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This Cheesy chicken and rice recipe is cooked in one skillet with broccoli and carrots! This hearty dish is a family favorite and I make it often on crazy weeknights.
Things I am currently obsessing over: this weather, The Handmaid’s Tale, and one dish dinners.
They all correlate, if you think about it. I need plenty of time to watch The Handmaid’s Tale with the windows open letting in the nice Spring breeze and I can’t do that if I’m spending hours in the kitchen cooking and washing dishes.
Right? 😉
So, yes, I’m lazy and that’s partly why I love this chicken and rice recipe. Not to worry, I also love it because it’s kid-friendly, healthy, packing in two veggies in one dish, made with lean chicken, and did I mention that it’s DELICIOUS?
Busy mama’s, tell me the truth – do you want this easy chicken and rice recipe or nah?
Right. I had a feeling you’d want the recipe. This one is just as popular as our broccoli rice casserole and the kids love it!
How to make cheesy chicken and rice with broccoli and carrots:
We’re going to start by chopping up some chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks. You could also use thighs, if that’s more your style.
Season the chicken with a little garlic powder, salt, and pepper and toss it in a hot skillet with some olive oil.
Cook the chicken until browned on the outside. No need to cook it through at this stage of the game.
Next, you’ll stir in some minced garlic, diced carrots, white rice, and chicken broth.
Bring that goodness to a boil and pop a lid on. Go sit on the back porch and enjoy some peace and quiet while this cooks. You’ve got ten minutes. 😉
After ten minutes is up, give it a stir and add the broccoli. Chicken and broccoli go together so perfectly!
Pop the lid back on and cook for another ten minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Back to the porch with you. This time with a glass of my vodka collins.
Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle on some grated cheddar (or whatever cheese you fancy), and pop the lid back on for two minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
That’s it, friends. You’re done. This chicken rice recipe is ready to devour!
Call your people to the dinner table, dish up some of this cheesy broccoli rice casserole, and dig in!
Serve this with a big green salad on the side and you’re good to go.
I’m putting this under my ‘skinny‘ category, because it’s fairly light and healthy! Use reduced fat cheese if you prefer to limit the calories and fat even more!
For a quick dessert, try my chocolate chip cookies. They’re ready from start to finish in about 20 minutes – no weird ingredients, no chilling the dough, and they are literally the best chocolate chip cookies ever.
More rice recipes you’ll love:
Bacon Fried Rice – I make this for lunch weekly!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole – everyone’s favorite flavors, right?
Chicken Rice Casserole – this one is baked in the oven and it’s so comforting.
Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice: Low carb!!
If you love this cheesy broccoli rice casserole, be sure to follow me on Pinterest for more simple family-friendly recipes!
Cheesy Chicken and Rice with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup grated cheddar
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.1 pound chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Add the olive oil to a large, deep skillet and heat until shimmering.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook, stirring often, until chicken is nearly cooked through and browned on the outside.1 pound chicken breasts
- Add the rice, carrots, and garlic to the pan and stir to combine. Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil.1 cup white rice, 1 cup carrots, 3 cloves garlic, 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- Reduce to a simmer, cover pan and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir well. Add the broccoli and cover the pan. Continue cooking for 10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the rice is tender.
- Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the cheese on top of the rice mixture. Cover with a lid for 5 minutes to allow cheese to melt.1 cup grated cheddar
Cindy Carter says
This has not only been one of the easiest but most delicious chicken rice recipes I’ve made. I loved it and this recipe moved to top tier of the recipe list. I did add half a large onion diced because almost everything I make has onions and sauteed along with the chicken. Whenever a recipe calls for rice I rinse in a small bowl swirling the rice with either my hands or a wooden spoon, drain and repeat at least three times. Doing so removes the starch and makes a light fluffy rice. My oriental friends taught me the difference; not rinsing the rice makes it what they call sticky rice. Other than these 2 things this dish was delicious.
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Cindy! I’m sure it’s delicious with the onion added. 🙂
Sam Ches says
Made this tonight and it was so so tasty! Really easy recipe to follow and a great meal when you’re wanting something quick!
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Karly says
Thanks, Sam! Glad you enjoyed!
Kaila Moreau says
This was SO GOOD!! Big hit with my picky 2 year old as it contains pretty much all the foods he likes in one dish. I sneak the broccoli and carrots into bites of rice and we’re golden! Haha thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper for our family 🙂
Karly says
Love to hear that!! <3
Amy Scott says
My family loved it and said definitely a keep recipe, I added broccoli about 5 mins earlier for slightly more tender, and added a splash of Pinot Grigio wine for extra flavor and was great!!! Will definitely be doing this again!
Hayley says
Super simple to follow and turned out exactly like the photo! I replaced chicken stock with water because I didn’t have any on hand and used vegan cheese slices which melted perfectly. I wish it’d update the nutrition facts for 3 servings.
Sam says
Do you think this would turn out ok if I used a rotisserie chicken?
Karly says
Hi Sam! I think it’d be fine. Just stir the cooked chicken in towards the end rather than at the beginning.
Amy says
Brown rice took forever to cook but this is such a tasty meal, hoping my toddler will love it.
Is this freezable?
Karly says
I’ve never froze it, but I think it would freeze fine.
Tom says
I tried it i browned the chicken, and then i added chicken stock and rice and added some small pieces of potato then broccoli. Let that cook a little then cheese. Think I over cooked the rice tho. It’s a bit mushy. Other than thank, pretty good. Oh and I added can of mushroom soup.
Karly says
Hi Tom! The additional of the cream of mushroom might have been what made the rice mushy if you didn’t adjust the other liquids. But, I’m glad you enjoyed otherwise. 🙂
Robert says
Just wanted to say that I made this last night for my girlfriend and it was a hit! We both really enjoyed it. Some of the rice stuck to the pan at the bottom, but it was easy to clean and easy to prepare!
Kristen says
Have made this twice so far, first with broccoli and carrots, then with broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. DEELISH!!
Jennifer W Fish says
Was I supposed to reduce heat and simmer once the rice is added? I didn’t and it cooked way too fast.
Karly says
Yes, it called for reducing the heat, but I just updated it to clarify that it should be at a simmer. Sorry for the confusion.
Transister Sistor says
Made this according to recipe and my Jasmine rice and broccoli florets needed a couple more 10- minute cooking incriments under the lid with a little more liquid added. The rice was too hard and my boyfriend likes the vegetables to be more cooked than raw. Otherwise it tasted good, just not as “quick & easy” as advertised.
Karly says
Hi there!
Sorry you had issues with this one. Were you covering the pan? I can’t imagine the rice and broccoli wouldn’t be fully cooked after 25 minutes on the rice and 15 on the broccoli?
Sereniti says
We used cheesy steamable broccoli and added mushrooms and this came out amazing! Even my picky eater loved this. Definitely seeing this becoming a regular thing(though regular broccoli next time)
Alyssa Morales says
I love this! I just made it as a make ahead dinner (which wasn’t necessary because it was so quick and easy) and it came out delicious! Definitely adding this to our dinner rotation. Thank you! (Also gonna scroll back up for that cookie recipe. I have a feeling it won’t disappoint ?)
Karly says
Yay! Glad it was a hit! And enjoy that cookie! 😉
Retired Me says
Made this in Crockpot Express using Suate/Brown and Slow Cook features. Worked great, came out very tasty! Tip: To reach casserole consistency, make sure liquid is gone/evaporated per recipe.