Ready for the best casserole recipe? This freezer-friendly cheesy chicken and rice casserole comes together fast, with pantry staples and leftover chicken.

Chicken & rice casserole is one of our family staples, but in my quest to develop a whole binder full of no-cook freezer meals, I decided to take on the challenge of creating a freezer friendly version. I’ll be honest, it took a lot of trial and error to get it right, but the final version was one both my husband and kids couldn’t get enough of!

Quite frankly there is something just comforting about a hearty one-dish meal coming straight out of the oven after a long day. Between the frozen broccoli and canned soup, this one feels a little retro, but man is it delicious! While the recipe calls for using a cooked rotisserie chicken, you could easily substitute leftover Thanksgiving turkey as well!

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

Assemble the ingredients for this cheesy chicken casserole: sour cream, pepper, milk, cream of broccoli soup, cheese, chicken, onion, rice and broccoli.

Here is what you need:

3-4 cups cooked chopped chicken (a deli rotisserie chicken works well)
1 sweet onion
4 cans condensed cream of broccoli soup
2 cups milk
2-1/2 cups water
1 16oz container sour cream
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 10 oz packages yellow rice
1 16oz bag frozen broccoli
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
 

Dice the onion for your cheesy chicken broccoli casserole.

Step 1: Chop onion; set aside.

Whisk together the soup, seasonings and milk for the base of your creamy broccoli casserole.

Step 2: In large bowl whisk together soup, milk, water, sour cream, salt, pepper, chopped onion and garlic powder until well blended.

Fold in the cheese, chicken and broccoli--the super stars of this delicious casserole.

Step 3: Mix in rice, chicken, broccoli, and cheddar cheese.

Cheesy chicken and rice casserole freezes beautifully, so transfer it to freezer bags and enjoy on a busy weeknight.

Step 4: Divide mixture into 2 gallon size freezer bags (be sure to label bags first); freeze until needed.

Cracker crumbs drizzled with butter make this cheesy chicken, rice and broccoli casserole extra crunchy and delicious.

Step 5: Thaw; pour mixture into casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir, being sure to scrape any rice that has collected along the sides and mix well. (DON’T SKIP THIS PART!! If desired, sprinkle with 1/2 cup crushed cracker crumbs and drizzle 2 tablespoons of melted butter over crumb mixture. Return to oven and bake at 400 degrees for additional 45-50 minutes.

Cheesy chicken and rice casserole with broccoli will be a family favorite. This is perfect comfort food for dinner.

Everyone's favorite casserole is now freezer-friendly! This oh-so-yummy one-dish meal comes together in just a few minutes using pantry staples and leftover chicken (or turkey), then freezes ahead for busy weeknights. The ultimate comfort food just got better!
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Easy Freezer Chicken & Rice Casserole

This oh-so-easy one dish meal is sure to be a family favorite for young and old alike!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Easy Freezer Chicken & Rice Casserole
Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 28 minutes
Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  • 3-4 cups cooked chopped chicken a deli rotisserie chicken works well
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 4 cans condensed cream of broccoli soup
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 16 oz container sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 10 oz packages yellow rice
  • 1 16 oz bag frozen broccoli
  • 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Chop onion; set aside.
  2. In large bowl whisk together soup, milk, water, sour cream, salt, pepper, chopped onion and garlic powder until well blended.
  3. Mix in rice, chicken, broccoli, and cheddar cheese.
  4. Divide mixture into 2 gallon size freezer bags (be sure to label bags first); freeze until needed.

  5. Thaw; pour mixture into casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir, being sure to scrape any rice that has collected along the sides and mix well.  

  6. If desired, sprinkle with 1/2 cup crushed cracker crumbs and drizzle 2 tablespoons of melted butter over crumb mixture. Return to oven and bake at 400 degrees for additional 45-50 minutes.

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PIN FOR LATER

Everyone's favorite casserole is now freezer-friendly! This oh-so-yummy one-dish meal comes together in just a few minutes using pantry staples and leftover chicken (or turkey), then freezes ahead for busy weeknights. The ultimate comfort food just got better!

Ruth Soukup

Ruth Soukup

Founder at Living Well Spending Less
Ruth Soukup is dedicated to helping people everywhere create a life they love by follwing their dreams and achieving their biggest goals. She is the host of the wildly popular Do It Scared podcast, as well as the founder of Living Well Spending Less® and Elite Blog Academy®. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of six books, including Do It Scared®: Finding the Courage to Face Your Fears, Overcome Obstacles, and Create a Life You Love, which was the inspiration for this book. She lives in Florida with her husband Chuck, and 2 daughters Maggie & Annie.
Ruth Soukup

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