In a 9x13 baking dish, add mayo, cream of mushroom soup, and black pepper. Mix to combine.
Add broccoli, chicken, rice, and 1.5 cups of cheddar cheese to the casserole dish and mix it all together.
Top the casserole with the remaining cup of cheese.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and return to the oven for another 10 minutes of cook time or until cheese is bubbly.
Carefully remove from oven, let cool slightly, and serve.
Dairy Free: simply sub the cheddar cheese with a dairy-free cheese.
Cooked Chicken: option to pick-up a rotisserie chicken at your local grocery store (you would use the whole chicken), make poached chicken, or follow our tutorial on how to shred chicken 3 different ways!
Cooked Rice: any variety of rice would work here. Keep it super simple and use a couple pouches of instant rice that can be cooked in the microwave. This can be added right into the baking dish, without going in the microwave first.
Broccoli: this recipe was tested with fresh broccoli florets and we highly recommend using them too. Option to use frozen broccoli, but it might get a little watery.
Optional Topping: feel free to cover the top of the casserole with 2 cups of roughly crushed Ritz crackers and then 1/4 cup of melted butter before baking. Option to use in place of the shredded cheese topping.