One-Pan Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice
One-Pan Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice is a cheesy, easy dinner loaded with simple ingredients like chicken, rice, and broccoli. This dish is perfect for a busy weeknight when things are hectic. Only one dish to clean for this satisfying one-pan dinner recipe.
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ONE-PAN DINNERS
I’m a little late to the one-pot, one-pan party. I don’t know why I’ve been resistant but with food trends, I’m either really early or really late to try them.
For example, I think I was the last person in the world to eat quinoa.
And cookie butter…, just had my first taste ever yesterday.
Subconsciously I was trying to avoid it because it’s one of those things that I knew I would find myself elbow deep in before realizing the whole jar was gone.
Move over Nutella, cookie butter is the hot ticket in town now (thanks Heather for buying me a jar).
Anywhoooo, back to one-pan dishes. I feel no reason to ever make anything in more than one pan now.
Which is why I made this One-Pan Mexican Rice Chicken yesterday. I loathe dishes. This is a trend I plan on hanging on to for a while.
EASY DINNERS
To be honest, I wasn’t planning on sharing this dish, which is why there aren’t any step-by-step shots. But I have your back y’all. Easy dinners are hard to come by so I had to share. Especially chicken dinners (like these Baked Chicken Chimichangas).
I made it purely out of necessity trying to keep my house clean for 12 hours before I had to host Bunko so I looked up one-pan dishes so that I could keep my kitchen clean and still feed my family.
After I made it, it looked so pretty so I snapped a couple of pictures just in case. I found this recipe over at No. 2 Pencil. She has a ton of one-pot recipes that you guys should check out.
Broccoli is one of the few vegetables my whole family loves so I knew it would be a hit and it was. If broccoli isn’t a vegetable your family loves you can use spinach or asparagus.
This is the kind of chicken recipe that sits in your back pocket when it’s 5 pm and you don’t know what you’re making for dinner.
HOW TO MAKE ONE-PAN CHEESY CHICKEN, BROCCOLI, AND RICE:
- First, start by cooking your onions in a little olive oil in a 12-inch skillet. Once they’re soft you can add your seasoned chicken breast. If you’re using a rotisserie chicken you can add it later when you add the cheese.
- Next, you’ll saute your rice in a little olive oil. This gives the rice extra flavor by toasting it. Have your liquid on had because you’ll want it as soon as it’s done toasting.
- Add your chicken broth. I really like Better than Bouillon Chicken base in a can (you add water) which can be found right next to regular chicken broth.
- After the rice has been cooking for a while add your broccoli and let it steam.
- Finally, when all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice you’re ready to add the cheddar cheese. Stir 1/2 a cup in and sprinkle the rest on top to melt.
OTHER ONE-PAN DINNERS
- One-Pan Garlic Butter Chicken
- Skillet Greek Chicken Recipe
- One-Pot Chicken Spaghetti
- One-Pan Chicken Tortilla Bake
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- One-Pan Chicken Fajita Rice
- One-Pan Teriyaki Chicken and Rice
- Italian Sausage and Peppers
- One-Pot Sausage Broccoli Pasta
- Cheater Korean Beef
- One-Pan Tomato Basil Chicken Quinoa
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Skillet
- One-Pan Chicken Spinach and Orzo
- Creamy Chicken and Spinach
- One-Pan Creamy Zucchini Pasta
- Chicken Salad recipe
- One-Pan Sausage Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta
One-Pan Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced finely
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 cup uncooked extra long grain white rice
- 2 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, (I like to use Better than Buillion Chicken base)
- 2 1/2 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large skillet or pan, sauté onions in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Once onions soften, increase the heat to medium high and add chicken to the pan.
- Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 more minute.
- Push chicken to one side of the pan and add additional tablespoon of olive oil to other side.
- Add the uncooked rice in the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.
- Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid.
- Cook chicken and rice mixture covered for about 12 minutes.
- Sprinkle the broccoli evenly over the chicken and rice mixture and stir to combine.
- Continue to cook covered another 8 minutes on low, or until broccoli and rice are both tender.
- Remove from heat and stir in half a cup of cheese.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover with a lid, letting it sit for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted.
Video
Notes
I love all the recipes you post! Especially this one! It is delicious!!
Thank you! We make it often.
This looks wonderful! I’m wondering if the long grain white rice it calls for is the same as Minute Rice (which also says it is long grain white rice)? Thank you!
Minute Rice cooks faster than long grain rice. You can adjust it accordingly and make it work.
Thank you so much. I’m excited to make it for dinner tonight!
Made this tonight, and it was sooo good! My husband has Celiac so it’s hard to find casserole type dishes that are gluten free. This was a definite hit with my entire family!
So glad you loved it!
I’ve made this 4 times now in the last few months. I’ve made it with white and brown rice, instant and regular. Last night I had pre-steamed broccoli and rice already made so I threw it all together very quickly. It’s a great healthy recipe that my family loves. Thanks!
THank you Dori! It’s definitely one of my go-tos too!
Dori, did you cook it differently using the instant rice? I’m kind of a novice and I’m not sure what I would need to do to tweak it using Minute Rice. Thank you!
This was a quick, hearty side dish.
My family loved it.
I made this for my adult son and daughter in law for a week night meal. Everyone really liked it and there was some for left overs for the next day for their lunches. I will repeat making this as it was easy to put together and was a big hit. Thanks for sharing this dish.
You’re welcome!
This is really good! I’ve been trying broccoli chicken rice recipes for years but was never pleased with any of them. They always call for cream of chicken soup. This was was delicious! I added quite a bit of pepper, salt and garlic powder and topped with a 4 cheese shredded pizzeria blend 🙂 Will absolutely make again thank you!
You’re welcome!
Made this a few nights ago and it was amazing!!! DH doesn’t like broccoli “in” things (this comes from the same man who doesn’t like casseroles so I name them something different. Additionally our casserole dish is now a “baking dish”) usually but he absolutely loved this. Not many recipes are winners on the first try but this one was!
Haha. That’s hilarious. He’s a character! Glad he approved.
I loved this recipe! It was something delicious, yet simple to prepare after work. The only thing I would do different next time is brown the chicken first, then add the onions in. I found that my onions burned because it was taking longer for the chicken to brown.
This dish was wonderful! My son and daughter loved it. This is definitely in our rotation:)
It’s a great no-brainer.
Very good casserole – type meal. I really wanted to use brown rice, so I subbed brown Minute Rice. I used one cup of rice and one cup of chicken broth, and added it at the same time as the broccoli. Both the broccoli and the rice ended up needing 3 or 4 extra minutes to cook but everything came out very tender and delicious in the end. Hubby liked it too and I plan to make this again.
Glad you liked it!
This was so good! I used chicken breast tenders *what I had on hand* and frozen broccoli. Came out perfectly! We love cheesy chicken broccoli casseroles in my house. I was looking for a new recipe to change things up a bit and stumbled across this one. It tastes just like the casseroles i’ve made in the past….Actually even better I think! Must make recipe!
Thank you!
I just made but with two cups of orzo because I’m out of rice, and I added a cup of frozen peas. It’s great! A keeper for sure!
I made your One-Pan Cheesy Chicken today but I used romanesco instead of broccoli and it was AMAZING <3
I really loved it. I needed to add a little more water but I think that's the rice I used. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will defenitely make it again 🙂
You’re welcome!
I made this for supper tonight and it was very good! I love one pot meals so I have less to clean up. I made it just as the recipe says and it was great! I used frozen broccoli and it was good. I would cook the broccoli first a little bit as it was a little crunchy. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Made it. Ate it. Loved it.
We made it almost exactly as written and it was delicious. My picky six year old asked for seconds which was a first. Adding it to the recipe box. The only change is we didn’t use as much cheese, added extra broccoli, and next time might add a can of cream of mushroom soup to make it a tad creamier.
Glad you loved it!
I made this step by step and it came out great. My two year old said mmmmmmmmmm!
Glad you enjoyed it.
One of the best recipies I’ve found on Pinterest. My daughter loves it!!
Glad you love it.
I made this last night and we loved it. There are only 2 of us at home now so I halved it, left out the chicken and used it as a side dish. Next time I will use a bit more than half of the broccoli but that’s a personal preference. It is delicious and easy. Thanks for sharing it.
You’re welcome!
A recipe I got off of pinterest that I actually made and make regularly! One of my favorites. Not the quickest thing but worth it if you have the time. I use brown rice and it tastes just as good while being healthier. Would definitely recommend!
This was a big hit with my family! It was easy to make and the kids loved it! I’ve made it a few times now!
I’d love to make this but with egg noodles! would I just make the recipe as called for?
I think you could but I’ve never tried it.
I LOVE this recipe!!! Its got everything, it’s fast, delicious, totally comfort food! I make it all the time now! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Excellent. Made it just like the recipe and entire family loved it and ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. Definite keeper and will be making again.
Tried this with brown rice and it turned out terrible. It took forever for the rice to cook and I ended up with under-cooked, slightly burnt rice and over-cooked broccoli. If I make this again I’m going to use instant rice.
Well instant rice or white rice like the recipe calls for. Just fair warning for anyone else trying it with brown rice.
Brown rice takes a lot longer to cook so I can understand why that happened. Sorry!
This sounds really good. I’ve made dishes like this before but without the cheese. I thought I would make this one and add some bacon or prosciutto to it to give it a bit more zing. These types of dishes are so convenient. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
This looks so yummy. Would it work with 10 min brown rice instead?
Sure! Sounds great!
Brown rice takes quite a while to cook so you could add pre-cooked brown rice if you wanted and reduce the liquid to half a cup or so to give it some moisture.
This was delicious, and so simple to make. I love that you wrote the recipe with grated cheese instead of using canned cream-of-soup. It was creamy and nomlicious! My husband devoured it. Thanks for the great recipe.
I made this a couple days ago (was rushing and didn’t have time to measure out anything!) my boyfriend refuses to eat anything after he’s ate it twice in one week, well he asked me to make it again tonight! It was so delicious the first time and I know it will be great again tonight! Thanks for this great recipe!
Yay! Glad you love it.
Made this tonight! Followed recipe exactly except I used brown rice instead (I just doubled cooking time) it was SO good!! I love your recipes and this one will now be a regular!
Thank you! One of my go-to meals now 🙂
Would this recipe work with brown rice? if so, How can I adjust.
Brown rice takes a lot longer to cook so I’m not sure how it would work. You would probably just need to cook the rice longer but other than that it should be the same.
Made this for dinner tonight not very flavourful but easy and quick I’ll make it again just maybe add more seasoning
I made this tonight, but added some cream of chicken soup to it. I LOVED only using one pan!! Thanks so much for this recipe!
We Love this easy and delicious meal!!!! I have a pretty dumb question……do you cook the chicken all the way through when you first put it in the pan or do you literally just brown the outside for a couple of minutes then let it finish cooking with the rice and broccoli??
I like my chicken more well done so I cook it until almost done and finish with the rice and broccoli.
Any idea on calorie count?
Shoot! no. I wish.
I made this recipe a couple days ago, and it was great! The only things I changed is that I used 1/2 quinoa, 1/2 rice, switched out the onion for a little onion powder and celery, and added 1 cup plain greek yogurt at the end with the cheese to make it more creamy. It was so good!
Even leftovers were delicious =)
I made this for dinner tonight and I must say, it was delicious. I have a picky eater who loves rice and she said she “would eat this a lot”! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Yay! Success stories of picky eaters are my favorite.
It is very delicious. Do you happen to know the calorie count on this
I don’t. I’ve used this for other recipes. Ingredients vary so much so it’s hard to give out caloric info. http://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
What a fantastic meal! Can’t wait to have it again tomorrow at work and freeze the rest for next week.
Just made this for myself and my daughter. We’re in love! Good work!
Glad you loved it! Thanks for leaving your feedback.
It doesn’t tell how much salt is in it that tells me if I can have it. It looks so good
It lists 1 teaspoon salt in the ingredient list.
This was super yummy! I made it for dinner tonight, and my teenage son and his friend have not left a speck of it in the pan. Net time I’ll try adding some garlic powder for a bit more flavor.
I think garlic powder would be great!
We loved this recipe! I shared it (in Dutch) in my website. Dutch people also need to know about this lovely recipe. Of course I added a link to your blog + copyright info.
https://lekkerbudget.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/broccoli-met-cheddarkaas-kip-en-rijst/
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks for sharing!
have you ever tried this with brown rice? Just wondering if cook time or amount of chicken broth would be the same!
Brown rice takes longer to cook. I’m not sure how long though.
Found on Pintrest and made tonight here in in England with brown rice, very nice! I added parsley to mine too!
Can I use cream of chicken soup instead of the broth, or is it too thick for the rice? That’s all I have on hand tonight..
It’s probably too thick to cook the rice but I could be wrong.
Making this tonight and wondering if I could use frozen broccoli florets?
Yes! I’ve used frozen florets before.
I fixed this fir supper tonight and served with a small salad and cheesy, garlic toast….yum!
Hi this recipe sounds great. I plan on making it tomorrow, but my hubby doesn’t like rice so he asked if I can make it with orzo pasta. What would I do differently by using orzo pasta? Thanks
I don’t think you would have to do much different. Should be great!
I’m thinking of making this, but can you just use already cooked rice instead?
You could but you would have to reduce the liquid since the rice absorbs the liquid.
I made this tonight, thank you for a quick and yummy meal idea! I was seriously short on time, so I used frozen chicken bites from Schwan’s. It turned out delicious, but I wish I wouldn’t have been out of shredded cheese! Everyone devoured it, even my three picky little girls.
Also, I used brown rice… I just cooked it in a pot next to the skillet, then added it into the chicken mixture once it was finished. Made for two dishes instead of one, but I wanted to make sure it was done. 🙂
WoW! They ate it without cheese. Definitely good with cheese. Glad you liked it!
This is indeed tasty, quick, and easy. I’m a vegetarian so I used Quorn chicken tenders, and vegetable broth.. Also after I added the cheese I topped it with a mix of panko, olive oil, and parmesean, and put it in the oven until the panko was browned. I think the crunch of the topping added a lot to the dish. (I cooked it all in my cast iron skillet so it still only took one pan) Thanks for sharing!
I bet the panko was a great touch.
My husband didn’t think this dish would be good without the cream of something can. He was amazed how wonderful this old traditional recipe he grew up with tasted without the cream of chicken. This is now a staple in our house! We all love it!
So good to hear!
I’m with Nancy, I thought a can of chicken noodle soup might be good instead of the broth or split with the broth. With a small tossed salad, maybe some garlic toast; a superb dinner. I love simple recipes like this.
I was wondering if it came out stringy from the cheese or if the cheese completely melts and it becomes like a cheese sauce. The reason I ask is because I can’t stand when cheese gets all stringy, I won’t eat it at all.
It doesn’t become cheese sauce. It’s melted though. If you use low fat cheese it can get stringy.
Do you think that this meal lends itself to freezing?
It’s made in a skillet so I guess you could kind of scoop it out into a container and freeze it. Haven’t tried it though.
What Happened…. I gave this recipe 5 stars and it appeared as 2 stars. Definitely a 5 star meal.
Good to know! Thanks.
On this chilly day i found your recipe while searching for a Chicken and Broccoli Recipe. I only had enough ingredients to make a half batch. The meal was perfect for 2 and so delicious. I will definitely make again. So glad to find a Chicken Broccoli that doesn’t call for cream soups.
I made this with cooked quinoa instead of rice…..
I Was thinking of doing that also! When did you add in quinoa? How much liquid did you wind up using?
Just made this tonight for the first time and it was so good! will be making it again along with trying different recipes
Thanks! Love hearing that.
Such an easy and lovely recipe, I love it! I eat broccoli frequently, but I have to admit: it’s not my biggest favorite. Can you recommend me another vegetable which is good for this meal? If not, no problem, I was just curious. 🙂
I think you could throw any veggie you like in there that cooks fairly quickly. It’s very versatile.
Such an easy and lovely recipe, I love it! I eat broccoli frequently, but I have to admit: it’s not my biggest favorite. Can you recommend me another vegetable which is good for this meal? If not, no problem, I was just curious. 🙂
Asparagus, brussel sprouts or cauliflower would all work well in this recipe….I would also attempt to use cooked carrots as an alternative.
I’m making this tonight but I want to use brown rice. No difference in cooking right?
Brown rice usually takes twice as long to cook…
Thanks Christy. It did take a little longer but it turned out great. Simple dish but easy and tasty. I could see this becoming a regular in the rotation.
I used brown rice and it never cooked. I cooked it for at least twice as long. If one is going to use brown rice, you should pre cook it about 3/4s of the way then add it to the dish to finish cooking while the broccoli cooks and the cheese melts afterward. Mine ended up being a disaster. It looks like it would be a great dish otherwise.
I’m reading this review while waiting for my brown rice to cook per the instructions. And I’m already at twice as long…and then read your post..and half laughed half cried. Crunchy rice here we come! LOL
Oh no. Yeah, I haven’t used brown rice. The recipe is a quick one so you need a quick rice like long grain.
I buy brown rice especially for this recipe because it’s the only rice that needs 15 minutes to cook. White rice only takes 8 and I don’t want severely overcooked rice. Lol
I should have read the comments before making it 🙁 just ordered a pizza after an hour and a half of waiting for the rice to not be crunchy. I was so excited to eat this!
I used instant brown rice and cooked it separately with chicken broth instead of water. Then I added it to the chicken broccoli mixture at the end. It worked out well. I was afraid it would get mushy being instant if I cooked it any other way. I had long grain brown rice but knew it wouldn’t cook the same as long grain white rice so was afraid to use it. The downside is it becomes a two dish dinner lol
I’m making the recipe now, and it smells delicious. The only question I have is, Why do you sauté the rice before adding the broth?
It keeps the rice from becoming overly starchy and sticky.
Made this tonight – super yum. I made it with two cups of chicken broth and one cup of white wine. Big cheers all around 🙂
And easy, right?!! Thanks for the feedback…
Made this tonight and it was a huge success! So yummy. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Glad I could help!
This sounds delish but my husband is diabetic do you think I could just omit the rice?
You could omit the rice but you won’t need the chicken stock either because it’s there to cook the rice. Hope that helps!
Brown rice works for diabetics.
Super good. I used marble Jack cheese instead of sharp cheddar because that’s what I have (and that’s what I prefer), and it was great. I had to use closer to 4 1/2 cups of broth, but that may because I use short grain rice and it was crunchy, still, or maybe it’s just a preference… Anyway, great recipe! Love one dish meals!
I only have boil in a bag brown rice. Can I remove it fron the bag and use that?
Sure! Why not. Although you won’t need all the chicken broth because that’s for cooking the rice.
Wish I would have read this about 30 min ago! I used boil in a bag brown rice… didn’t realize it was any different. Definitely came out runny, so I added flour and Reduced it on low. Turned out a little looser than planned but it’s not too bad or too mushy. Good flavor!
Oh sorry!
Have you ever made this omitting the chicken? Sounds like it would make a nice side dish.. Wondered if it would work!
I haven’t but I’m sure you could make it without meat.
This looks so delicious and I love easy, one-dish meals!
This looks really good! And if it makes you feel any better, I have yet to try quinoa or cookie butter. Some day!
Sounds and looks like a delicious trend 🙂 I would to try it too.
I totally pinned this & plan on making it. YUM!
I love broccoli and easy dishes so this is perfect ♡ looks super yummy
For some reason I thought a cup of chicken noodle soup would be good with this.
I love cheese on everything
I love your recipes and would like to email some of them to my computer, where I have a recipe folder. How do I do that, as I see no email icon on your website.
Try the share button.
There is a share button at the bottom that if you hover over has an email option.
Copy and paste then email to yourself.
Did you use fresh brocolli? Would frozen broccoli work?
I used fresh but frozen would work!
I like one dish meals. I live alone and work an intense job. Kitchen mess should be minimal during the week. Plus I love leftovers for lunches. This works for me!!!
This was totally amazing everyone loved it will definitely be making it again