This Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole has all your favorite comfort foods in it. Juicy chicken, cream of chicken soup, flavorful rice, broccoli, spices and topped with a buttery Ritz cracker and cheese topping. Your family will beg for this easy recipe for dinner.
Chicken Casserole Ingredients
This casserole is one of my favorite main dishes that I make. There are two ways that you can make it. One is to use chicken breasts and the other is to use a rotisserie chicken. If you are going to use a rotisserie chicken you can leave these ingredients out. Chicken breast, 2 tablespoons of butter, salt, black pepper, paprika, dried parsley and garlic powder. The seasonings are used to add flavor to the chicken breasts.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Unsalted butter
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Dried parsley
- Garlic powder
- Low sodium chicken broth
- White long grain rice – Make sure to use long grain rice and not minute rice. If you use minute rice your casserole will turn out mushy.
- Frozen broccoli florets
- Cream of chicken soup
- Milk
- Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese
- Onion powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- Ritz crackers
If you do not have cream of chicken soup on hand. You can substitute it with cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli or cheddar cheese soup. They will change the flavor a small amount. But the soup is more to help with the creaminess of the dish.
How To Make Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
This cheesy chicken broccoli and rice casserole is one of the perfect freezer foods. You can double the recipe and put one in the freezer. Follow all the direction up to the point of baking. Then cover with foil and then wrap with plastic wrap. The casserole will keep in the freezer up to 3 months.
Start by preheating the over to 350 degrees. Then butterfly chicken by slicing horizontally into the chicken, dividing it half. Sprinkle salt, black pepper, paprika, dried parsley and garlic powder over both sides of the chicken breast.
In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat until melted. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on each side. About 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
Next, add one tablespoon of butter to the pot. Then, add chicken broth, water and rice and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes. Remove lid and stir rice and add broccoli. Cover and cook for another 8 minutes.
While broccoli is cooking chop cooked chicken into ½ cubes. Then, remove broccoli and rice from heat. Add chopped chicken, cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, onion powder, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Mix until well combined.
Transfer mixed ingredients to a lightly greased 9 x 13 casserole baking dish. Then, crush Ritz crackers in package. In a medium bowl melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Add crushed Ritz crackers and mix together. Spread evenly over casserole. Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese evenly over casserole.
Cover casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Then, Let casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Storage And Reheating
This is the perfect meal to make a head of time. You make this up to 2 days in advance and store in your refrigerator. Just add 10 minutes to the baking time. Typically this casserole would last 3-4 days in your refrigerator. But, if it is made ahead of time. Do not store for leftovers longer then 1-2 days. To reheat place in a preheated 350 degree oven and cook until the sauce starts to boil up. This should be about 20-25 minutes.
Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ingredients
Casserole Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter (separated)
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper (x2)
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 3 cups frozen broccoli florets
- 1½ cups white long grain rice
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Casserole Topping
- 1 cup Ritz crackers (crushed)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butterfly chicken by slicing horizontally into the chicken, dividing it half. Sprinkle salt, black pepper, paprika, dried parsley and garlic powder over both sides of the chicken breast.
- In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat until melted. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on each side. About 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
- Add one tablespoon of butter to the pot. Then add chicken broth, water and rice and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir rice, add broccoli and cover. Cook for another 8 minutes.
- While broccoli is cooking chop cooked chicken into ½ cubes.
- Remove broccoli and rice from heat. Add chopped chicken, cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, onion powder, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Mix until well combined.
- Transfer mixed ingredients to a lightly greased 9 x 13 casserole baking dish.
- Crush Ritz crackers in package. In a medium bowl melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Add crushed Ritz crackers and mix together. Spread evenly over casserole. Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese evenly over casserole.
- Cover casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Let casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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This sounds wonderful. A great combo of flavours and I can’t wait to make it.
Can’t wait to hear what you think about it.
What a delicious comforting dish. I am always looking for new ways to enjoy rice.
It is such a great recipe to have during the week.
I love a comforting chicken casserole recipe. The ritz cracker topping makes this so good! Thanks for sharing.
The topping is one of my favorite parts of this casserole.
Classic comfort food – this is one of my favorites!
I totally agree.
This looks EXACTLY like a casserole I used to make back in college – haven’t made it for years but now I am really craving it. Will try your version this time, looks to be even better than my old one!
I would love to know how it compares to the one you made back in college.