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Nothing is better (or easier) than this Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole. Kind of like broccoli cheddar soup meets cozy weeknight casserole. It’s healthy…ish, so darn easy, and so darn delicious. The best part…it’s made entirely in one pot and in under an hour. Grab some chicken, rice, orzo pasta, plenty of herbs, and all the broccoli you can snag. Cook everything together on the stove, add sharp cheddar cheese, and finish off in the oven to melt the cheese. Simple, but SO GOOD. The perfect weeknight casserole!
It’s not even September yet and I am already throwing the casseroles at you guys. Yes, it’s true. I’m ready to switch things up. I’m ready for a bit of cozy, and well, I really just hope you all are ready too.
In all seriousness, this really is a perfect recipe for this time of year. The kids are all heading back to school, everyone is slowly coming back from summer vacations, and life is getting busy. Sure, it’s still hot out, but I’m feeling the autumn shift slowly creeping its way in. And with that comes dinner inspiration from my childhood. End of summer and back to school signals the part of my brain that has me thinking easy family dinners, midwest style.
I’m talking casseroles, tacos, slow cooker dinner, and soon enough, soups. Anyone else feel the same or what? It can’t just be me…
Growing up, broccoli cheddar anything was my favorite, but especially the broccoli cheddar soup from Panera bread. My other favorite? My dad’s rice bakes, which he’d make simple with so much broccoli and so much cheddar cheese. They were simple and delicious and I was so into them.
I got to thinking about combining the two together, and just like that, this recipe was formed. It’s not anything crazy creative, but I can assure you, it’s crazy delicious.
Like I said above, kind of like broccoli cheddar soup meets cozy rice casserole. And it’s is GOOD. Not nearly as soupy as soup, but not as heavy as a casserole. It’s got the perfect balance.
It all starts and ends in ONE pot. Or two if you’re like me and decide you want to bake this in a real casserole dish for the “real deal” midwest style casserole situation. I really love setting the mood.
Anyway, start with the basics. Cook your onion, add the chicken, give the chicken some time sear. Then add a touch of butter, some rice, orzo, and fresh thyme. Cook until you’ve got a nice toasty smell going, now add the broth, broccoli, and a few more seasonings. Cover and cook just like you would a normal pot of rice. Once this is finished cooking, stir in just a touch of milk for creaminess (swap in non-dairy milk, if needed), and lemon zest for a pop of freshness.
Top with cheddar cheese and bake until the cheese is melty and the broccoli on top has a little char. Finish with fresh thyme and basil from the garden and dinner is served. Easy, right?
But yet so very good. The rice underneath stays soft and creamy while the cheese on top browns. The corners of the dish will form an insanely delicious, cheesy crust. Every bite is flavor and roll your eyes back good.
If you prefer to go the vegetarian route, simply omit the chicken from the dish. It’s truly just as delicious without or without, so do what works best for you and your family.
This dish brings back all the best memories from when I was a kid, huddled around the kitchen counter, eating chicken noodle casserole with my brothers. Of course, this is a much healthier dinner option, with so much more color than mom’s (super old school) chicken noodle casserole. But all the nostalgia is still there.
And no offense to my mom or dad, but personally I love my vegetable-filled casserole a bit more than their old school version. Sometimes you have to upgrade the classics a bit, you know?
Make this one for family and friends, I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love it.
If you make this broccoli cheddar chicken and rice casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch The How To Video:
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole.
Servings: 6 6
Calories Per Serving: 744 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups basmati or jasmine rice
- 1/2 cup dry orzo pasta (use gluten free, if needed)
- 2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for topping
- 3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups broccoli florets, roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
- zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 cup whole milk or canned coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrot and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is seared, 2-3 minutes. Add the butter, rice, orzo, and thyme, and cook until golden and toasted, 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli, bay leaves, garlic powder, cayenne, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered for 20-25 minutes, until the rice is mostly cooked.3. Once the rice is cooked, stir in the lemon zest, milk, and 1/2 cup of cheese. If needed, transfer the rice to an oven-safe casserole dish. Scatter the remaining cheese over top the casserole. 4. Transfer to the oven and bake 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and just beginning to brown. Serve warm with additional thyme and fresh basil.
Notes
To Make Ahead: Prepare the casserole through step 3. Let cool, then cover and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. To bake, remove from the fridge and let sit at room temp while the oven preheats. Bake as directed.
To Freeze: Prepare the casserole through step 3. Let cool, then cover tightly. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 2-3 hours. Bake as directed.
Gluten Free Orzo: I love DeLallo brand gluten free orzo.
This post was originally published on August 28, 2019
Delicious! I used soy milk as I didn’t have whole or coconut milk. Really enjoyed it!
Thank you so much Christine! So so happy to hear you loved this recipe, and you were able to make it work with ingredients you already had! 🙂 xT
I meannnn did I even question if this was going to be AHHMazing?! Soo soo yum!
Thank you SO much Tori! So so glad you loved this casserole, thanks for trying out the recipe! 🙂 xT
This is a great “basics” recipe – good as is, and good to make small tweaks too. I see comments about it being bland – I find seasoning at every step helps if you want a lot of flavour.
I’ve made it several times, tonight instead of Orzo I’m using wild rice.
Hey Jasmine,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a hit! xx
I like the basics of this recipe but I decided to change it up a bit.
I cooked the chicken tenders first with various spices including thyme, garlic powder, chili flakes, S& P and curry.
I also added celery and garlic instead of carrots for a little more flavor. I added white wine after I added the rice. The broccoli was not cooked enough so I added a little more broth to recipe. Afterwards, I added the milk, put the chicken back in with the cheese on top. Baked for about 15 minutes–Yum
Hey Christina,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Love to hear you were able to adjust it to your liking! xT
Excited to try this!
Thanks Lenne! I hope you love this recipe! xT
SO GOOD! Perfect comfort food. I’m allergic to garlic so I added nutmeg in there for the broccoli and cheese. As always, you bring us the best recipes. This will be on repeat. Thank you, Tieghan!
Thanks so much, Rene! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have the best weekend! xx
Delicious! I made a written except I used chicken thighs and half the called for rice and broth. I thought it was still more than enough. We really enjoyed this, it’s a comforting and healthy meal.
Hey Latia,
Perfect! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
We all loved this so much! Such a great mix of flavours. I didn’t have any rice so I just did 2 cups of the orzo pasta. I added a bit of creole seasoning, just to spice it up a notch. It made so much, enough to feed 6 adults. Will be making this again in the near future.
Hey Linda,
Awesome! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you! So glad it was enjoyed! Have a great autumn Friday! Xx
I’ve made this twice now, and I have to say it’s not the best. It has turned out dry both times, even with me adding some extra liquid while it was simmering. It’s also fairly bland. Make sure to bump up the amount of salt and seasonings. Once I added extra salt once served, and then some extra cheese (1.5 cups was definitely not enough) then it was fine. Not amazing. But fine!
Hi Genevieve,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! x
Solid recipe! I didn’t have carrots on hand so omitted that. I used chicken bone broth instead simply because it was in the pantry. Also used 1% instead of whole milk and it seemed to work just fine. I had shredded rotisserie chicken as well – this made the recipe easy peasy! I decided to freeze half since we are just a two person household. Very cozy, makes me nostalgic. This isn’t a culinary experience recipe – but a functional and get a tasty dinner on the table quick!
Hey Raegan,
Happy Fall Thursday!
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad it turned out nicely for you! XxT
This final dish too bland and needs more of something. The next time I make this, I’m going to try some of the suggestions in the comments.
Hi Meredith,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xT
This is the third or fourth time I’ve made this recipe. This time, I followed the tips from the comments below and it came out better than the original in my opinion (sorry Teagan). I used only about 1 and 1/4 cup of rice, salt and peppered to taste, and used probably double the garlic powder than original recipe called for. I also added paprika.
Be sure to stir everything pretty regularly while it’s cooking on the stove. Otherwise you’ll end up with a bunch of the casserole stuck to the bottom of the pot. I also used about half a cup of extra chicken broth because I added extra broccoli and rice needed to have a bit more time to cook.
One last note! If you’re on a time crunch, I his definitely did not take 15 minutes of prep time. It took me about an hour!
Hi Chloe,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your notes on what worked best for you! Sorry to hear you don’t love it and had some issues! x
I had high hopes for this meal but it was surprisingly bland. If I were to redo, I would reduce the jasmine rice significantly (or remove altogether because you have the orzo), adjust the broth accordingly and increase the garlic powder and cayenne some.
Hi Maddie,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so very sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! x
Another Monday night dinner success thanks to HBH/Tieghan! I followed the recipe except for the following: I used 2 lbs of cubed ck breasts. I used 1 cup of jasmine rice with the orzo, and I used 3 cups of ck broth. Everyone loved it! I served it with a green salad and rustic multigrain bread loaf. I love a one-dish meal. (I put the leftovers in the freezer for later 😊)
Thanks so much, Joy! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! x
Very easy. Tasty.
Hey Mary,
Fantastic! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, glad to hear it was enjoyed! x