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Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bake

Total
1 hr 10 min
Cost
Difficulty

Classic casserole, rebuilt. No cream of chicken soup: cottage cheese blended with warm broth carries the creamy body instead, and real cheddar gets used deliberately (half in the sauce, half on top) rather than buried.

610cals per serving

5servings

38%Carbs57g
28%Fat19g
34%Protein51g
  • bake
  • batch friendly
  • blender
  • chicken
  • comfort food
  • high protein
  • oven
  • rice
  • sheet pan
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bake

Nutrition

CaloriesCarbsFatProteinRatio C/F/P
Per serving~61057g19g51g38 / 28 / 34
Whole batch (×5)~3,050285g95g255g-
Traditional per serving~49527g30g28g22 / 55 / 23

Ingredients

5servings

  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, diced

  • 3 cups broccoli florets, fresh, cut small

  • 1 red bell pepper

  • 1 tsp olive oil, for the broccoli and pepper

  • 1 1/3 cups rice, uncooked (white or brown), yields ~4 cups cooked

  • 1 cup 2% cottage cheese

  • 1.5 cups (6oz) sharp cheddar, shredded (real, off the block), split half in the sauce, half on top

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 onion, diced

  • 1 jalapeño, diced (seeds and ribs in for real heat, out for background warmth)

  • 2 tsp olive oil, for the aromatics

  • 1 cup chicken broth, warm

  • 2 cups fresh spinach, thick stems removed

  • 1/2 cup panko, for a crispy top

  • Crushed red pepper flakes, to finish

  • Spices: garlic powder 1 tsp, black pepper 1/2 tsp, and 1/2 tsp salt on the chicken; smoked paprika 1/2 tsp and 1/2 tsp salt in the bake; extra salt to taste on the chicken and broccoli

Steps

Prep (~20 min)

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  2. Cut the broccoli into small florets, slice the bell pepper.

  3. Dice the onion and jalapeño, mince the garlic.

  4. Dice the chicken breast.

  5. Split the cheddar into two portions: half for the sauce, half for the top.

Cook (~50 min)

  1. Broccoli and pepper go in first. Toss with 1 tsp olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper on a sheet pan. Roast 25–30 min, tossing halfway, until edges are browned and crisp. Start checking around 20 min, but don't be surprised if it needs the full 30. This is the longest step, so start it before anything else; it goes in at the end, not into the bake.

  2. While it roasts, cook the rice per package instructions.

  3. Sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeño in olive oil until soft.

  4. Season the diced chicken with garlic powder, black pepper, and half the salt. Cook until browned through.

  5. Blend the cottage cheese, warm broth, and half the cheddar until silky.

  6. Combine the rice, chicken, and sauce in a baking dish. Stir in the spinach. It wilts down into the hot mixture. Hold the roasted broccoli and pepper back. Season with smoked paprika and remaining salt.

  7. Bake at 400°F for 12–15 min until bubbly. It goes faster at a steady 400°F than a bake that drops temperature, so start checking early.

  8. Stir in the roasted broccoli and pepper. Top with the remaining cheddar and panko.

  9. Increase the oven to 425°F (safer for Pyrex than the broiler) and bake a few minutes more, watching closely, until the top browns. Finish with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to taste.

Notes

Make or break

  • Roast broccoli separately, add it late. Folding it into the casserole before the main bake steams it soft no matter how it was cooked going in. Roasting it first and stirring it in right before the final browning is what keeps the crisp edges

  • Don't crowd the sheet pan. Broccoli needs space to roast, not steam. Spread it in a single layer

  • Jalapeño seeds and ribs control the heat. Leave them in for real spice, remove them for background warmth. Red pepper flakes at the end let you dial it up further without recooking

  • Salt where it matters most. Season the chicken and broccoli directly rather than spreading it thin across the whole mix; the cheese and broth already carry flavor in the base

  • Spinach doesn't need chopping. It wilts down small regardless of leaf size, so just pull any thick stems

Fixes

  • Watery casserole: usually the broth wasn't fully absorbed by the sauce, or the rice was still a little wet from cooking. Let both cool/rest a couple minutes before combining

  • Broccoli went soft: it was added too early or buried under too much sauce. Stir it in only at the very end, right before the final browning step

Nutrition numbers are estimates tracked in MyFitnessPal. Your brands and portions will shift them a little.