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Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with Rice

This cheesy chicken and broccoli rice is comfort food at it's finest! Chicken, broccoli, and rice are baked in a cheesy, creamy sauce and topped with buttery Ritz crackers.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 525 kcal
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) salted butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 12 ounces (1 ½ packages) cream cheese, cubed and softened at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves (or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
  • 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice
  • 4 cups frozen baby broccoli florets, thawed (about 12.6 ounces)
  • 2 cups coarsely crushed Ritz crackers (about 1 sleeve of crackers) mixed with 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F . Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; set aside.
  2. In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add flour, whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; whisk constantly until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat; whisk in the cream cheese, thyme, rosemary, mustard, salt, and pepper until smooth. Stir in chicken, rice, and broccoli. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
  4. Top with the buttered Ritz cracker crumbs.
  5. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Quick prep: to help this casserole come together quickly and easily, use store-bought rotisserie chicken, baby broccoli florets that you just have to thaw (no cooking or chopping), and microwaveable packets of rice.
  • Use full-fat blocks of cream cheese (not tubs of cream cheese spread).
  • Make sure that the cream cheese is softened at room temperature before adding it to the sauce. This will ensure that the cream cheese melts smoothly in the pan.
  • One 12.6-ounce bag of frozen baby broccoli florets equals about 4 cups, which is the amount needed for this recipe.
  • You'll need about 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers to equal 2 cups coarsely crushed.
  • Bake the casserole just until it's heated through. All of the ingredients are already cooked, so you just want to warm it in the oven until bubbly. Don't bake it for too long or it will dry out and the rice will get mushy.
  • To serve a smaller family, cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8- or 9-inch square dish.
  • Don't have Ritz crackers? Substitute with crushed potato chips, crushed Corn Flakes cereal mixed with melted butter, or other buttery crackers (like Keebler Club crackers).
  • Instead of the broccoli, add frozen peas, corn, steamed green beans or asparagus, or sautéed mushrooms to the casserole.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1/10 of the dish Calories 525kcal (26%) Carbohydrates 36g (12%) Protein 25g (50%) Fat 31g (48%) Saturated Fat 17g (85%) Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 122mg (41%) Sodium 762mg (32%) Potassium 436mg (12%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 1122IU (22%) Vitamin C 34mg (38%) Calcium 97mg (10%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 525

% Daily Value*

Serving 1/10 of the dish
Calories 525kcal 26%
Carbohydrates 36g 12%
Protein 25g 50%
Fat 31g 48%
Saturated Fat 17g 85%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 122mg 41%
Sodium 762mg 32%
Potassium 436mg 9%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 1122IU 22%
Vitamin C 34mg 38%
Calcium 97mg 10%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.