Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole With Rice
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Delicious cheese sauce transforms an ordinary casserole into my cheesy chicken broccoli casserole recipe with saffron rice, tender chicken, and broccoli florets. It’s destined to be a new family favorite.
Cheesy sauce, yellow saffron rice, tender chicken, and broccoli, this casserole spells comfort food with a capital “C” for me. My mother used to make this almost weekly. It was one of her favorite casseroles to make (next to country casserole) because of how quick and easy it was to throw together. She usually made it the night before and left us instructions to put it in the oven around the time she left her office (she was a real estate agent for several years when we were teens). A comforting and filling supper awaited us on those nights!
Now, do you see those 4 ingredients listed at the top of the last paragraph? That’s all you need to make this cheesy chicken broccoli casserole recipe, plus milk to make it extra creamy. When I say it’s quick and easy, you know I mean every word. Just cook the rice, combine the cheese sauce and milk and mix it with the remaining ingredients, and then pour this into a casserole dish. In 30 minutes your cheesy casserole will be ready to serve.
Chicken, cheese, broccoli, and rice, what more could you want for an easy weeknight supper, right? Many similar casseroles (like this one and this one) use cream of chicken soup or something similar for that creamy base, but we’re forgoing that and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese and opting for cheese sauce instead. Are you ready to give it a go?
Recipe Ingredients
- Canned or cooked chicken
- Cheese sauce (such as cheez whiz)
- Saffron rice
- Frozen broccoli florets
- Milk
How to Make Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Prepare rice according to package directions.
In a small bowl, stir together milk and cheese sauce.
I actually microwaved mine for a minute to make it easier to blend.
In a large bowl, add cooked rice, broccoli, and cooked chicken.
Pour cheese sauce over it.
Stir all of that up really well until it looks like this.
Spoon into a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
YUM! Enjoy this easy !
Storage
- Store leftover cheesy chicken casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheat in the microwave.
- You can also freeze leftover casserole for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
- Want to make a homemade cheese sauce from scratch? Use this recipe. If you do it this way, omit the milk entirely.
- You can really use any cooked chicken in this chicken casserole recipe, including canned chicken, leftover rotisserie chicken, cooked chicken breast, or cooked chicken thighs.
- Feel free to substitute the frozen broccoli for fresh broccoli florets instead.
- If you prefer, substitute the saffron rice for brown rice, long grain rice, or jasmine rice. I just dont recommend using .
- Garnish your with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
- For extra crunch, sprinkle a 1/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs on top of the cooked casserole and place this under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Another option is to use crushed Ritz crackers.
I have a feeling you’ll also enjoy these easy casserole recipes:
Stuffed Pepper Casserole Recipe (Easy and Delicious)
Beef Tater Tot Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce jar cheese sauce (like cheez whiz)
- 2 cups frozen chopped broccoli florets
- 1 10-ounce package saffron rice
- 1-2 cups cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Prepare rice according to package directions.1 10-ounce package saffron rice
- Place cheese sauce and milk in a bowl, heat for one minute in the microwave, and stir to combine.1 16-ounce jar cheese sauce (like cheez whiz), 1/2 cup milk
- In a large bowl, place cooked rice, broccoli, and chicken. Add cheese sauce mixture and stir until well combined.2 cups frozen chopped broccoli florets, 1-2 cups cooked chicken
- Spoon into a 9x13-inch casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Nutrition
This post was featured on Meal Plan Monday and Weekend Potluck!
“Better than Mama readin my blog Cake!
Absotively, Posolutely!!
I usually use fresh chicken, I was just feeling exceptionally lazy when I made this! 🙂
That looks very tasty Christy. Can you use regular chicken instead of canned? My family hates canned chicken unless its for chicken salad sandwiches.
You are just too funny, girlfriend! Enjoy your mama every day! I miss mine so much, and when I come across one of her recipes that she wrote in her own handwriting, it feels like she is right here with me!
Maybe I need to make cookbooks for my kids, that I write with my own hand instead of using the computer!
I love your blog! 🙂
OH MY GAWD! MAMA ACTUALLY READ MY BLOG!!
She never reads my blog!
Mama read my blog!!!
MAMA READ MY BLOG!!!!
Does this mean you’re going to cook for me soon?
~Smiles sweetly~
I really love your blog! I love hearing about everything new and exciting happening, all the great new recipes and what you have done to the old tried and true recipes. It is great to have a fresh look at them and see that they can be adapted for the way that people eat and cook now. We are lucky to have you in the family so that we can sample all your creative efforts! It is also good to be reminded of a recipe that I haven’t made in such a long time. Keep up all the great work! Mama :-)))
Holly Preach it sister! You KNOW What you’re talking about! LOL
Linda Oh my lord, there is no food like church potluck food!!!! The best restaurant on earth could not deliver a meal as fine as a bunch of church ladies!!!!
Hope they like it! I know my family descends on it like locusts!
SJS Hey SJS! Thank you so much! All the credit for 90% of my recipes goes to my Mama! She’s been cooking for a family since she was thirteen! She would give most of the credit to her grandmothers, Lela Sanders and Adle Reed.
I’m just very fortunate to have the roots I do. There have been a lot of great women in my family.