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
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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.
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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