Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice is a comforting one pan chicken and rice dinner you can easily cook after a long busy day. This skillet chicken and rice can be ready in under an hour with only one pan to wash!
One of the things I love about living near the city is there’s always something to do.
Before I moved back home to Pittsburgh in 2014, I lived in the middle of nowhere for 4 years 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 or even go to stores like Target or Walmart, 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 and what inspired me to move back home.
Now I’m super close to numerous neighborhoods including 10 minutes from downtown.
I can also venture in any direction away from the city and not be far from something to do.
Because of this, when my parents visit (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 eating out, my parents do miss my cooking (mom’s favorite is my pork wonton soup).
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 Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice was born! It’s a one skillet chicken and rice recipe with broccoli and carrots that can be ready in under an hour.
Making a one pan dinner is the best part (just like my skillet lasagna!)
You don’t have to cook the rice in a separate pot, which not only saves you time on cooking, it also saves you time from washing.
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 a third.
To round out my chicken rice skillet I added broccoli and carrots to balance the cheesy goodness with vegetables. You can also use other veggies such as pea and corn (ok technically a grain).
Ingredients For Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice
To make your chicken and broccoli recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Oil: Can use vegetable or olive oil to saute
- Chicken: Chicken thighs will always taste better because they’re moist dark meat. However, you can easily use chicken breast.
- Onion, garlic, and carrots: Vegetables to build the
- Rice: I used white rice as it’s fast to cook. However if you use brown rice you’ll need extra cooking time.
- Broth: Flavorful liquid to cook the rice directly in the pan
- Salt: Seasons your chicken rice and broccoli
- Broccoli: Use fresh or frozen
- Cheese: I used shredded cheddar cheese but feel free to use your favorite flavor
How To Make Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice
To make your chicken broccoli rice recipe, grab your large skillet and get cooking!
- Brown chicken then transfer to a bowl.
- Cook onion and carrot until softened.
- Add rice and garlic then cook to brown slightly.
- Whisk in broth and salt then bring a boil.
- Cover and cook for 10 minutes, add the broccoli, and then cook until rice is done and broccoli is fork tender.
- Stir in cheese and chicken then rest 10 minutes before serving.
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
What if my skillet isn’t large enough?
In order to cook your chicken and rice with broccoli in one pan, you’ll need a large 12 inch skillet. However not everyone has a huge skillet.
If that’s the case, once you finish cooking your chicken transfer it to a bowl so you have room to cook the rice then add the chicken in before serving.
More Chicken Recipes
If you enjoyed your chicken with broccoli and rice, check out these other chicken recipes for two including:
- Lemon Chicken Rice Casserole
- Rice Stuffed Chicken
- Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes
- Chicken Pot Pie Pasta
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice is a comforting one pan chicken and rice dinner you can easily cook after a long busy day. This skillet chicken and rice can be ready in under an hour with only one pan to wash!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast or 2 small boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup diced yellow or white onion
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 cup uncooked white rice (not minute 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, lightly salt the chicken then add in a single layer. Cook until brown, about 3-4 minutes then flip and cook until internal temperature reaches 165F, about another 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil then add the onion, carrot, and a big pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- 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 and cooked chicken 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
- *To use Minute Rice, reduce broth to 1 cup then add broccoli with the rice and garlic. Cover with a lid then cook 5 minutes or until rice is soft and liquid is absorbed.
- If you enjoyed this recipe, check out my Lemon Chicken Rice Casserole and Rice Stuffed Chicken.
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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!