If you've never had swiss cheese chicken bake like this then you're missing out. With the stringy melted swiss cheese, soft broccoli florets, and fluffy flavorful white rice in every bite, this dish is amazing.
Chicken broccoli rice casserole has been an easy recipe in my family for as long as I can remember (20 years?)
This chicken rice and cheese casserole recipe has been in our house for as long as I can possibly remember. We've tried so many variations to it over the years but none of them taste as good as this recipe right here.
We tried adding mayonnaise to it (a recommendation from a coworker of my mom's who SWORE she tried it and loved it better that way). Nope. Gross.
Using fresh broccoli instead of frozen. The flavor and texture were off.
We tried making it healthy with made from scratch soups, long cook rice, etc. We even tried making it on the stovetop instead of the oven and nothing compares.
So after years and years of eating this delicious recipe, I'm so glad that I get to finally share it with all of you!
🥘 Ingredients
- Water
- Cream of chicken soup
- Frozen broccoli florets
- Chicken breast
- Quick cook minute rice
- Swiss cheese slices
🍽 Equipment Needed
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- 9x13 baking dish
- Wooden spoon
- Large liquid measuring cup
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make chicken and swiss casserole with these simple step-by-step instructions:
In a greased 9x13 pan add your rice, and broccoli. If you use diced or shredded chicken, you can add them here.
Add water.
Whisk in 1 can of cream of chicken.
If using large cuts of chicken breast, lay them on top of the rice.
Layer your swiss cheese over the top so that it is covering as much surface space as possible. It's okay if the cheese overlaps.
Using a wooden spoon, spread your cream of chicken (second can) over the top of the swiss cheese.
Bake in the oven at 350F degrees for about 1 hour.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Making this swiss chicken cheese casserole is very easy and there are a few simple ways that you can make it a little better. If you like your cheese a little harder along the edges of the pan then you can bake it at 375F instead of 350F degrees.
If you want to use shredded swiss cheese instead, then mix the second can of cream of chicken soup into the rice to make it more flavorful. This will also help your cream of chicken and rice casserole to not dry out as it cooks.
You can use any cut of chicken meat. We like to use one diced chicken breast, but you can use chicken tenders or even shredded chicken if you have it on hand.
💭 FAQs
Nope! No need too! This recipe is designed to fluff up the rice while it's baking so that you don't have to do any extra work. It's literally an easy cheesy chicken and rice dump casserole.
Yes, it's preferred that way so that the chicken doesn't dry out. You can place thawed raw chicken or even frozen chicken into this recipe and it turns out the same. If using large frozen chicken breasts (uncut) then I recommend baking at 375F degrees to make sure that they're fully cooked.
I've tried this recipe with fresh and with frozen and frozen wins hands down. With fresh broccoli, you get some crisp roasted edges where the broccoli pokes through the top layer but the smell and flavor are a little stronger than when using frozen. You can try it both ways and see which one you prefer.
You'll know that it's done when the chicken reaches a proper 165F degrees on an instant-read thermometer and all of the water has been absorbed by the rice. The edges of the dish should appear dry, crispy, and golden brown.
This rice bake should almost always be cooked at 350 for an hour but there are some variables to consider. You can use small cut or frozen chicken pieces at this temperature and cook for an hour or if using thawed or small chicken pieces then you might find that the dish is finished around 40 minutes. The added time in the oven helps the cheese to get to that crisp and gooey goodness we want though.
Cooking it at 375F for 45 minutes can be okay if you have thawed or already cooked chicken involved or if the chicken is in smaller pieces (like 1in cubes or thin tenderloins). If using frozen extend the time to 1 hour.
More great casserole recipes to serve for dinner
📖 Recipe
Chicken Rice and Cheese Casserole
Equipment
- Large liquid measuring cup
Ingredients
- 4 cups Water ($0.00)
- 4 cups White Quick Cook 5 Minute Rice ($1.53)
- 2 cans (10.5oz) Cream of Chicken Soup ($1.16)
- 8 slices Swiss Cheese ($1.32)
- 1 bag (12oz) )Frozen Broccoli Florets (or 2-3 cups) ($1.00)
- 1 chicken breast, chopped (or 4-6 tenders) ($1.99)
Instructions
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add in your rice, water, and broccoli. Stir until combined.
- Whisk in 1 can of cream of chicken.
- Top with your chicken. Then add a layer of swiss cheese over the top, covering as much rice as possible.
- Spread your 2nd can of cream of chicken over the top of the cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
- Let cool for a few minutes, serve and enjoy!
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