One Pan Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet
The perfect solution for a home-cooked dinner after a busy day – One Pan Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet
One of the things I love about living near the city is there’s always something to do.
Before I moved back to Pittsburgh in 2014, I lived in the middle of nowhere which I nicknamed cow country (my landlord literally had cows).
Sure, we had a few stores right in town so I didn’t have to travel far for groceries or the bank, but if I wanted to do anything more than that, or even go to stores like Target or Kohls, it was anywhere from 30-45 minutes over the mountain.
I tried my best to keep myself busy and find activities to do, but it wasn’t easy.
Now I’m not far from the numerous neighborhoods Pittsburgh has to offer and about 10 minutes from downtown.
I can also venture in any direction away from the city and not be far from something to do or somewhere to see.
Because of this, when my parents visit me (who are about 30-45 minutes away pending traffic), we end up being busy all day.
Exploring, eating, sometimes grocery shopping (hey two birds with one stone if we’re near where I need to go).
That means I’m not home to make dinner. And although we enjoy dining out, my parents do miss my cooking.
That puts me in a tough situation – a home cooked meal that doesn’t take all afternoon to make and something low key because I’m usually tired from running around all day.
And that’s how this One Pan Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet was born – ready in under 60 minutes, only one pan, and mostly hands-off cooking.
The perfect solution for a home-cooked, filling dinner after a busy day.
The inspiration for this cheesy rice skillet came as a request from my dad after asking what I should make for dinner.
His answer was “chicken breast”. I said that was boring. He said “with rice?”
Ironically I had been craving cheesy broccoli rice that same week, so I thought why not make what I want and throw some chicken into it? Everybody wins.
Making it all in one skillet is the best part.
You don’t have to cook the rice in a separate pot, which not only saves you time, it also saves you from washing one extra pot.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been unmotivated to make a dish because I have to cook chicken in one pan, sauce in another, and rice in another.
I added lots of broccoli and carrots to this recipe because I love vegetables. Sometimes I’ll even add mushrooms or peas, depending on what I have on hand.
One Pan Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet
The perfect solution for a home-cooked dinner after a busy day - One Pan Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow or white onion
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast or 2 small boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup uncooked white rice (not minute rice or brown rice)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 + 1/4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably kosher
- 1 cup chopped fresh broccoli (can also use frozen)
- 1 + 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a deep 12-inch skillet with a lid*, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, and a big pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes or until they start to soften.
- Push them to the side of the pan. Lightly salt the chicken then add to the middle. Cook until brown, about 2-3 minutes then flip and cook until brown again, another 2-3 minutes. You don't want to fully cook it yet because it'll keep cooking with the rice.
- Push the chicken to the side (or if your skillet isn't large enough, transfer to a bowl then add later with the broccoli). Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the middle. Once hot, add the rice and garlic. Stir until coated and cook 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the broth and salt, scraping up any brown bits left behind from the chicken. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the broccoli. Cover again and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked and broccoli is tender. Stir in the cheese until melted.
- Taste and adjust for salt then remove from the heat. Let it rest with the lid on for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- *If you have a small skillet, you may need to cook the vegetables and chicken in batches.
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This sounds really great, and perfect for my “kitchen” when we’re at the beach (I have a blender, a microwave, and an electric skillet). I love recipes that require only one pan, and this one sounds like comfort food. Definitely going to try it.
Oh I remember you telling me about that in another post. Yes, you can make this in your electric skillet (assuming it’s big enough. You need to have enough room to move everything to the side, but you can always transfer the chicken and veggies to a bowl after cooking if needed).
Such an easy and lovely recipe, I love it! I eat broccoli frequently, but I have to admit: it’s not my biggest favorite. Can you recommend me another vegetable which is good for this meal? If not, no problem, I was just curious.
Peas or edamame would be excellent substitutes in this recipe.
Made this tonight with leftover rotisserie chicken. Just added the chicken a little after I added the broth. It was delicious! Easy comfort food – my favorite! Thanks!
Love how you made this to use up leftover chicken. Great idea!
It was good, not really something that I would crave, but would make again because it was so easy and very little mess or clean up. I’m thinking next time I’m going to make the chicken seasoned more than just a little salt. It came out sorta bland in my opinion. I normally would use seasoning salt and pepper and a little soy sauce would liven it up a bit.
If it was bland, it sounds like you didn’t use enough salt. Make sure you’re tasting your dish throughout cooking and adjusting as needed (esp if you used a low sodium broth). I think seasoning salts will be a fun addition next time!