I’m alllll about comforting casseroles in winter and this chicken and rice casserole is such a classic! It’s warm, filling, and oh-so cheesy. If you like Broccoli Cheddar Casserole, you’re going to love this cheesy chicken and rice casserole. We’ve taken the classic broccoli cheddar side dish and added a few more vegetables and chunks of juicy chicken breast to make it a full meal. This Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole is all the creamy comforting goodness you’ll need to survive the winter. #thestruggleisreal
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Ingredients for Chicken and Rice Casserole
Here’s what you’ll need to make this extra cozy, cheesy, broccoli chicken and rice casserole from scratch:
- Broccoli: We use frozen broccoli florets to cut down on the prep work for this dish. If you want to use fresh, make sure to steam them until al dente before adding to the casserole.
- Chicken: We used boneless, skinless chicken breast in this casserole to keep it classic, but you can use diced chicken thighs if that’s a better fit for your budget.
- Onion & Carrots: To make this chicken and rice casserole full of color, flavor, and texture, we added a even more vegetables in the way of onion and carrots.
- Rice: Rice bulks up the casserole making it extra filling without raising the cost too much. Make sure to use day-old long-grain rice for the best texture.
- Butter & Flour: Butter and flour create a “roux” that helps thicken the sauce and make it extra rich.
- Milk: Milk is the base for the sauce that binds this casserole together. It gives the casserole an extra creamy finish.
- Chicken Broth: Chicken broth combines with the milk for the sauce to add even more depth and flavor. If you use a low sodium broth, you may need to add extra salt to the sauce to get the best flavor.
- Cheddar Cheese: Cheese makes the casserole extra rich and comforting!
- Spices: Salt, pepper, and smoked paprika come together to create just the right amount of flavor without becoming too complex.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil is used to sauté the chicken, but you can use your preferred cooking oil.
What Else Can I Add?
If you want to have fun and make this chicken and rice casserole recipe your own, try some of these variations:
- Add peas to the vegetable mix
- Use a buttered breadcrumb and Parmesan topping instead of cheese
- Add hot sauce to the cheese sauce to make it spicy
- Add crumbled bacon
- Add sautéed mushrooms to the vegetable mix
- Take a shortcut and use shredded rotisserie chicken instead of diced chicken breast
Why Use Day Old Rice?
Just as with fried rice, day-old or chilled rice works best for this recipe because it’s a little firmer, allowing it to combine easily with the other ingredients without getting mushy. So, this Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole is excellent for using up leftover rice, or if you like to cook big batches of rice and freeze it.
One more note. If you want cheesy but just not super-duper cheesy, simply skip the layer of cheese on top and bake as-is (cover with foil), or top it with buttered bread crumbs for a crunchy topping. And yes, you can use brown rice for this.
P.S. I ate this for breakfast this morning and I’m not even sorry about it.
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1/2 lb frozen broccoli florets ($0.85)
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2/3 lb.) ($1.26)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 carrots ($0.33)
- 4 cups cooked long grain rice ($0.75)
- 3 Tbsp butter ($0.40)
- 3 Tbsp flour ($0.02)
- 1 cup chicken broth* ($0.13)
- 1 cup whole milk ($0.38)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 8 oz medium cheddar, shredded ($2.00)
Instructions
- Take the broccoli out of the freezer and allow it to begin to thaw. Once it’s soft enough to cut with a knife, cut the florets into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
- Cut the chicken breast into small 1/2-inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium, then add the olive oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the chicken pieces and cook until slightly browned on the outside. Remove the chicken pieces to a large clean bowl.
- While the chicken is cooking, finely dice the onion, and peel and slice the carrots. Add the onion and carrots to the skillet after the chicken is removed and sauté until the onions are softened. Transfer the onions and carrots to the bowl with the chicken.
- Add the chopped broccoli florets (even if not fully thawed) and the cooked rice to the bowl with the chicken, onions, and carrots. Stir to combine, then add 1/2 of the shredded cheddar (about 1 cup) and stir to combine again. Set the mixture aside.
- Begin to preheat the oven to 350ºF and coat the inside of a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Add the butter and flour to the same skillet used to cook the chicken and vegetables. Cook and whisk the butter and flour over medium heat until it begins to foam, then continue to stir and cook for one minute.
- Slowly whisk the chicken broth into the flour and butter mixture. Allow it to come up to a simmer, at which time it will thicken. Once thickened, whisk in the milk and allow it to come up to a simmer again. When it’s thick enough to coat a spoon, season with smoked paprika, freshly cracked pepper, and salt.
- Pour the sauce over the rice mixture in the bowl and stir until everything is combined and coated in sauce. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the casserole.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, for about 35 minutes or until it becomes golden brown around the edges. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!I simply cannot resist cheesy rice! 🤤
How to Make Chicken and Rice Casserole – Step by Step Photos
Begin by taking 1/2 lb. broccoli florets out of the freezer and allowing them to begin to thaw. Once soft enough to cut with a knife, chop them into smaller bite-sized pieces, then set them aside. Cut one boneless, skinless chicken breast into small pieces (about 1/2 inch) and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium, then add 1 Tbsp olive oil and the chicken pieces. Cook the chicken until it is golden brown, then remove it to a large clean bowl.
While the chicken is cooking, dice one onion, and peel and slice two carrots. After removing the chicken, add the onion and carrots to the skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent. Transfer the carrots and onions to the bowl with the chicken.
Add the partially thawed broccoli and 4 cups cooked rice to the bowl as well, then stir to combine. The cold broccoli and rice will help cool the chicken and vegetables enough so that they don’t melt the cheese in the next step.
Add half of the 8oz. shredded cheddar to the bowl and stir to combine again. Set this mixture aside. Begin to preheat the oven to 350ºF, and coat the inside of a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray.
To the same skillet used for the chicken and vegetables, add 3 Tbsp butter and 3 Tbsp flour. Cook and whisk these two together over medium heat. It will start out looking like a paste, then it will begin to bubble and foam. Once it starts foaming, cook and stir for one minute.
Then whisk in one cup chicken broth and let it come up to a simmer…
At which point it will thicken to a pudding-like consistency.
Then whisk in one cup of whole milk and let it come up to a simmer again, at which point it will thicken to a nice sauce. Season the sauce with 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, some freshly cracked pepper, and about 1/2 tsp salt (you want it to be fairly salty so that it doesn’t get too diluted once mixed with the rice and vegetables). The orange-y color above is due to the smoked paprika.
Pour the sauce over the rice mixture in the bowl and stir to combine. Spread the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
Cover with the remaining 4oz. shredded cheddar and bake for about 35 minutes at 350ºF, or until it begins to brown around the edges.
And then the cheesy goodness is ready to devour!
Srsly. Yes. This cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole is EVERYTHING.
After reading through some of the comments before cooking I decided to only add three cups of cooked rice and I also added some extra seasoning (more salt, garlic powder, and onion powder). It ended up being really delicious and flavorful!
Love your recipes, easy to make and delicious. Easy to prep the night before, so ready the next day to finish.
Great base for a recipe! Made this with 3 chicken breasts cooked with garlic, 16 oz frozen broccoli, and oat milk instead of whole. Then added lemon pepper seasoning with the sauce.
We didn’t have any cheese, but this still turned out well. I would do some extra seasoning in the future.
It’s pretty ok, you just need to throw a bunch of seasoning on it. Otherwise it’s very bland. Kinda disappointing because this author’s recipes generally taste pretty good, if a bit light on salt.
What does one onion mean? A small onion? A medium onion? A large onion? The onions at my store range from like 4 ounces to a pound each, so there’s an insane amount of variation there.
The recipe is pretty flexible, so you can use whatever size onion you have and I’m sure it will be alright. ;)
I made 4 cups of rice and it was diluted. I think, maybe it was the choice of rice? (Basmati) so I will double the cream mixture next time and try it
Hi there, this is amazing & we absolutely loved it, very comforting! Just had a quick question- could you assemble this dish (not bake) & freeze for a future meal if I made 2 batches? We go camping on long adventures, so I precook meals and freeze them to take with us in our rv.
Great recipe. Although I changed a few things to add to the flavour. I added frozen corn, removed the carrots and put in an orange bell pepper. I also like my dishes spicy, added a few red pepper flakes:)
Can you not say add 4 cups of rice? There is no where where it said “cooked rice” so I made 4 cups of rice which was A LOT and the flavour is so diluted. Please in the future inform us the uncooked amount please
Hi Sam. The recipe card says 4 cups of cooked rice.
You know, I’m not usually a casserole person, but I had chicken, carrots, and leftover rice to use up, so I thought why not? You’ve converted me. I really enjoyed this, as did my family. The only (minor) problem I had was the carrots stayed a bit too firm for my liking, but that’s just personal preference. Do you foresee any issues if I simply grate/shred the carrots next time? Not sure if that would risk overcooking or not. In any case, thanks for another delicious recipe!
Love this recipe? Do you think this can be thrown together ahead of time and baked the next day?
Yes, I think that would work! You may need to bake slightly longer since it will be chilled through when going into the oven instead of warm.
This was absolutely delicious! We used fresh broccoli instead of frozen(just what I had on hand) and did no salt so our one year old could eat it as well. He LOVED it! Definitely a plus when the picky eater wants seconds! :) will definitely be keeping this for our meal rotations!
Loved the sound of this recipe right away. We come to Budget Bytes for affordable recipes we can reheat and eat throughout the week as part of our meal prep. This one will definitely be made again!
Edit: we’ve now made this recipe two more times and somehow the rice has not cooked. It worked perfectly the first time- any ideas?
Without being there, it would be hard for me to say. It could be a measurement thing, or a humidity thing. It’s also all about the kind of rice you use. Longer grains require more liquid and shorter grains require less. Where do you think you went wrong? XOXO -Monti
Make sure you’re adding cooked rice, not raw. I almost did the same thing but the Ingredients list does say cooked rice. Good luck!
This was great. I didn’t measure my rice, just eyeballed the leftover that I had in the fridge and thought that it looked about right. I ended up using twice the amount of carrots (the remainder of a bag) and threw in four cloves of minced garlic too. I am also pretty sure that the package of chicken thighs that was purchased was about twice what the recipe called for, and I just mindlessly chopped it all up, so overall I ended up with enough to fill a 9×13 and an 8×8 pan which was wonderful because everyone went back for seconds! I eyeballed an increase in sauce once I saw how much was in the mixing bowl (increased it by maybe a cup) so it all worked out. Very yummy, and it is definitely being added to the favourites list.
This was such a good recipe!! I used chicken thighs instead of breast. I also used frozen carrots and peas. In addition to replacing half the rice amount with cauliflower rice. With every recipe I try, I measure the spices with my heart. I will definitely be making this again!
I made this with almond milk and it turned out great. Separated into two aluminum 8×8 pans with lid and froze one after assembly. I live alone so it worked out great. Thank you. Delish!
Absolutely delicious and comforting! In addition to the S&P, I seasoned my chicken with some thyme and oregano. Added in some minced garlic with the carrots and onions. Also followed the suggestion of another reviewer and added thawed frozen spinach along with the broccoli.
Used what I had on hand and it is delicious. Instead of broccoli.I had fresh asparagus. Added celery, fresh sliced mushrooms and a zucchini I had. Left over rotisserie chicken. Steamed the carrots, sautéed all the other veggies. Added the half shredded cheese to the cream mix and blended it together before mixing in the rice and veggie mix.
This was delicious. I thought we had everything in the house, but then it turned out the frozen broccoli was severely freezer-burned, so we needed a fresh bag. 3 adults loved it and enough for tomorrow night is a bonus too. I particularly liked the bits with cheese topping!
One of my favorite winter comfort food recipes! I’ve made this countless times and have found that using leftover rice or even rice cooked a few hours prior to assembling the casserole makes a huge difference in overall texture. I typically add extra vegetables- a full lb of broccoli plus frozen peas or sometimes frozen green beans- to stretch it even further. As others have mentioned, this can be more time consuming than you would think of for a casserole- not a weeknight after work meal in my opinion! But always worth the effort and perfect for leftover lunches for days after making!
I don’t make casseroles often, but I have had this favorited on a cooking app for awhile as I always have these ingredients on hand. I did tweak it just a bit, but it turned out so good! I seasoned my rice with butter, oregano and garlic powder. I also used whipping cream instead of milk. Served with green beans (bc you can’t have too many veggies) and some Hawaiian rolls!
I had been eyeing a recipe for chicken & rice casserole on The Kitchn for a couple of weeks, and the other day I wondered if you had a similar one on here because I always trust your recipes. Sure enough, I found this one which looked WAY better than the Kitchn one, haha! I am just digging into it now and it is SO good!!!! I ended up using whole chicken thighs that I deboned and crisped in a cast iron skillet, just because, and just nestled them on top of the rice & veggie mixture in the casserole. I also used frozen peas & carrots as that’s what I had on hand, but dang this is deLICious. Leftovers for days, too; HUZZAH!!! Thanks Beth!!!
I don’t have chicken broth…could I use cream of chicken in place of the broth, flour etc…
I think that should work, the broth/butter/flour combo is made to replace condensed soup. I would just make sure you have about two cups worth. :)
A few times a year, I cook a whole turkey and freeze the leftover meat in 2-cup portions. I also use the bones and veggie scraps I’ve collected (carrot and onion peels, celery leaves and ends) and frozen to make broth. I then freeze the broth in 2-cup portions. It’s another great way to save money on things like casseroles, and I will use both in this. I’m going to make this with beans instead of broccoli tonight because that’s what I need to use up from the freezer.
could you use frozen carrots and peas along with the broccoli? I don’t have any fresh carrots on hand and do not want to go the grocery store due to current covid outbreak.
Yes they would be just fine!
Not really much of a casserole lover. My family didn’t make them at all when I was growing up. But this recipe intrigued me because I had all the ingredients on hand and I was looking to clean out my refrigerator. I’m glad I did. This was a hit! My family devoured it, especially my son and nephew.. I also had some for breakfast. It lasted a good while which meant I didn’t have to cook for a few days. I’ll try other casserole recipes on this website.
This was DELISH! My 18 month old and I enjoyed this for supper, and I can’t remember the last time I saw him eat dinner with such gusto! Kid was literally licking the bowl. I added peas and spinach as well, and it made an absolutely perfect dinner. Flavorful, filling, and healthy. Thanks for the recipe!
Did you use frozen peas and spinach? Did you add with the frozen broccoli?
Absolutely delicious!! I could eat my weight in this casserole. Only drawback is that both times I’ve made it, the veggies have been crunchy, even when cut very small. I may enlist the help of a small saucepan next time and simmer the veggies in the chicken broth for a few minutes after sauteeing, then drain into the skillet and continue making the sauce per the recipe.
Seriously though. Soooo good!
That could be a great extra step!
Do you think I could make this ahead to cook the next day?
Yes you could make this recipe ahead of time. Enjoy!
Just made this with all vegan ingredients (Gardein chickn strips, daiya cheddar, earth balance, soy milk) and it was the bomb! Toddler approved too. Kept all measurements the same. Thanks for the recipe!
My two year old and I made this for dinner; she was a big fan… easy to chew the broccoli and carrots and the cheese was delicious. Yes, we destroyed the kitchen with our prep, but we have dinner for a couple of nights so it was worth it!
Can’t wait to make this it looks amazing! Would swapping the whole milk for light almond milk make that much of a difference in thickening the sauce?
Should’ve read further to see that you’ve already answered this!
All of the thickening power actually comes from the flour, so it shouldn’t matter in that area, but it probably will taste less creamy.
I was in a hurry at the store and ended up buying 2 boxes of rice a roni cheddar and broccoli rice to use in this recipe and it turned out deliciously cheesy. My boyfriend had 2 large helpings and we are both taking the leftovers to work for lunch tomorrow. Will definitely make it again!
Can you substitute corn starch for the flour?
I haven’t tried that, so I’m not sure what effect it would have specifically, but generally cornstarch and flour do create different textures and appearances when used to thicken liquids.
I’m need to make this gluten-free, so I’ll just try my Jules GF flour.
Is there a way to “favorite” this recipe? I have found a lot of recipes I’ve like on your website and would love to keep them in one spot!
I don’t have that function on the website right now, but you could always create a bookmark folder in your browser and keep them all in one spot that way. :)
OMG! EXCELLENT!!
Do you think I could freeze this?
I’m not sure on this one. Sometimes flour thickened sauces, which this recipe contains, can break down after freezing and thawing.
So I’ve made this dish twice in as many weeks. Hubby loves it and so do I. I was looking for a chicken & veggie casserole that didn’t use canned soups and this one was a winner. I played around with it both times. The first time around we thought it needed more chicken but when I added more chicken on the second time, it was too much. It’s a small amount of chicken used but it’s perfect. I also used fresh broccoli–it just needs to be cut smaller. And I doubled up the sauce portion. I do that with every recipe I try, just in case. With the extra sauce (and no cheese IN the dish, just on top) it was super creamy. So good!
This turned out wonderful! I actually made a small mistake with this recipe, but it ended up tasting great anyway. I will absolutely come back to do the recipe justice. It’s getting cold here in Chicago and this is some great midwestern comfort food.
This probably goes without saying, but to those with tiny kitchen (like myself), this recipe is going to get messy! I used all fresh vegetables and grated fresh cheddar, so I had a lot of dishes to clean. Still, it was very worth it.
This all sounds amazing! Would you be able to sub heavy whipping cream for the whole milk? (If yes, what amount?)
I think that would change it quite a bit, so I’d need to test it to see what adjustments would need to be made to have the sauce work correctly.
I made mine with whipping cream. I always substitute whipping cream for milk. It just makes the sauce a little thicker! Still turned out great.
Can you sub almond milk for the whole milk? Thanks again for sharing wonderful recipes on a wonderful site!
I haven’t tried almond milk, but my guess is that it wouldn’t be thick or creamy enough.
Wow, this was really good! Perfect ratio on everything too. I used leftover turkey. I’m positive it would taste better cooking the chicken as the recipe specifies. Thanks so much.
-Michelle
I subbed the rice for pasta and I had some biscuit mix that I hadn’t used yet. I lined the bottom of a dish with biscuits and poured the mixture over it, was awesome! Think next time I’ll make more sauce for it so, even more, soaks into the biscuits :D
Awesome recipe!
If making with fresh broccoli. Would you prepare the broccoli any differently?
This was an awesome recipe. I substituted elbow macaroni for the rice and whipping cream for the milk just because those ingredients were readily available . It came out so good! I’ve tried many of your recipes. Love your website.
do u know paul from tool
I stumbled across this recipe while looking for a way to use up way too much leftover rice. We love it! I subbed a 12 oz bag of frozen french cut green beans for the broccoli (didn’t have any). They cooked perfectly and seemed like just the right amount.
Can’t wait to see what else I’ve been missing on your site!
Thank you for this recipe – so good! And thank you for providing clear directions both written and visually. This is now part of our family’s dinner rotation. :)
This is so good. This makes a lot so it would be good for a family or if you are like me and live alone: lots of leftoves.
Is this meal easy to freeze then reheat for later? I want to make this for husband to take to work thruout the month.
Yes, this should reheat pretty well. :)
Please, how many servings does the recipe make any idea of the number of calories per serving? Looks delish! Thank you.
I never rate or comment on recipes, but I feel like I have to on this one. This is probably the best rice based casserole I’ve ever made/eaten. So freaking tasty!!! I had to put the leftovers away asap because I couldn’t stop going back for more! The only thing I did differently was pop in under the broiler at the end to brown the cheese a bit more, because slightly burnt cheese is my jam.
I haven’t cooked it yet (it will be for dinner), but what a well written recipe! Thank you.
This is so delicious! It’s hard to not go overboard and eat most of it in one sitting… I’ve made it with rice and quinoa. I was also able to make this for a meal-train contribution for a family with a new baby. They thought it was good, too!
I only ever drink almond milk. Not a fan or regular milk. Could I substitute the whole milk in here with almond milk? I just started cooking, so I don’t really have the knowledge to figure this out on my own… Could I also substitute milk with almond milk in other recipes? What are some good guidelines to understanding substitutions?!
I’m not sure there is a general guideline, it will just depend greatly on the recipe. I personally wouldn’t substitute almond milk for dairy in this recipe because I don’t feel like almond milk is nearly creamy enough to give this sauce the consistency and flavor that it needs.
I just made this last night with almond milk (homemade) and it was fantastic!
Other than the rice, can any other part of this be made ahead of time? If I put the casserole together the night before will everything be too mushy when baking the next day?
I think you’d be safe assembling this the night before. Just keep in mind that the cooking time might be a little longer if the whole thing is chilled.
This was amazing!! Made it 2 nights ago and enjoyed leftovers for my lunch yesterday : ). I subbed the rice with TJs frozen cauli rice, the flour for almond flour, and the whole milk for almond milk. Also used fresh broccoli because that’s what I had. I sautéed it with the carrots and rice so it was done to perfection. The whole family LOVED it! Thank you for helping us win with our grocery budget (we’re doing Financial Peace University and trying to cut costs wherever we can) but also for providing delicious recipes the whole family loves!! You are such a blessing!!
Oh! And I sprinkled TJs nutritional yeast on the very top before sticking it in the oven : )
So, you didn’t make it then. You made a completely different dish.
Yeah, but she wouldn’t have had the idea without this post. It’s all good in the ‘hood.
I’ve been sifting through comments to see if someone tried with cauliflower rice! Thank you for sharing <3
So tasty! Big hit with the husband, too. :)
I rarely comment, but I’ve made this recipe MANY times and its just SO good. Its comfort food, delicious, and relatively (ha) healthy for what it is, especially if you load it with veggies and brown rice. Thanks for this!
I have made this 3 times in the past few weeks and it is just delicious! We all love it especially my kids.
Thanks Beth.
Made this for dinner tonight and it turned out amazing! The roux provides a more complex flavor than your standard casserole. This feeds an army so it was perfect for my very hungry boyfriend! Will be making this again.
Really liked this recipe! Husband thought it was one of the best yet! I think the time to cook and prepare was much longer and more intensive than I would have liked but it was still great. As someone who has gluten intolerance instead of using the flour I mixed the broth (which I also used the better than bouillon method) and whole milk together with a corn starch slurry and brought that up to a boil. This actually worked much better than I thought it would and the sauce was still creamy.
Would cauliflower rice work as a substitute for white rice?
I’ve not experimented with cauliflower rice yet, so I’m not sure how it would work in a recipe like this.
Just made this today. It’s good but on a bit on the bland side. I’d probably up the amount of cheese next time, since I noticed a definite improvement in flavor on the cheesier bites.
Still was a really good way to use up stuff I had laying around. I’ll definitely make this again.
Do you think this would work with a cauliflower rice substitution?
I’ve actually never used cauliflower rice, so I’m not sure if it gives off moisture as it cooks. If so, that might cause some problems.
I made this and it is great comfort food! It did take a little more work than I was anticipating. I diced my carrots up into small dice but they did not get soft and were crunchy. Next time I will use all frozen vegetables and skip the saute which will help with the work load and the crunchy carrot problem.
Just made this and my family loves it. Left out the carrots and it’s still delicious.
I made this with what I had on hand, and it turned out great.
I had a bag of frozen peas and carrots that I hadn’t been able to bring myself to eat, so that whole thing went in. Leftover rice (more like 3 cups than 4, but I like having a higher veg ratio anyway). A few ounces of cream cheese. A head of roasted garlic, chopped up. Powdered cheddar cheese added to the sauce (which I made pretty much as called for). A bit of parmesan to sprinkle on top. Plus an onion, a chicken thigh, and a bunch of spices.
So good! I’ll be using this overall method again, for sure. Thanks!
I made this and my picky 4 year old liked it, but my husband I felt it was a little bland. I spiced it up with Thomas’s sauce (from NC) and he used hot sauce. Would love any other ideas for how to de-blandify it.
Using sharp cheddar helps sometimes
An amazingly easy meal that my whole family loved. if I had to make a complaint it could use more salt but overall an easy 5 stars.
To be honest, I’m disappointed in this recipe. When I think “casserole” I think “throw everything in a dish and cook it” (which is easy) not “cook everything separately first, then put it all together and cook it again” (which is a lot of work).
Made this tonight and it was absolutely amazing.
Looks great! And me without rice! (How does that even happen?) Definitley going on the list though.
I just made this and it came out great!
Love the simplicity of the recipe. Even I can cook!
Post more like this.
Could you use pie crust on top instead??
Hmm, probably! :)
Great recipe. A little wordy though in the instructions as if written for children.
Loved this! Super tasty comfort food. I subbed zucchini and butternut squash for the veggies and it still came out great.
Someone gave me a free can of cream of chicken to use up… I can just replace step #6 with it, right? I know it’s not the same, but it was free…
You can skip most of step 5 (the butter and flour) and step 6 (the chicken broth). That should give you a similar effect. :)
Perfect timing! I had leftover rice from several days ago, and almost-expired milk in my fridge. I was trying to think of a recipe that would use up both, when this appeared in my inbox! I used some frozen mixed “Normandy-style” veggies from Costco (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and yellow carrots – I didn’t put in any of the cauliflower pieces because I thought it would be weird haha). It would probably be really good with peas too.
Made it last night and even my picky husband had 2nds (and tried to come back for 3rds but I made him save some for lunch today.)
I’m making more rice right now so I can make this again soon :)
Talk about comfort food to the max! I would guess the substitutions are wide and varied–I’d throw in some mushrooms, too. I see this as a terrific way to use up leftover chicken. I like to poach a couple of bone in chicken breast pieces with aromatic veggies when the chicken is on sale. I use the broth and some of the chicken for soup, but always have cooked chicken left over. And I’ve been known to pick up a supermarket roasted chicken from time to time which we never finish in one meal. While I have recently tended to use at least some of that for enchiladas or some sort of tortilla casserole, this reminds me of the chicken casseroles I enjoyed as a child but have ignored for years–minus the nasty canned soup (chicken tetrazzini, chicken noodle, etc,) that have left them off my current rotations Thanks for posting this greatly modernized recipe.
Yummy!!! My mouth is watering right now. Looking forward to making this recipe for dinner soon!!! :-)
Would you be able to substitute the rice for quinoa?
Yes, that would probably work.
I actually just made the broccoli cheddar casserole with chicken! So glad to see your version here, too!
Can you just pour the rice/vegetable mix back into the skillet where you made the sauce and put that whole thing in the oven? Assuming it was an oven safe skillet, seems like it would save an extra dish from getting dirty.
Yep, as long as it all fits you sure can! :D
This looks so good! What vegetable would you use to substitute for the broccoli? I can’t eat broccoli (or brussell sprouts, cabbage, most beans, anything “gassy”) Cauliflower? Asparagus?
I think asparagus could work; it holds up well and has a nice flavor. Or maybe red bell pepper? I don’t know about its water content. Even with just onions, carrots and chicken it would probably be dang delicious.
Danielle, just butting in here real quick, but cauliflower would be one of those dreaded “gassy vegetables”, unfortunately. It’s in the same family, the “cruciferous” vegetables (they affect me badly too, especially cabbage, which I happen to LOVE.). I would think frozen peas may be a good choice for you myself. Or possibly even frozen or fresh green beans.
Green peas would be awesome, as would mushrooms.
This looks amazing! Can you freeze it?
This one probably would freeze well!
I love your version of casserole…so much better tasting without canned cream of ___ soup.
My kind of comfort food. I don’t have an oven – is there any way I could adapt the last step to the stovetop?
You can put everything in a large pot, or back in the skillet if it’s big enough, and just heat it through. Everything is already cooked once you do that final mix, it just needs to be warmed up. :)
This looks really delicious, perfect comfort food :)
Rachael xx.
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