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 great! I love cheesy chicken and rice casseroles- this had the same “feel” but used a lot less rice. I didn’t miss it and the lemon made it night and light for summertime. Will definitely make it again! (I used half and half because it’s what I had and it worked great. Next time I’ll use heavy cream because I can see how it would make it even better!)
Absolutely delicious!! I served chicken along with some garlic toast! Soo good!
As for the leftovers, I squeezed the remaining lemon juice over it from the garnishments. Even more lemony and delicious !! I will be making this again soon!!
Lite, refreshing and pretty quick to make – highly recommended!
Can this be made with brown rice?
I made it with long grain brown rice and it did not cook in the 35 min. I added another 20 min and the rice was still not fully cooked but the chicken was a little overdone so I ate it that way. It was so delicious but next time I’m going to try putting just the rice in the sauce and baking for 20 minutes covered then adding the chicken, broccoli, breadcrumbs and cheese and cooking the 35 min covered and 10 uncovered.
Ugh it cut me off and idk how to edit. I swear I always have this issue with rice no matter which way I make it. Idk what’s wrong with me. The chicken broth and heavy cream and lemon juice hardly covered the chicken but I patted it down so it did. I see other comments that it starts off super liquidity. Idk what I did wrong but besides my inability to cook rice this will STILL delicious.
Do you think i could make this ahead of time except for the rice and keep it in fridge and right before i throw it in the oven add in the rice? Thanks!
Yes I’m sure that would work just fine!
This is delicious! All I had was half and half instead of cream and used chicken thighs . Whole family loved it!!!
I LOVE lemon chicken and this is the best I’ve ever had!!! 🙂
I lobe this recipe! I’ve made it three times already. I want to make it for a Meal Train I’m in. Do you think I should cook it ahead of time, or mix it together and have them bake it? I know it’s watery until the rice cooks so I worry about it spilling.