This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This 35-minute one pot chicken, broccoli, and rice recipe is creamy, cheesy, and easy to make on the stove. It’s so much faster than a casserole!
If you love one pot meals, try my Lemon Chicken Orzo or Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole.
Why you’ll love it
This is very much like a chicken broccoli rice casserole, but it’s not baked, making it way quicker! It can be on your table in just over 30 minutes. It’s an all-in-one dinner that’s kid-friendly, and you won’t find any fancy ingredients in here.
I used meat from a rotisserie chicken to make this one pot recipe even simpler. Just pick one up on your way home from work or running errands. This is such a comforting meal after a long day, and you won’t spend much time in the kitchen cooking or cleaning up after, which is what’s important, right?
What you’ll need
- Olive oil and butter – the classic base for sautéing the onion
- Onion – I like Vidalia, but yellow or white is just fine
- Garlic – one of my go-to aromatics to amp up flavor
- Italian seasoning – it’s a convenient blend of dried herbs that comes in a jar in the spice aisle of your grocery store
- Rice – we’re using long grain white rice
- Chicken broth – infuses more flavor into the sauce in an easy way
- Worcestershire sauce – a little goes a long way to adding wonderful savory flavor. Don’t skip it!
- Heavy cream – gives the sauce its rich texture. You could swap the cream for a can of condensed cream of chicken soup if you prefer.
- Chicken – use shredded leftover or rotisserie chicken as a timesaver
- Broccoli – be sure to cut the fresh broccoli into small florets so that they cook fast
- Cheddar cheese – try an old/sharp cheddar for the best flavor
What kind of rice to use
- I used long grain white rice (that’s literally what the bag of rice is labeled as). You could get more specific and use basmati or jasmine rice, which are types of long grain white rice.
- I do not recommend using brown rice since it’ll require more liquid and cooking time. I have not tested this, but feel free to experiment.
How to make one pot chicken broccoli rice
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion for 4-5 minutes, then put in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and uncooked rice. Cook for about a minute.
Stir in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Add in the cream, broccoli, and cooked chicken, and cover again and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Stir in the cheddar, and season to taste with salt & pepper!
Tips for success
- On my stove with the directed cooking times and temperatures, there’s a bit of liquid left that makes a sauce, and the rice is cooked but not mushy. This should not be a “gloopy” meal unless you overcook it or if you use a shorter grain rice that’s more starchy/sticky.
- As with any one pot meal, you may need to use a bit of discretion since stoves and pots vary. If there seems to not be enough liquid (like the rice is about to start sticking to the pot), add in a splash more broth or cream. If there’s too much liquid towards the end of cooking time, simply let it cook for a bit longer.
- I recommend grating your own cheese. It’ll taste and melt better. My favorite grater for cheddar makes this process quick and easy.
- If you want to keep it mild for the kids but jazz up your portion, just add some hot sauce 😉
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, but keep in mind the rice will soak up more of the liquid, so it won’t have quite the same texture as when it’s first made.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat. You could try adding in a drizzle of cream or broth to revive it.
- I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
What to serve with this meal
- It’s a complete meal in itself, but you can add a slice of Garlic Bread.
- Try a side salad with classic Caesar Dressing, or change it up with this Simple Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing.
Questions about this cheesy chicken, broccoli, and rice recipe? Talk to me in the comments below! I’d love it if you left me a review. I’m also on Instagram.
Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice see note
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 cups cooked chicken (I used rotisserie) shredded/chopped
- 2 cups broccoli cut into small florets
- 1.5-2 cups grated cheddar
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients. If you want to have a melted cheese topping, grate 2 cups of cheddar. If not, only grate 1.5 cups like I did for the photos.
- Add the oil, butter, and onion to a pot/Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and rice, and cook for about a minute (stir frequently).
- Stir in the broth and Worcestershire sauce, and increase the heat to high. Once it comes to a boil, give it a stir, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the cream, chicken, and broccoli. Cover the pot again and cook for another 5 minutes or until the broccoli has softened to your liking and the rice has cooked. On my stove with the directed cooking times and temperatures, there's a bit of liquid left that makes a sauce, and the rice is cooked but not mushy. It will thicken more as it cools. See recipe notes for troubleshooting tips.
- Stir in the 1.5 cups of cheddar and taste and season with salt & pepper as needed (I am generous with both – there's a lot of rice in here). If you want the melted cheese topping, top with the remaining half cup of cheese and let it melt for a few minutes prior to serving.
Notes
- Serves 4-6 depending on portion size/what else it’s served with.
- I used long grain white rice (that’s literally what the bag of rice is labeled as). You could use basmati or jasmine rice, which are types of long grain white rice. I don’t recommend using brown rice since it’ll require more liquid and cooking time (I have not tested it, but feel free to experiment). Shorter grain rice varieties will be more sticky/starchy/gloopy.
- Troubleshooting tips:
- Stoves and pots vary, so take my directions as a guideline. If there seems to not be enough liquid/the rice is sticking to the pot, add in a splash more broth or cream and lower the heat. If there’s too much liquid towards the end of cooking time, simply let it cook for a bit longer (turn the heat up a bit if needed).
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
Can I make this with rice I cooked yesterday and want to use up?
Hi Lori! We wouldn’t recommend it. It’s likely that it would turn to mush since it’s already cooked, and this recipe is designed for uncooked long grain white rice. Read the blog post for more specifics on why. 🙂
Used truffle salt. It came out really good!
Excellent!! I love truffle salt and use mine frequently haha. 😀
This recipe is really good! The only thing I do differently is add the broccoli 5 min before the rice mixture is done, because I find the broccoli takes a while to soften. I have made with rotisserie chicken and sautéed thighs and both are good, and I have also had to use half and half in place of cream when I had none on hand and it works fine, just takes a little longer to thicken. My family loves this one and it makes lots of leftovers!
I’m thrilled to hear it!
One of our new favorites! Whole family absolutely loves it…made a pot for 4 of us yesterday and it was gone so fast that I had to make a 2nd pot right then. (I omit the broccoli most of the time, still turns out wonderfully delicious).
Fantastic!! 😀
Very good, I added grated carrots with onion and sprinkled with toasted panko crumbs (with olive oil and salt) before serving! Will definitely make again.
Fantastic! Thanks for your review, Cammie!