Name: Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 38 min
Ingredients: 1 pound frozen broccoli; 10 ounces cream of chicken soup; 1 cup sour cream (see notes); 8 ounces Velveeta cheese (chopped into very small pieces); 3 1/2 cups cooked white rice; 3 cups diced, cooked chicken (see notes); 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon cracked pepper; 2 cups shredded cheddar

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Chicken Broccoli Casserole is the ultimate cozy comfort food—perfect for busy days when when you need a warm hug in a dish. It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken and rice, and it’s packed with tender broccoli and melty cheddar cheese.

Forkful of chicken broccoli casserole topped with cheese.

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Oops, is my Midwest showing?

Cheesy Casserole Happiness Is Here!

Am I letting my Midwestern roots shine through here? Absolutely.

Does it involve Velveeta? Mm hmm. And I’m not mad about it and you won’t be either once you take a bite.

This cheesy chicken broccoli rice casserole takes everything I love about a casserole (carbs! cheesy vegetables so the kids are less likely to revolt! the option to use up leftovers! cozy and warm and just so good!) and it delivers every time.

This recipe came about because I was a having a moment (okay, a lot of moments) with my broccoli rice casserole. We’d eaten it as a side dish countless times and one day I said, hey, let’s turn this into a main dish by adding some of my stash of crockpot shredded chicken from the freezer.

Table of Contents

♥ Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

Creamy & Cheesy: Between the cream of chicken soup (use our homemade cream of chicken soup substitute!) and the Velveeta, this casserole is extra creamy and cheesy.
Family Friendly: This is a great way to get the kids interested in broccoli. The cheese, chicken, and rice are probably already favorites.
Leftover Magic: We often make a double batch of our Instant Pot jasmine rice so we’ll have leftovers for this recipe. Also great to stir in leftover grilled or baked chicken.

Ingredient Notes:

Ingredients for chicken broccoli rice casserole laid out on counter.

Frozen Broccoli – Economical and easy to keep on hand! We love using frozen broccoli in casseroles like this.

Cream of Chicken Soup – Try my homemade cream of chicken soup substitute or swap in our cream of mushroom soup. It’s better than canned, but if you ant to keep it simple the can is just fine!

Sour Cream – It adds rich, creamy flavor and texture! We’ve also tried this with cottage cheese as an alternative. It works great too and you won’t notice the chunks among the broccoli, rice, and cheese mixture. Bonus protein!

Velveeta Cheese – I’m sorry, but I have to be me and I love Velveeta in a casserole. Melts like a dream.

Cheddar – Buy a bag or shred your own.

White Rice – You’ll start with some already cooked white rice for this recipe. You can either prepare it ahead of time or make it just before assembling the casserole. Any variety of rice should be okay to use here.

Chicken – Start with already cooked, diced chicken. We often make it ahead of time with this easy crockpot shredded chicken recipe. Another option is to use a rotisserie chicken from the store!

Seasoning – We’re using garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cracked pepper to season this broccoli rice casserole with chicken. If the chicken isn’t already seasoned you may want to double up the seasonings.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations for Broccoli & Rice Casserole:

Veggies: Not a fan of broccoli? Stir in a bag of cooked frozen mixed veggies in place of the broccoli!

Rice: We’ve only tested this recipe with white rice, since that’s what my family likes, however it should work well with cooked brown rice too!

Low Carb: Swap out the rice for cauliflower rice to cut down on the carbs, plus the cauliflower will pair well with the broccoli.

Cheese: The Velveeta really does add the ultra creamy texture that we’re looking for here, but you can swap out the cheddar for any type of cheese you like. Gruyere adds some nuttiness, pepper jack will add a little kick! You could use cream cheese in place of Velveeta but it won’t be quite the same.

Protein: Some chopped ham or leftover turkey are some good proteins that would work well in this recipe in place of the chicken. Ground beef wouldn’t be bad either!

Step by Step Instructions:

Cook the frozen broccoli per package directions. Drain off any excess liquid and then chop into bite sized pieces.

Add the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and Velveeta to the broccoli and stir well.

Add the rice, chicken, and seasonings and stir again to combine. Taste and add any extra seasoning as necessary.

Cheese topped broccoli rice casserole in white baking dish.

Spoon into a prepared 9×13 baking dish and top with the cheddar cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.

Helpful Tip!

Storage & Freezing:

You can keep leftover chicken broccoli rice casserole stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It can be reheated in the microwave or the oven.

This casserole recipe can also be frozen! Chicken broccoli rice should freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the oven.

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole