This easy chicken broccoli rice casserole is going to be a new favorite healthy family dinner recipe. Flavorful, full of good-for-you ingredients and a complete meal all in on dish! Easily dairy-free and gluten free.
Healthy casserole recipe
Casseroles are kind of an easy dinner staple. At least in my head…for what it is worth.
Mix everything up. Toss it into one dish. Bake it up. Eat. The end. What is not to love and appreciate!? Especially since leftovers almost always seem to happen when a casserole is on the dinner menu. Plus, casseroles are super easy to transport, making them ideal for potlucks, family dinners or to bring to a family you adore that needs someone to take care of dinner for them (so, pin this for any families expecting a new baby!).
Broccoli and chicken is definitely a staple casserole combo, but I wanted to put my own veggie-loaded twist on it by mellowing out the dairy and upping the fiber with brown rice and extra broccoli! The flavor of this healthy casserole doesn’t disappoint and will 100% a new family favorite!
Recipe created in collaboration with Heather Staller.
Suggested adaptations
Make this broccoli casserole vegetarian. You can easily leave out the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Add some cooked chickpeas to the casserole for a boost of plant based protein, if you like.
Need dairy-free? Easy! The cheese on top is completely optional. Broil for a few minutes after baking and you can gets a delicious browned top that will add some extra flavor and texture to the dish without adding any cheese.
Use white rice instead of brown rice. You can use cooked white rice or even cooked quinoa in this recipe if you’d prefer.
Use frozen rice. Many grocery stores (like Trader Joe’s) sell precooked frozen brown rice. It is a great time-saving short-cut since frozen rice can be found in most grocery stores these days and makes this casserole that much easier to throw together.
Swap fresh broccoli for the frozen. Just make a few minor changes to the recipe: chop your fresh broccoli into small florets so they cook all the way through during the baking and add an additional 1/4 cup of broth over the top of the casserole before baking.
Add even more veggies to the recipe. Swap out 1 cup of cooked rice for 1 cup cauliflower rice (fresh or frozen). You could also stir in some grated carrot, chopped spinach, or small cauliflower florets.
Other veggie-loaded casserole recipes.
- Ranch Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Baked Pasta with Eggplant
- Veggie-Loaded Turkey Lasagna
- Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole
- Sausage Leek & Mushroom Breakfast Casserole
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Flavorful Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 16 ounces frozen broccoli florets
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch cubes* see notes for using cooked chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
- Black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + extra for greasing
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese or to taste and optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉ and grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil.
- Add rice and broccoli to the bottom of the baking dish. If any of the broccoli florets are much larger than the other, you may want to cut them smaller.
- Toss chicken pieces with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and a few grinds of black pepper. Distribute the seasoned chicken evenly over the rice and broccoli.
- Heat olive oil in a sauce pan or small pot over medium-high heat, add chopped onion and a pinch of salt and cook until onion is golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile whisk cornstarch/arrowroot into the chicken broth, making sure the cornstarch is dissolved.
- Once onion is cooked stir in the Italian seasoning then add the broth. Whisk in the remaining salt, mustard, and lemon juice then bring up to a simmer to thicken a bit. Once sauce is bubbling, pour evenly over the ingredients in the baking dish. Use a spoon to even out the top of the dish.
- Cover the baking dish with foil then bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Remove foil then add cheese evenly over the top, if using. Return the dish to the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese or use the broiler to get a golden, crunchy top. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
Comments
You had me at casserole! 😍
💚
Any suggestions to make this work with shredded rotisserie chicken?
I’d cook the casserole for 15 minutes without the cooked chicken, take it out and add the chicken in, back in to finish cooking and let chicken warm up. Finally the cheese on top and back in to melt. Hope that helps!
Hi!! This looks absolutely amazing! Could you substitute cauliflower rice for of brown/white rice??
Maybe! I haven’t tried it, but it would likely add a lot of liquid to the casserole so I would just be aware and probably suggest reducing the broth by a 1/2 cup. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Silly question but are the boneless, skinless chicken breasts supposed to be cooked before cutting up and adding to this casserole? Or does this call for raw chicken breast?
Raw. The chicken cooks in the casserole
Love this one, Taesha! I made it for dinner last night and it was so good that I immediately made another on for the freezer since I had everything in the house!
I am so glad, Trish! My family loves it too and, I agree, it is perfect for the freezer!
What are the steps to make this for the freezer? Do I bake it first?
Yes, I would bake it and let it cool completely. You can then portion it out and freeze portions individually in freezer safe containers or cover the baking container in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil before freezing.
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious!!!!!! So much flavor! Thank you!!
Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed, Missy!
We are hereby dubbing this the Miracle Casserole in our house!
My almost 2 year old son usually rejects chicken, broccoli, and rice, always. However, he gobbled down 3 bowls of this in one afternoon, asking for more and more and more!
We were astounded, astonished, amazed, and so grateful!
I didn’t even add much cheese and he’s eating everything he needs in one easy to prepare meal. The best!
That is so amazing, Karen! I am so glad!
This may seem like a silly question, but does the broccoli go in still frozen or should you hear it first?
I put it in frozen
Can you use fresh broccoli for the casserole as well
I haven’t tried but I’m confident it would probably work!
Can you use fresh broccoli
I bet it would! I haven’t tested it, but I will have to use fresh next time! If you give it a go, report back, please!
My family hates the taste of mustard . Is this an essential part of the recipe? Can you taste it?
You can taste it a bit, so if your family isn’t a fan…perhaps skip it. I find the mustard gives a little omph in the flavor, so maybe replace it with a little hot sauce (if your family likes that) or just leave it out!
Turned out well and very good! We thought it was a little heavy on Italian seasoning, so next time I will do half the amount of that. Otherwise, we loved it!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This was a great healthier comfort food option! It was so flavorful and creamy. Super easy to make and the whole family loved it.
I am so glad you enjoyed!!
Does the rice have to be cooked? It’s be nice to be able to dump it all in.
I totally get wants a dump and go meal. Unfortunately, brown rice takes a lot more liquid and time to cook than the rest of the ingredients, so it does need to be cooked. You could use pre-cooked rice (I believer Trader Joes has some in the freezer section) to help streamline everything!
Thank you for responding. It’s funny you mention TJ’s rice bc that’s exactly what I have. Would I follow recipe as is with precooked rice?
Yes!
Lots of good flavor! My teenage boys loved it which says a lot! As a mom I love a good, healthy one dish meal!
So happy to hear that, Tonya! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Can you freeze this casserole ?
I have’t tried but I bet it would freeze beautifully!
Thanks. I think I’ll try. I often make 2 at the same time when I make a casserole, so that I can freeze one for another day. This was delish!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! I’m all for cook once-eat-twice!
Very Tasty. Worth the effort. Not too heavy. Did not top with cheese. I actually ate the broccoli 🥦, which I normally don’t like.
Well now that is a win! I’m so glad to hear all of that, Jody. Thanks for taking the time to share!