Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole With Rice

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 chicken broccoli rice 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 chicken casserole!

Storage

• Store leftover cheesy chicken rice 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 instant rice.
• Garnish your chicken broccoli bake 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)

Deep Dish Pizza Casserole

Jiffy Corn Casserole

Sloppy Joes Casserole

Meatloaf Casserole

Beef Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

This post was featured on Meal Plan Monday and Weekend Potluck!