Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet is an easy dinner recipe the whole family will love! Reminiscent of Cheddar Broccoli Rice-a-Roni, this quick and easy skillet dinner is ready in 30 minutes and perfect for busy weeknights!
When it comes to quick and easy comfort food, THIS girl is sometimes a bit of a slacker.
I am the first to admit that I have a go-to chicken dinner recipe that involves grabbing a convenience box out of my pantry.
#upapologetic
Snark aside, I’ve been happily grabbing that box of Cheddar Broccoli Rice-a-Roni and serving it up for years.
It’s tasty, it’s easy, it’s comforting .. just add some chicken and you have a quick chicken dinner with next to no effort.
So why am I swerving off the road of easy street?
Because homemade Cheddar Broccoli Rice-a-Roni with chicken is even better!!!
cheesy chicken broccoli rice skillet
When it comes to easy comfort food, this broccoli cheddar rice recipe is a home run every time.
Who doesn’t love a chicken and rice dish? Then add cheese …. !!
Simple to make, loaded with great flavors and the perfect quick and easy chicken dinner.
Grab some chicken stock, milk and seasonings then combine that with some onion, garlic, rice, cheddar cheese, steamed broccoli and cooked chicken.
Talk about the ultimate comfort food recipe!!!!
This is basically a chicken and rice casserole without the cream of something soup and heating up the oven.
why homemade rice-a-roni is the best
- No cream of whatever soup!
- Great homemade flavor without having to grab a convenience boxed item.
- Perfect use for rotisserie chicken.. and a great time saver!
- The perfect chicken dinner to convince your kids to eat broccoli.
- Family favorite cheesy comfort food dinner everyone .. including picky eaters.. will love!
- Ready to serve in under 30 minutes.
- Tender chicken mixed with seasoned rice, cheddar cheese and fresh broccoli. Yum!
- Can we really ever have too many easy dinner recipes on hand?
To make this cheesy broccoli rice, you will need:
- Chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chicken stock
- Seasonings
- Milk
- Butter
- Broccoli
- Cheddar cheese
- Instant rice
Do you see that ingredient list??? You probably already have all of it on hand!!!
how do you make chicken broccoli rice?
To make this chicken and cheddar broccoli rice, start by heating olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add bite size pieces of chicken sprinkled with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add diced onion to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding garlic and cooking for another 1 minute.
Pour in chicken broth and stir in seasonings. Bring to a boil and add rice.
Cover, reduce heat to Low and let simmer 5 minutes.
While rice is cooking, steam broccoli florets.
If you do not have a steamer, add your broccoli florets to a large strainer over a pot filled with 1-2 inches of water.
Bring to a boil and then cover, steaming broccoli for 1-2 minutes. When done, remove from heat and set aside.
Once your rice has finished cooking, remove cover and stir.
Add in butter, milk, cheese and cooked chicken. Stir to combine and simmer for 2-3 minutes before stirring in broccoli.
Serve immediately.
pro tips for cheesy chicken and rice recipe
- If you family is not a fan of broccoli, substitute the broccoli with asparagus, spinach or cauliflower.
- The instant rice can be swapped out for long grain or brown rice. Long grain will need to cook for 15 minutes and brown rice will need a longer cook time and a bit more liquid.
- Want to save even more time with this chicken and rice recipe? Grab a cooked rotisserie chicken and save the step of cooking your chicken.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days.
using frozen broccoli
Have frozen broccoli on hand and want to use it in this cheesy broccoli rice recipe?
No worries!
A 16oz bag of frozen broccoli can be substituted for the fresh broccoli, just be sure you thaw it first!
Frozen broccoli is already blanched so you don’t need to cook it prior to mixing it into the rice.
Adding rotisserie chicken
Using rotisserie chicken in this broccoli cheese chicken rice recipe is a great time-saving tip!
Just make sure you have about 2 cups of chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken to add to this broccoli rice recipe.
more easy chicken recipes
- Pesto Chicken Ravioli and Veggies
- Homemade Spicy Orange Chicken
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Tequila Lime Chicken with Tomato Corn Salad
- Baked Crispy Chicken Parmesan
Enjoy ♥ Heather
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Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cup instant rice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cups broccoli florets
Instructions
- To make this chicken and cheddar broccoli rice, start by heating olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bite size pieces of chicken seasoned with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Add diced onion to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding garlic and cooking for another 1 minute. Pour in chicken broth and stir in seasonings. Bring to a boil and add rice. Cover, reduce heat to Low and let simmer 5 minutes.
- While rice is cooking, steam broccoli florets. If you do not have a steamer, add your broccoli florets to a large strainer over a pot filled with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and then cover, steaming broccoli for 2-3 minutes. When done, remove from heat and set aside.
- Once your rice has finished cooking, remove cover and stir. Add in butter, milk, cheese and cooked chicken. Stir to combine and simmer for 1-2 minutes before stirring in broccoli.Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you family is not a fan of broccoli, substitute the broccoli with asparagus, spinach or cauliflower.
- The instant rice can be swapped out for long grain or brown rice. Long grain will need to cook for 15 minutes and brown rice will need a longer cook time and a bit more liquid.
- Want to save even more time with this chicken and rice recipe? Grab a cooked rotisserie chicken and save the step of cooking your chicken.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days.
