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Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole

broccoli chicken and rice casserole

★★★★★

4.7 from 11 reviews

This cheesy chicken broccoli and rice casserole is so comforting and delicious, and comes together in minutes!

Ingredients

Scale

For the cream of chicken soup*:

  • 1/2 onion, diced (may substitute with 1 teaspoon onion powder)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (may substitute with 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter or ghee
  • 3 tablespoons flour (we used this one for gluten-free)
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups milk or full-fat coconut milk

For the casserole:

  • 1 1/2 cups white rice
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3/4 pound broccoli florets (about 5 cups)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  2. Add the butter to a saute pan over medium heat, once melted, add the onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
  3. Add the flour to the pot and whisk to combine, then slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking the mixture constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Once smooth, whisk in the milk, salt, pepper, and thyme and let cook for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce is thick and bubbling.
  4. Add the rice, chicken, and broccoli to a 4-quart baking dish, then pour the sauce over and toss to combine. Make sure that the sauce completely covers the rice mixture, if it doesn’t, add another 1/2 cup of broth or switch to a different dish. Cover the dish with foil and make sure that the foil is secured very tightly. It needs to steam to ensure the rice cooks through.
  5. Bake for 50 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked through and the liquid is absorbed, then remove the foil and sprinkle with cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Notes

  • If you’d like to save time, you can use 2 boxes of this cream of chicken soup plus one cup of chicken broth in place of making the homemade version.
  • For dairy-free: use full-fat canned coconut milk in place of the milk.

Keywords: gluten free, dairy free, broccoli, cheddar, easy, make ahead

Find it online: https://fedandfit.com/cheesy-chicken-broccoli-rice-casserole-no-soup/