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Broccoli Cheese Chicken and Rice Casserole

This simple, flavorful, and easy broccoli cheese chicken and rice casserole is an old-fashioned classic!
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken and rice casserole, chicken broccoli rice casserole, Chicken Rice Casserole
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 482kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together condensed soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir in the chicken, rice, broccoli florets, and celery. Taste the mixture and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper, if desired.
  • Transfer the chicken mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole.
  • Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until the filling is hot and bubbly and the topping is golden brown.

Notes

  • Slice the celery very thin so that you don't have to bite into any large, crunchy, chunks in the finished dish.
  • Quick prep: to help this casserole come together quickly and easily, use store-bought rotisserie chicken, baby broccoli florets that you just have to thaw (no cooking or chopping), and microwaveable packets of rice.
  • Bake the casserole just until it's heated through. All of the ingredients are already cooked, so you just want to warm it in the oven until bubbly. Don't bake it for too long or it will dry out and the rice will get mushy. You know a casserole is done when the filling is hot and bubbly and the topping is toasted and golden brown.
  • Garnish with fresh parsley, chives, or other herbs for a bright, colorful touch at the end.
  • Swap out the frozen broccoli florets for fresh broccoli or cauliflower florets. Cook the fresh vegetables in boiling water for 2 minutes (or steam in the microwave) until they're crisp-tender before adding them to the dish.
  • Instead of cream of chicken soup, try a different flavor of condensed soup.
  • Don't have panko breadcrumbs? Substitute with buttered Ritz cracker crumbs, crushed potato chips, or crushed Corn Flakes cereal mixed with melted butter.
  • Instead of the broccoli, add frozen peas, corn, steamed green beans or asparagus, or sautéed mushrooms to the casserole.
  • Try other types of cheese instead of cheddar. Good options include Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby, Colby Jack, Swiss, and American.
  • Any variety of cooked rice will work. I like long-grain white rice, but a short grain rice, basmati rice, wild rice, or brown rice are fine, too. Just make sure that your rice is cooked before adding it to the casserole.
  • To serve a smaller family, cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square pan.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the casserole | Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 496mg | Potassium: 336mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 725IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 1mg