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EASY Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake is a simple, deliciously homey dinner that is perfect for freezing and sharing!
Cheesy chicken and rice bake is a favorite casserole dish! We typically pair it with salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing, Parmesan Baked Asparagus, or Parmesan Crusted Zucchini Spears. Although it is filling on its own too!
Chicken Rice Bake
We love chicken. We love rice. We love broccoli. And we love casseroles. With that in mind – we love today’s chicken rice bake recipe!
Today’s recipe for Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake is filled with so much flavor and is very simple to make. I’m not going to lie – not all my kids love broccoli so a few were picking it out. Fortunately, the dish was so flavorful that most of them didn’t even realize it was in there (win)!!
If you (or your kiddos) absolutely cannot stand broccoli, you can easily omit it without losing any of the big flavor in this dish. But like I said, it tastes SO good, you hardly even notice the broccoli is there! We hope you love this baked chicken and rice casserole. This is another dinner recipe to add to the rotation. It is hearty, simple and delicious.
How to make Chicken broccoli Rice Bake
This is probably one of the more simple casserole recipes, to be honest. There’s very minimal prep work before you spoon everything into the pan and stick it in the oven.
COOK. Cook chicken and broccoli in a large skillet.
COMBINE. Once chicken is no longer pink, add broth and bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients (besides shredded cheese) and mix.
BAKE. Spoon into greased 8×8 glass pan, top with shredded cheese, and bake for 22-26 minutes at 350°.
Enjoy! So easy and so delicious!!
Variations + SToring Info
This recipe is easy to change up based on the rice, cheese and veggies you want to add. Here are some variations:
- Omit broccoli
- Use brown or multi-grain rice
- We used Italian 5 cheese, but easily change it up with cheddar or mozzarella
- Change up the veggies with carrots, zucchini, or squash
This can be made up to 24 hours in advanced. Just cover and store in the fridge until ready to bake. You may need to add an additional few minutes, and we recommend storing without the cheese and adding it right before baking.
STORE leftovers for 3-4 days in the fridge then reheat in the microwave.
This is a great meal to make a double batch for the freezer! To FREEZE you will follow instructions #2-3 and then put it all in a freezer safe, airtight container after it has cooled completely. It will freeze for up to 3 months. Before reheating, let it thaw in the fridge for 24 hours and then add the cheese on top and bake in the oven for 22-26 minutes. You may need to add an additional few minutes.
This casserole makes a perfect freezer meal to give to new moms or families struggling with health as an easy meal they can pull out and bake when needed.
For more favorite chicken Casserole recipes:
- Cheesy Chicken Alfredo Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken Rice
- Chicken and Green Bean Casserole
Chicken Rice Bake
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups instant white rice, uncooked
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- garlic salt (with parsley flakes), to taste
- pepper
- 1 cup italian 5 cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat oil in large skillet and cook chicken and broccoli. Cook until chicken is no longer pink.
- Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Add rice, cream cheese, milk, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Spoon into greased 8×8 baking dish.
- Top with shredded cheese. Cover and bake for 22-26 minutes. ENJOY!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from Kraft Foods.
Can I use regular white rice, instead of instant white rice? Thank you!
How bout Durkees onion ring bits crushed up on top??
I haven’t tried that, but it sounds like it would be tasty!