Chicken and Rice Casserole is a cheesy casserole filled with pieces of chicken, rice, and broccoli, all baked in one dish for a perfect weeknight, or any night, meal. Try my Amish Chicken Casserole for another dish you will want to make again and again!
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Casseroles, or hot dishes as we call them in the midwest, are great meals to make and are usually baked in one pan. Typically in these casserole recipes, you will find meat, potatoes, or some other kind of starch, along with a combination of vegetables, cheese, and canned soup. Well, this Chicken and Rice Casserole checks off all those boxes, as well as the thumbs up box because it is so tasty!
Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe
With some basic ingredients and a few seasonings, you can get this casserole in the oven and on the dinner table for a hearty and satisfying meal.
Chicken Mixture
The bulk of this recipe is what a casserole is all about–the chicken, rice, vegetables, and canned soup. Of course, we have the cream cheese in the bulk of the dish as well as shredded cheese to top it all off.
To get started, soften the cream cheese in a large bowl by using a fork. Next, add the garlic, cayenne pepper, thyme, salt, pepper, and cans of chicken soup. You could also use cream of mushroom soup, but it may change the flavor a bit. In fact, most creamed soups are interchangeable in casserole recipes. You could even make your own homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup!
After you have blended the cream cheese with the seasonings and soup, stir in the chicken broth. Finally, fold in the cubed chicken, broccoli, and uncooked rice. Pour this mixture into a greased 9×13-inch casserole dish to be baked.
Baking the Casserole
Before you bake the casserole, top the chicken mixture with the pats of butter, spreading them out evenly. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese on top of the butter. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Broil the casserole for three additional minutes, and remove from the oven. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Chicken and Rice Casserole
Casseroles are great because they have the protein, veggies, and substance you need for a complete meal. But, they are great served with some additional veggies, like a side of Roasted Parmesan Green Beans or Garlic Roasted Asparagus. Have a basket of dinner rolls available to really round out the meal.
More Casseroles
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cans (10.75 ounces each) cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups instant white rice
- 1/2 cup butter, sliced into pats
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F and grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, soften the cream cheese with a fork.
- Add the garlic, cayenne pepper, thyme, salt, pepper, and cream of chicken soup. Mix well.
- Stir in the chicken broth.
- Fold in the cubed chicken, broccoli, and rice.
- Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
- Top with pats of butter (evenly spaced) and the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.
- Broil for three additional minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Top with parsley.
Did you make this recipe?
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Did you use frozen broccoli or fresh?
I use fresh
This was so delicious! I improvised a little & added sautéed chopped mushrooms. Didn’t have 2 cans of cream of chicken, so I used one cream of mushroom & one can of the cream of chicken soup. I also used jasmine rice which took longer to cook. about an hour 1/2. This will be my new go-to. Whole family loved this!!
Yummy
Can this be done in individual casseroles and frozen between step 8 and 9? I live alone and most casseroles are wasted, but this sounds too good to pass up
Yes, you can!
I use raw chicken. It comes out perfect because of the hour baking time.
This is delicious, it is my go to when I want to make an easy dinner and put it in the oven. I use raw chicken and Jasmine rice when I make mine.
Can you just use. Rice & chicken & cream of chicken soup @ no. Cheese.
Can this be done with brown rice??
Sure
Does the chicken need to be cooked or raw?
Can you use regular rice verses the instant. I would think it will be ok since it’s cooking for 45 minutes.
Instant rice? Sorry, but can I substitute regular long grain rice?
You may do whatever you like.
Just throwing this out there. I’m from the midwest (Iowa) and I have never heard of a casserole called a hot dish. We call its a casseroles. This looks delicious, so I’m going to give it a try.
You grew up in Iowa and never heard of hotdish? Crazy! Enjoy the dish. 🙂
is the chicken cooked first.?