CHEESY CHICKEN BROCCOLI & RICE
This one pot cheesy chicken broccoli rice is our favorite quick & easy dinner! It is so simple to make, with minimal inexpensive ingredients, and it's kid-friendly and even adults will love it too.
Every time I make this I am pleasantly surprised at how delicious it is. The only seasoning is salt & pepper! Combine that with cheese, broccoli, and rice and it is perfection.
Tender chunks of chicken are cooked in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add some rice and chicken broth and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Add chopped broccoli and cheese, and let it all melt together.
Start to finish, dinner will be done in 20 minutes! The hardest part is cutting up the chicken breasts into small bite-sized chunks.
I've decided that someone needs to sell already chopped chicken breasts. How easy would that make life?! They sell chopped up beef stew meat so why not chicken 🙂
HOW TO MAKE ONE POT CHICKEN BROCCOLI RICE
- Heat olive oil in a skillet pan. While it's heating cut up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and add to the pan. Sprinkle the chicken with salt & pepper and let it cook.
- I let the chicken cook most of the way. The outside is completely white and the inside is mostly cooked. It will cook more as the rice simmer so this ensures that the chicken does not overcook.
- Add in some dry rice and chicken broth. Let it boil and then cover, reduce heat, and simmer.
- Add some cooked chopped broccoli and cheese. Mix. Top with more cheese and cover with the lid until cheese is melted.
MY TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Use a frozen bag of chopped broccoli that you can cook in the microwave. The steamable frozen veggies. I cook up the broccoli in the microwave while the chicken and rice is simmering. Once it's done I chop up the broccoli into smaller pieces (we don't like big chunks of broccoli) and it's all ready to add to the rice when it's done.
- Use any type of cheese you want. We LOVE Colby-Jack and use it for everything. The flavor is really good in this!
- Be sure and cut the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. If they are too big they will take too long to cook.
- For best results, use basmati rice. It cooks up perfectly every single time. It is more expensive but I use it all the time because it never turns out too wet, or too dry, etc. Another good rice option is jasmine rice or long-grain rice.
- I have never tried this with brown rice. I know brown rice takes much longer to cook so you would have to adjust the cook time slightly.
TRY THESE OTHER ONE POT/SKILLET DINNER RECIPES
- Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls
- Turkey Taco Pasta Skillet
- Chicken Burrito Skillet
- Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
- Sausage Pepper & Rice Skillet
- Turkey Taco Rice Skillet
One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice
One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice is a quick & easy skillet dinner! Chicken, rice, broccoli, and shredded cheese cook up in one pot for a family favorite dinner.
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Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 375kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into small, bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup uncooked basmati OR long-grain rice
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 bag (12 oz) frozen steamable broccoli about 2 cup chopped broccoli
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
Instructions
- In a 12-inch skillet pan (make sure it has a lid) heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the chunked, bite-sized chicken, and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until chicken is mostly non-pink in the middle.
- Add rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover with lid, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 12-15 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is cooked.
- While rice and chicken is simmering, cook the microwaveable broccoli in the microwave following the instructions on package. Once done, chop up the broccoli into smaller pieces, if wanted.
- When rice is done cooking, add broccoli and 1 cup of the cheese into the skillet pan. Stir together. Top with the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese and cover with the lid. Let cook for about 2 more minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately.
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Notes
You can use long-grain white rice instead of the basmati. I just love basmati rice because it cooks up perfectly and is always no-fail.
If you don't want to use the 12 oz bag of microwaveable broccoli, simply cook fresh broccoli in a pot, and then chop it and add it to the skillet pan. Using the microwaveable broccoli makes it so easy and quick.
I like to drain some of the water/chicken juices that are in the pan after cooking the chicken. You don't have to, but I like to.
If your chicken breasts are big then only use 2.
Nutrition
Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 1047mg | Potassium: 360mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 394IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 289mg | Iron: 1mg
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