Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Rice Casserole

Ingredients

For Topping:

• 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon smoky paprika

For Casserole:

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
• 2 cups long-grain white rice
• 1 bag frozen broccoli
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground sweet curry
• Meat from 1 Rotisserie chicken or 3 medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons canola or olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½-1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced & sautéed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1¼ cup half-and-half
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or Gruyere cheese, or a blend of both

Instructions

For the Topping:

1. In a small bowl, combine crushed crackers, butter, Parmesan and paprika. Set aside.

For the Casserole:

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
3. Bring chicken stock to a boil and add the rice, broccoli, salt, black pepper and red curry. Stir once, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 18-20 minutes or until rice and broccoli are tender.
4. While rice and broccoli cook:
5. If using rotisserie chicken, cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes or shred the chicken meat (your preference).
6. If using chicken breasts, sprinkle breasts with salt & pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons oil to the pan and heat until the oil shimmers. Carefully place the breasts in skillet and cook 4-5 minutes per side (depending on the size of the breasts). Turn off heat and transfer breasts to a paper towel-lined plate to rest (the chicken will continue to cook a bit and will finish cooking while in the oven). Tent the chicken with foil and allow to rest a few minutes, then cut into cubes.
7. Scoop out the skillet drippings and use the same skillet for sautéing the onions & garlic. If necessary, add 1-2 tablespoons oil and 1-2 tablespoons butter.
8. In the skillet over medium heat, place the diced onions and cook until onions are translucent. Add minced garlic, stir and turn off the heat.
9. Add the cut-up chicken, sautéed onion/garlic mixture, half-and-half and cheese to the rice mixture. Mix well.
10. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. *See Note.
11. Sprinkle the cracker topping over the broccoli rice mixture.
12. Bake 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbly.
13. Enjoy!

Notes

7.6.7

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https://www.thecookierookie.com/cheesy-broccoli-chicken-rice-casserole/