easily.
- Sharp cheddar: grate it yourself. Pre-shredded bags are coated in anti-caking starch and melt less smoothly. Colby Jack and mozzarella both work.
- Garlic powder, salt, pepper, and oil: basic seasoning, plus oil to grease the dish.
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and grease a 9×13 dish. Don’t go lower. The frozen veg soak up a lot of heat before the rice starts cooking.
- Dump everything in. Rice, chicken, broccoli, carrots, and onion go straight into the dish, with no layering needed. Pour over the broth, add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and stir until the rice is spread across the bottom and sitting under liquid. Any rice poking out on top won’t cook.
- Scatter the cream cheese. Break it into teaspoon- to tablespoon-sized pieces and dot them across the whole surface. One big block in the middle stays a block.
- Cover tightly and bake. Crimp the foil hard around every edge and bake for 50 minutes. Trapped steam is what cooks the rice, so if you see any escaping, press the foil down.
- Fluff it through. Peel back the foil away from you, since the steam is hot, and stir with a fork. The rice should be tender with a little liquid left at the bottom. Stirring pulls the melted cream cheese through that liquid and turns it into a creamy sauce.
- Add the cheddar. Scatter it over and return the dish to the oven uncovered until it melts. For browned spots, broil for 2 to 5 minutes, and keep a close eye on it.
- Rest for 5 minutes. The rice keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, and the casserole firms up enough to scoop cleanly.
Tips for Getting It Right
Crunchy rice is the most common problem with this dish, and it almost always comes down to lost heat or escaping steam. Fix those, and it cooks through every time.
- Seal the foil on all four sides. One loose corner lets the steam out, and the top layer of rice dries instead of cooking.
- Keep the oven at 400°F. At a lower temperature, the rice is still underdone at 50 minutes.
- Push every grain under the broth before covering.
- If the rice is still firm after fluffing, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of broth, cover again, and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Keep tomatoes, salsa and anything acidic out until after baking. Acid stops rice softening properly.
Variations
Spicy: swap the cheddar for pepper jack and add ½ tsp red pepper flakes with the seasonings. If the kids won’t eat it, put pepper jack on half the dish only.
Greek-style: add 1 tsp dried oregano with the garlic powder. After baking, finish with crumbled feta instead of cheddar, plus some lemon zest.
Different veg: swap the carrots for the same weight of frozen green beans or cauliflower.
What to Serve With It
This chicken and rice casserole with broccoli is a full dinner on its own. If you want something extra:
- Salad: a crisp Pickled Beet Salad with its tangy dressing cuts through the cheese.
- Bread: warm dinner rolls.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Fridge: cool within 2 hours, then store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: freeze in individual portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat: add a splash of broth or water, cover, and microwave for 1½ to 2 minutes per portion, stirring halfway. For a bigger batch, use the oven at 350°F, covered with foil, for about 20 minutes. Rice dries out in the fridge, so don’t skip the extra liquid.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Cut it into large florets so it doesn’t go soft, and check the rice at 45 minutes. Fresh veg doesn’t cool the dish down as much, so the rice can finish a little sooner.
Yes, but leave it out at the start. Bake everything else covered for 50 minutes, then stir in 3 to 4 cups of shredded chicken when you fluff the rice.
Not completely. Raw rice left sitting in broth overnight turns mushy. Cut the chicken ahead and keep it in the fridge, then dump everything in just before baking.
Use two 9×13 dishes rather than one deeper dish. In a deeper dish, the rice in the middle stays hard.
It was almost certainly reduced-fat. Reduced-fat cream cheese splits under long heat, while full-fat stays smooth.
More dump recipes you will love
- Marry Me Chicken Orzo Bake
- Sausage Sweet Potato Bake with Apples
- Spinach Ricotta Chicken Bake
- Cottage Cheese Baked Ziti
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
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Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken breast cut into 1-inch chunks or pre-diced
- 1 lb frozen broccoli florets
- ½ lb frozen sliced carrots
- ⅔ cup frozen diced onion
- ¾ cup long grain white rice slightly heaped, uncooked
- 2 cups chicken broth scant
- 7 oz full-fat cream cheese
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking spray
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a 9×13 baking dish.1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking spray
- Add the rice, chicken, broccoli, carrots and onion to the dish. Pour in the broth and add the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir, spread everything out evenly, and press all the rice under the liquid.2 lb chicken breast, 1 lb frozen broccoli florets, ½ lb frozen sliced carrots, ⅔ cup frozen diced onion, ¾ cup long grain white rice, 2 cups chicken broth, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Break the cream cheese into small pieces and dot them evenly over the top.7 oz full-fat cream cheese
- Cover tightly with foil, sealing every edge. Bake for 50 minutes.
- Carefully remove the foil, as the steam will be hot. Stir with a fork until the cream cheese is mixed through and the rice is tender. If the rice is still firm, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of broth, cover again and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Sprinkle the cheddar over the top. Bake uncovered for about 5 minutes, until melted. For browned spots, broil for 2 to 5 minutes, watching closely.1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
- Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks, not smaller.
- Push all the rice under the broth.
- Seal the foil on every edge.
- Keep the oven at 400°F.
- Full-fat cream cheese only.
Storage
- Fridge: 4 days, airtight.
- Freezer: 3 months, in portions. Thaw overnight.
- Reheat: add a splash of broth, cover, and microwave about 2 minutes.