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!
Can i use shredded cheese instead of jar cheese?
You can but you might want to experiment with adding a little milk to bring on more liquid.
How did it work out for you using shredded cheese? Did you add extra milk or any at all? I’m trying to figure out about the milk since I have shredded “velveta cheese. Thanks for your help.
Hi Christy,
I made a recipe similar to this several weeks ago and now I’be lost it. Maybe you can help me out. It had 4 oz velvet a cheese in it, broccoli, cream of mushroom soup and either some sort of noodles or rice. There could have been additional ingredients, but that’s all I can remember. You posted it within the last month to 6 weeks ago. Hope you know what I’m talking about!! Help
Can u freeze this for another meal ?
My mom always uses saffron rice in our holiday broccoli rice casserole!! Making it for thanksgiving tomorrow, we use velveeta and Monterray jack cheese (no chicken-just a side dish) and I’m so excited for them to try it!! Thumbs up to you!
Here I thought I had gotten ‘caught up’ with all your previous posts when I joined the SP family, but I don’t remember seeing THIS one! So much fun to read the comments from this recipe’s original appearance! And so great for Mama Janice to read your post and leave a comment! Enjoyed reading all the recipe suggestions, too! Will be putting this on my menu to make soon! So happy for you, Christy! Continued success to you!
I make something like this but I top it with Cheez-it crackers. Oh so yummy.
Sounds great….but could I use white rice? I have never had saffron rice; what does it taste like? Thank you 🙂