This chicken broccoli rice casserole is a super creamy, comfort food favorite with lots of wholesome ingredients and a cheesy breadcrumb topping that’ll make your family smile!
It’s one of those super simple chicken and rice recipes that please even the pickiest palates. It’s a warm, hearty, super creamy dish with a scrumptious cheesy topping.
If you like creamy chicken casseroles like this, try my poppy seed chicken, chicken divan, million dollar chicken casserole, and my Grandma’s chicken noodle casserole next! These are all delish! I promise!! ♥
Commonly Asked Questions:
- Best Type Of Rice To Use? I generally use cooked long-grain white rice. It adds a nice creaminess to the casserole. It’s my family’s favorite and I always have it on hand. You can make it fresh on the stovetop or use leftovers. I like to cook the rice in chicken broth, rather than plain water, so it adds a little extra flavor to the casserole dish. If you don’t want to use white rice, see below. I don’t like to use Minute rice in this recipe. It’s stickier and doesn’t have the same creaminess long grain has.
- Can I Use Brown Rice? Yes, you can! Since this recipe calls for the rice to be cooked you won’t have to make any other adjustments. Brown rice requires a longer cooking time so just consider that when you’re planning. Also, the brown rice will add a nice slightly nutty flavor and a bit more texture to the chicken rice broccoli casserole.
- Can I Use Frozen Broccoli? Yes. Frozen broccoli works well. It will need to be thawed and drained well. I like to wrap mine after it thaws in a clean dish towel and gently, but firmly, wring it to remove most of the water.
- Can I Use Fresh Broccoli? Yes. I like to parboil fresh broccoli until it’s just tender then drain it well before adding it to the casserole. If you add the broccoli without parboiling, it will have more crunch. I’d suggest cutting it into 1/2 inch pieces so it cooks enough as the casserole bakes.
- Best Type Of Chicken To Use? Either cooked chicken breasts or thigh meat work great. I generally use a rotisserie chicken for convenience.
- Cream of Chicken Soup Substitutes: You can substitute cream of chicken with either cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup, or a combination of 2 of these.
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole Ingredients
- Campbells Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
- Sour Cream
- Milk
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Lemon Juice
- Dried Poultry Seasoning
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Chicken
- Broccoli Florets
- Cooked Rice
Topping:
- Cheddar Cheese
- Panko Bread Crumbs
- Thyme Leaves
- Butter
Tips
- Baking Dish – Use a 9×13 baking dish and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. This will make clean-up a breeze.
- Preheating Oven– Ovens preheat differently and some are designed to use both a top and bottom element to preheat quickly. If food is already in the oven, this quick blast of heat can char the outside while leaving the inside raw. So, you definitely want to preheat your oven before baking this to achieve the best results.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This can stay in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, and I do this myself. I often make two casseroles and put one in the freezer for later. If you know you’re going to be freezing this, then prepare as directed without the cheesy breadcrumb topping.
- Wrap it up and toss it in the freezer instead of the oven. When you’re ready to pop it in the oven for dinner, that’s when you mix up your savory crunchy topping and cover your casserole.
- Make-Ahead Tips: This chicken broccoli casserole is fantastic for meal prep! You can make it ahead of time the same way you prepare to freeze it.
- Combine your ingredients and spread them into a prepared baking dish. Then cover and toss into the fridge. On dinner night, add your cheesy breadcrumb topping and toss it in the oven. Voila – dinner!
- Reheat Leftover: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place leftovers in a small baking dish and cover with foil. Place in oven until heated through,
Recipe Variations
- Cauliflower: Try switching the broccoli with cauliflower or thawed mixed frozen veggies.
- Bacon: Add some cooked chopped bacon in step 2.
- Ritz: Switch the panko crumbs in the topping with crushed Ritz crackers.
Serving Recommendations
One thing I love about this casserole is it’s a complete meal all on its own. If you want to add a side dish, a simple green salad works nicely, dressed with my balsamic vinaigrette recipe (one of my all-time favorite dressings and it only takes 5 minutes to put together!), or add another vegetable.
Even the kids will love my super easy brown sugar carrots. No one ever says no to biscuits! My Bisquick biscuits are a snap to make and would be a delicious addition!
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
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In a large mixing bowl, mix the first 8 ingredients until evenly combined.
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Add the chicken, broccoli, and rice and fold.
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Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the topping ingredients.
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Bake and serve.
**** See full instructions below.
More Chicken Casseroles Your Family Will Love ♥
- Crack Chicken Casserole
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Chicken And Rice Casserole
- Chicken Stuffing Casserole
- Chicken Tortilla Casserole
- Dorito Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Chicken and Dumpling Casserole
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Chicken broccoli rice casserole is a hearty creamy favorite with lots of wholesome ingredients and a cheesy breadcrumb topping that’ll make grandma smile!
Servings: 6 Servings
Ingredients
Filling:
- 2 cans Campbells condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt optional
- 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2-3 cups chicken cooked and cubed or shredded
- 3 cups broccoli florets cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 cups cooked rice
Topping:
- 2 cups cheddar cheese grated
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/3 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the first 8 ingredients until evenly combined. Add the chicken (2-3 cups), broccoli (3 cups), and rice (3 cups) and fold until evenly coated and ingredients are mixed. Pour into prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the top of the casserole evenly with grated cheese (2 cups). In a small bowl, mix together panko (1 1/2 cups), dried thyme (1 teaspoon), and melted butter (1/3 cup). Sprinkle evenly over the cheese layer. Bake in preheated oven 30-35 minutes or until casserole is heated through and panko crumbs are golden brown.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Looking for a low carb chicken casserole recipe? The Little Pine has one!
- Baking Dish – Use a 9×13 baking dish and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. This will make clean-up a breeze.
- Preheating Oven– Ovens preheat differently and some are designed to use both a top and bottom element to preheat quickly. If food is already in the oven, this quick blast of heat can char the outside while leaving the inside raw. So, you definitely want to preheat your oven before baking this to achieve the best results.
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Delicious! I added onion and garlic powder just because, but my husband said it would have been good without it.
Will definitely make again!
I used frozen broccoli also.
Hi, Erica! Thank you for your feedback! Glad you and your husband like this casserole 🙂 <3
I’ve tried many chicken, rice & broccoli casseroles and this is my absolute favorite !! The crunch on top is perfect & the flavor of the overall casserole is great . I usually put it together the night before (without topping) for a super easy delicious dinner. Also, easy to cut recipe in half to enjoy with less portions.
Hi, Becky. Yay! So happy you like it. It’s so easy to make-ahead, right? 🙂
This recipe was fantastic! I’m diabetic so I switched the rice out for frozen rice cauliflower. It was amazing!
Great idea, Dayna! So happy you enjoyed! <3
This was a very easy, delicious and comforting casserole. My rice hating son actually enjoyed it, so that’s a huge win! It made enough to have leftovers the next night and I love to cook once and eat twice! It means I get the next night off for other things, so I found that this recipe yields at least 8 servings. I used Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs and omitted the thyme since the crumbs were already seasoned. I also used frozen broccoli florets (just a 12 oz or so package) thawed & drained, because it’s cheaper, works very well, and saves chopping time (I’m lazy!). It reheats very well and tastes just as good the next day as it did when it originally was baked. Another bonus, it’s budget friendly! Definitely a keeper! Thank you so much!
You’re very welcome, Christine! 😀 So happy to hear that your son loves it!
This is a great, healthier version of my old chicken divan recipe, which I have now retired in preference to this recipe! The only change I make is adding curry powder and a little extra lemon! So good!
It was a hit!
Wow! Thanks, Tanya!
Would you need to at least Blanche fresh broccoli first or raw works fine, that’s as always
Hi David! Just use raw broccoli. 😀 Happy cooking!
yummy! chicken + broccoli, perfect dinner!
Yaaasss! ❤️
Hi! I’m a college kid new to cooking, wondering how to make this gluten free (making this for my boyfriends gluten free family) so I’m new to cooking and new to gluten free haha. Would the biggest thing be taking out bread crumbs and doing GF cream of chicken be it or would there be more to it?
Hi Kylie. I’m really sorry but since I do not make many gluten-free recipes, I haven’t worked out the conversions. 🙁
I make this gluten free by getting the GF cream of chicken soup from Walmart and use rice crispies or broken up corn flakes instead of the bread crumbs
That’s amazing, Julie! 😀 Thanks for sharing your tweaks!
You can buy GF corn flakes that are ground into Breadcrumbs . As for GF cream of chicken google homemade recipe and use corn starch instead .
Do I cook the frozen broccoli before adding it to the dish?
Hi Doreensima! No need to cook the broccoli. 😀 Just defrost it and add to the dish before baking. Hope this helps!
Do I cook the chicken before adding it to the mix??!??
Yes 🙂
I am a onion and garlic adding person, but I followed the recipe to a T except my own seasonings. It was very tasty and filling. I will be repeating this recipe often. Thanks for this one…
You’re welcome, Cheryl! ❤️
Added just a touch of smoked paprika, but followed recipe otherwise. It was so delicious! The men in my house gave it 5 stars (I always have them rate to decide whether to use that recipe again). 5 stars is very rare for them. WIll be making this again!
Wow! I’m honored the men gave me 5 stars!
They gave HER a 5 * rating also,not just you!!!
Second time making this. It was a definte upgrade from the campbells recipe that was just,meh for the family. Talking amongst about making it with cauliflower. Maybe?
Hi Russ! You can definitely try it! 😀
Can I make this with uncooked rice? It is there not enough liquid to cook the rice in it while it’s baking?
Hi Teresa, no the recipe doesn’t have enough liquid.
Can we use egg noodles instead of rice?
Hi Dave. I wouldn’t because the proportions would be off. Sorry!
Would love to make this for thanksgiving, would love to prep or cook today. Is there anyway to warm it up tomorrow without drying it?
Hi Pat! I recommend covering it with a lid. That’ll keep the moisture in. Hope this helps! ?
Very delicious! I made this with a rotisserie chicken and added a can of mushrooms to mine and it it was really great. I think next time I will make a smaller portion because with 2 of us this makes a lot. Both my husband and I have ate it a few times and still have some left. I will also try one of your other topping suggestions as I like the variety. I made this recipe exactly as stated besides adding the mushrooms and it was fantastic! Thanks so much.
You’re welcome, Kelly! That’s great! I’m so happy you and your husband liked it! Love the mushroom idea <3
Hi Nicole!
I completely understand. Everyone has different preferences and I appreciate the input for sure. Others have said they enjoyed the cream of mushroom in this recipe, too. Hopefully it’ll be a hit next time you make it. Thank you for sharing!
I made this last night and my people absolutely loved it. Hands down the best way to get my 10 year old picky eater to eat broccoli.
So glad to hear it was a hit with your family! It was always a good way to get some veggies into my kiddos, too! Thanks for sharing!
Can I made this recipe and freeze it?
Thanks,
Donna
Hi Donna! Yes, you can freeze it. Hope this helps!
How long do you cook when you pull out of freezer & cook!
Delicious! I use cream of mushroom instead of cream of chicken, cut the poultry seasoning in half, add a tad more lemon juice and mix in French’s onions into the panko–my family loves!!
Hi KJ!
So glad the family loves it…your variations sound de-lish!
I made this tonight and my husband, who usually isn’t big on casseroles, loved it. Normally he doesn’t care either way if I keep recipes or not but he requested that I keep this one so he must’ve really liked it. I also really enjoyed it!
It’s super, super easy. I really took the cheat’s way out though. I used a rotisserie chicken and just tore up the meat, frozen and thawed broccoli, and pre-cooked microwave rice packets. I always have a few cans of cream of chicken soup in the cupbard, and I had sour cream on hand as well as half a bag of mixed blend shredded cheese. I had to make my own bread crumbs but that’s ok.
Will definitely be making this again!
Hey Ash. that’s wonderful to hear! I LOVE when the whole family is happy <3
I cannot believe there are only 110 calories in the CHICKEN BROCCOLI AND RICE CASSEROLE. Is this a printing error? I have not made it yet, I have just seen all these different appetizing casserole combinations and have yet to decide which one to begin with. I love casseroles.
Oops, thanks for noticing that TERRy. It’s now updated.