This cheesy chicken and broccoli casserole recipe is an easy family meal with chunks of chicken, rice, tender-crisp broccoli, and creamy sauce baked beneath a buttery cracker topping. It’s total comfort food!
I’ll find any excuse to put broccoli and cheese in the same recipe, whether it’s broccoli cheddar soup or broccoli cheese casserole. This chicken and broccoli casserole is creamy like chicken divan, with tender chicken mixed with broccoli and rice in a rich, creamy gravy with rice and plenty of cheese. It’s pretty much the perfect comfort food, complete with a buttery Ritz cracker top.
Why I Love This Chicken and Broccoli Casserole Recipe
Lots of flavor. With its creamy chicken, rice, broccoli, and melty cheese, this is exactly the kind of home-style casserole my grandmother would make. It’s super hearty and satisfying.
Easy comfort food. This broccoli chicken casserole is easy to prep on any night of the week. You can even take a shortcut with rotisserie chicken from the store.
Make ahead. Assemble the casserole ahead and store it baked or unbaked for later! It also freezes well.
Casserole Ingredients
Nothing does “meal-in-one” better than a cheesy and veggie-filled chicken and broccoli casserole. Below are my notes on what you’ll need to make it. Scroll down to the recipe card after the post for the printable ingredients list with the full amounts.
Chicken – I recommend boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces. You’ll need salt and pepper, or your choice of chicken seasoning.
Olive Oil – Or another oil, for sautéeing.
Onion and Garlic – Diced yellow or white onion, and freshly minced garlic. You can substitute ½ teaspoon of garlic powder per fresh clove if you need to.
Rice – Cook the rice using your preferred method. I recommend long-grain white rice, not instant rice, for this casserole. You could also substitute the rice with another cooked grain, like quinoa.
Broccoli – Chopped into florets. Frozen broccoli is great, too, just make sure to thaw and drain it first (note that the texture will be softer than if you use fresh).
Cheese – Shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, gouda, Swiss or Pepper Jack (for some spice) all work well in this recipe. Use freshly shredded cheese as it melts more smoothly.
Cream of Chicken Soup – You can also use condensed cream of broccoli.
Milk – This can be whole milk, 2% milk, or any kind you’d like.
Sour Cream – In a pinch, you can replace the sour cream with full-fat plain Greek yogurt.
Spices – I season the sauce with paprika and dry mustard. Feel free to add any seasonings you’d like, such as cayenne pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, or a blend, like Italian herbs or Cajun seasoning.
Ritz Crackers – Crushed into crumbs and mixed with melted butter for the topping.
How to Make Broccoli Chicken Casserole
Here’s a quick overview showing how to make this easy, cheesy chicken and broccoli casserole. You’ll find the printable recipe instructions in the recipe card after the post.
Cook the chicken and onions.Combine the ingredients.
Cook the chicken and onions. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add it to a hot pan with oil. Cook the chicken over medium heat for 5 minutes. Then, add the onions, and sauté for another 5-7 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the garlic.
Combine the ingredients. Next, add the chicken and onions to a bowl with the rice, broccoli, and ½ cup of shredded cheese.
Mix and add the sauce.Toss to coat.
Make the sauce. Meanwhile, mix the cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, and seasonings. Pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli mixture and stir everything together.
Assemble the casserole.Add the topping and bake!
Assemble the casserole. Spread the filling into the bottom of a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Combine the crushed Ritz crackers with melted butter and scatter that over top.
Bake. Finally, bake the chicken and broccoli casserole at 350ºF for 30 minutes until the top is toasted and the edges are bubbly.
Make It Ahead
You can prepare this chicken and broccoli casserole the day before and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to bake (I’ll often do this when we’re expecting people over!). Assemble the casserole in a baking dish as directed, but leave off the Ritz cracker topping. Then, cover and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready, sprinkle on the topping and bake! If the casserole is cold from the fridge, you may need to add 10-15 minutes to the baking time.
Recipe Tips
Save time with a rotisserie chicken. In this case, you can skip cooking the chicken and go straight to sautéeing the onions. Combine the chopped or shredded chicken with the other ingredients and mix everything with the sauce as directed.
If you prefer softer broccoli, steam the fresh florets before you add them to the casserole.
If you don’t have Ritz crackers, you can crush up another kind of cracker, or substitute breadcrumbs or potato chips.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this chicken and broccoli casserole with a green salad on the side, or more vegetables, like roasted carrots or asparagus. Fluffy dinner rolls or biscuits are a must when it comes time to sop up the leftover sauce!
Storing and Reheating
Refrigerate. Cover and store the leftover broccoli chicken casserole in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat. You can reheat the casserole in the oven, or individual servings in the microwave until hot throughout.
Freeze. Wrap this casserole in a double layer of plastic wrap or foil and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw the casserole in the fridge before reheating.
This cheesy chicken and broccoli casserole recipe has juicy chunks of chicken, rice, broccoli, and creamy sauce baked beneath a buttery cracker topping.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Sprinkle the cut pieces of chicken with salt and pepper.
Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the diced onion to the skillet with the chicken and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and continue to cook while stirring for one more minute, then remove from heat.
Combine the cooked chicken, cooked rice, broccoli florets and ½ cup of cheese in a large bowl.
In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream, paprika and dry mustard. Pour the cream mixture over the chicken and rice and stir it well to combine.
Spread the chicken rice mixture into your prepared baking dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese.
Combine the cracker crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the casserole.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
Notes
You can use rotisserie chicken to save time. Just skip ahead to sauteeing the onions in the olive oil.
This casserole has crisp broccoli, if you prefer soft broccoli, steam it before adding it to the casserole.
You can use frozen broccoli in place of fresh, just make sure to thaw it first and drain off any liquid.
