Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

Chicken broccoli casserole is a popular dinner choice year-round. To make it, you need the creamy sauce, chicken, cheddar cheese, broccoli, and Ritz crackers.

Here are some shortcuts to make the prep even faster.

• Chicken: A rotisserie chicken to make things really easy! All you have to do is cut it into pieces. Otherwise, you can cook chicken breasts in an air fryer, fry them on the stovetop, or bake them in the oven before getting started.
• Broccoli: We used fresh, steam-in-the-bag broccoli and cooked it in the microwave. You can also use frozen broccoli, a head of broccoli, or precut broccoli.
• Rice: For the rice, you can use store-bought, ready-made rice or instant rice. Or if you have enough time, make long grain rice ahead of time.

There are four steps to making this easy chicken broccoli rice casserole. Mix together the sauce, stir in fillings, sprinkle on the topping, and bake until bubbly.

• Sauce: Prepare the creamy sauce by beating the cream cheese until smooth and then add the cream of chicken soup, milk, chicken broth, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Filling: Add the diced chicken, steamed broccoli, cooked rice, and one cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the sauce and stir to combine. Spread the mixture in a greased casserole dish and top with the remaining cheddar cheese.
• Topping: For the topping, mix together the crushed Ritz crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the chicken and broccoli casserole.
• Bake: Bake the casserole until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden brown.

Best Toppings for Casseroles

• Cheese: Shredded cheese is a classic topping for casseroles. It melts and browns in the oven and adds flavor as well. The best cheese to use depends on the casserole you are making.
• Crackers: We used crushed Ritz crackers and melted butter to make a crunchy, buttery topping for this chicken broccoli casserole.
• Breadcrumbs: You could also use plain or flavored breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs. Mix the breadcrumbs with melted butter before sprinkling them over the dish.
• French Fried Onions: Crispy French Fried Onions add so much flavor to green bean casserole and veggie casserole! Why not use them on a chicken casserole as well?
• Potato Chips: Crushed potato chips are a classic midwestern hotdish (aka casserole) topping.