This Creamy Lemon Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole is the perfect weeknight meal that is full of so much flavor and easily made in one dish without pre-cooking anything beforehand!
Ok you guys this is literally the easiest thing you might make all week. No really, I’m serious. If you watched my Instagram stories then you saw this come together and I honestly had no idea how this would come out and boy was I pleasantly surprised! So much garlicky lemon flavor, perfectly cooked chicken, tender rice and broccoli and the best part is you literally just throw all your ingredients into the dish without cooking anything first! That makes this meal perfect for those busy weeknights when you need to throw something together in a pinch.
I did make this cream sauce on the stove first because you really want those flavors to blend together, but everything comes together in just minutes! So much lemony goodness with garlic, parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, I promise you this is really delicious!
Why I Love This Casserole!
Chicken and rice is one of those hearty staples I grew up eating so this dish reminds me of being a kid and is basically the perfect comfort food. The addition of broccoli completes the entire meal and ensures you get those veggies for dinner! Your kids will love this too and the leftovers taste even better the next day (if you even have any leftover).
Lemon with my chicken is one of my favorite flavor combinations as you’ve probably already seen from my sheet pan lemon rosemary chicken and potatoes, this one pot lemon rosemary chicken, or even my lemon chicken with thyme recipe. See clearly I’m obsessed! Lemons just give everything such a fresh vibrant taste without adding many calories, especially on the broccoli, so this whole meal is such a winner in my book. It’s also great for meal prep too because as I said earlier, this dish tastes even better the next day!
I don’t suggest using brown rice for this recipe because brown rice takes much longer to cook, although you could certainly try it with brown instant rice. I haven’t made it that way yet, but I will test it and let you know how it turns out!
Hope you all enjoy this Creamy Lemon Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole. If you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Creamy Lemon Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, or rosemary
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more if you prefer
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 3/4 cup uncooked long grain white rice, not instant rice!
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large skillet on medium heat, drizzle olive oil and sauté the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Add chicken broth, heavy cream, lemon juice, fresh herbs, red pepper flakes and salt/pepper and bring to a simmer. Mix in a 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and remove from heat.
- In a large 9×13 casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray, combine broccoli, rice and chicken (I would also season the chicken with additional salt and pepper) and pour sauce over top making sure everything is coated. Top with breadcrumbs and remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Tightly cover the casserole with foil and bake for 35 minutes then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes uncovered until chicken is cooked through and the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
- Remove from the oven and let the dish sit for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was so good. I never thought I would like a casserole with rice! I’ve made it twice now. I am not a huge garlic fan and substituted maui onions, and both times used cauliflower instead of broccoli because that is what I had on hand and it was amazing. I made it with the intention of having the left overs the following day and both times my teenage son has eaten it all!
I was craving a lemony chicken rice bake, and googling led me to this recipe… and thank god it did! This was packed with sooooo much flavor, only change I made was to swap out the fresh herbs with a bit of Italian seasoning. The combo here of lemon, garlic, and Parmesan was perfect! Will definitely make this again and again! Thank you! 🙂
Hey! I did it with instant brown rice and it was all watery. All liquid. I am thinking it was because of the instant brown rice I used?
Oh no I’m so sorry! Unfortunately this recipe isn’t meant for instant rice, it will get really mushy and won’t absorb the liquid as well. I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you!
Can I use half and half instead of heavy cream?
Absolutely! 🙂
This sounds delicious and so easy!! Definitely on my menu for this week!!
Enjoy!
Loving this website and all of the recipes. So far this is my absolute favorite. I made this the other night and it is so so good! My husband loved it too!
So glad you enjoyed this!! 🙂
If I substitute cauliflower rice do I decrease the broth?
Yes a reader has said she made this with cauliflower rice and reduced the liquids and it came out delicious 🙂 I haven’t tried this yet so I don’t have exact measurements, but please let me know if it works out!
I modified this recipe by removing rice, heavy cream and cheese with the following: mix cauliflower rice and wheat acini (pasta), non-dairy ricotta and oat milk. No other changes—-amazing!! I don’t know much this reduced the calories, but this is a significant fat reduction.
I tried this with instant brown rice and it was AWESOME!!!!!! Great recipe.
I made this tonight. It was so easy and sooo good! Definitely a repeat!