Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice – a one pot dinner that is so easy to make! Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner! Kid-friendly!
The Best Cheesy Chicken Broccoli & Rice Recipe
If you love a great one pot meal – you are going to love this one! And if you aren’t on the one pot meal bandwagon yet, you will be once you try this! This dish is full of real, simple ingredients and is easy enough to make during the week. Plus, there is minimal clean-up since it is all made in one pot! The whole family will love all the great flavor. You have to add this to your weekly meal plan ASAP!
What You Will Need
- olive oil or ghee – a little needed in the pot for searing the chicken thighs – use olive oil if you want the dish to be dairy-free.
- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – you can also use boneless/skinless chicken thighs but the flavor is really the best with bone-in, skin-on thighs.
- kosher salt & pepper – a dash of each is always needed when seasoning meat.
- garlic & yellow onion – both bring really great flavor to just about any recipe.
- broccoli florets – the veggie for this dish – option to use frozen broccoli florets but they would likely be a bit more mushy.
- chicken bone broth – you can use a chicken broth or stock but we highly recommend chicken bone broth because it has so much great flavor!
- soy sauce – opt for tamari if you want the dish to be gluten-free.
- long-grain white rice – the perfect rice for this dish – if you use another rice you may need to adjust the cook times.
- lemon zest – a little acidity to help bring out all the great flavor.
- shredded sharp cheddar cheese – so much cheesy goodness!! Option to use a dairy-free alternative if that is a concern for you.
What Is The Best Chicken To Use For This Dish
We highly recommend using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because they have so much great flavor! You could also use a boneless, skinless chicken thigh or even chicken breasts – if that is what you prefer or have on-hand.
Tips To Make Sure The Rice Is Cooked Perfectly
In this recipe we used long-grain white rice and it worked really well so that is what we recommend using. Brown rice would require a different cook time and we have not tested that yet. Also, make sure you take a look at the cook time on the package instructions so you know approximately when to start checking to see if it is done. If the rice is fully cooked and you still have a little broth in the pot, just give it a mix and let it sit for a few minutes out of the oven with the top off.
Storing Leftovers
This is one of those recipes where the leftovers might be even better than when you first cook it – so good! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
How To Make Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice
Prep your ingredients.
Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel.
Season the chicken with some salt & pepper.
Heat up a dutch oven with a drizzle of olive oil in the bottom and then sear the chicken thighs on both sides.
Remove the chicken, then sauté the garlic and onion. Next, add in the broccoli, broth, soy sauce and salt – stir to combine. Then add the rice.
Add the chicken bake in, cover, and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees.
Once the rice is cooked to your liking you can remove it from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Remove the chicken and mix in the shredded cheese.
And enjoy!!
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Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top + Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice – a one pot dinner that is so easy to make! Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner! Kid-friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup yellow onion, diced
- 3 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 1/4 cup chicken bone broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/3 cup long grain white rice
- 2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Pat chicken thighs dry with a clean paper towel.
- Season generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper (about a tablespoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper).
- Add oil to a 5.5qt Dutch Oven and bring to medium-high heat (it should sizzle if you flick some water into it). Add chicken thighs skin-side down. Sear both sides 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken thighs and set them on a plate; set aside.
- Add garlic to the pan and move around until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add onions and let reduce, about 1 minute.
- Add broccoli, broth, soy sauce, lemon zest and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add rice; stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer and then place chicken thighs back on top (skin side up) along with any juices that have settled on the plate under them.
- Cover and place in the oven (middle rack).
- Bake 30-40 minutes or until rice is soft (or cooked to your liking). If you check the rice and you feel like all of the broth is gone but the rice isn’t fully cooked, add an additional 1/4 cup broth.
- Remove from oven and place on stove top; let sit 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and set aside on a plate.
- Add in 1 cup of shredded cheese and gently fold in until the cheese has melted (don’t turn on the stove, the rice will be plenty hot from the stove). Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover with the lid until cheese is soft and starting to melt.
- Serve rice with chicken.
Notes
- Cook Time: if you are using white rice that, per package instructions, would only take 15 minutes to cook normally – I would recommend reducing the cook time to 25 minutes.
- Rice: while I wish we could make this with brown rice, the cooking time would be way off. Make sure you are using long grain white rice, otherwise I can’t guarantee cooking time!
- Broth: while you don’t have to use chicken bone broth (any kind of chicken broth will do), it will really add to the flavor of the dish.
- Excess Broth: it’s okay if there is a little excess broth at the bottom of the pan after cooking. Once you remove the chicken, give the rice a stir and let it sit a few minutes with the cover off. The rice will continue to soak up the broth.
- Leftovers: this recipe makes great leftovers!
- Dairy-Free: to keep this dairy-free simply opt for olive oil instead of ghee and use a dairy-free cheese alternative.
- Gluten-Free: to keep this gluten-free use tamari instead of soy sauce.
Nicole says
Made this last night and we loved it! The rice had great flavour and chicken was tender. Will definitely make again!
Rachael says
Made this today for a rare cold day in South East AZ. It brought back so many memories of childhood dinners without the canned soup that we try to avoid. So delicious, quick, and simple one pot meal that packs so much flavor. It will be going in my regular rotation.
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed it, Rachael!!
Alissa says
Mallory’s new favorite! So yummy!