Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Skillet

Why You Should Make This Chicken and Broccoli Recipe Tonight

• One pan. Clean up is quick, and I love that I can give my oven the night off (or leave it free to bake up some garlic knots to have on the side!)
• Rich and cheesy. This cheesy chicken and broccoli is the sort of dinner than feels indulgent, but it’s actually super wholesome. Simple ingredients, lots of flavor, and a full meal in one.
• Perfect for weeknights. Use up the weekend’s leftovers AND have dinner on the table in under an hour. It doesn’t get better than that on a Monday! 

You’ll Need These Ingredients

While I always make this recipe with leftovers, the shopping list, if you need one, is very easy. Here’s what you’ll need to make this chicken and broccoli recipe. Scroll to the recipe card after the post for the printable amounts and step-by-step instructions.

• Olive Oil – You can use butter or another cooking oil instead.
• Onion and Garlic – Dice a yellow onion and mince fresh garlic cloves. If you don’t have fresh garlic, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder works in place of each clove.
• Ground Chicken – This recipe turns out great with any kind of chicken, but I like the convenience of ground chicken. You can also make it with ground turkey, pork, or beef.
• Seasonings – In addition to salt and pepper, I season the chicken with paprika and red chili flakes for a little kick. You can leave out the chili if you’re sensitive to it.
• Cooked Rice – This chicken and broccoli is the perfect recipe to use up leftover rice. Otherwise, you’ll need to prepare a batch of rice according to the cooking directions. 
• Broccoli – Frozen broccoli florets are my favorite shortcut! When using frozen broccoli, make sure to thaw it first. You can also use fresh broccoli and rougly chop it into bite-sized pieces. In this case, I recommend par-boiling the florets first so they’re not completely raw.
• Broth – I’ll use homemade chicken stock when I have it in the fridge or freezer. Otherwise, a low-sodium broth or stock from the store is great.
• Cheddar Cheese – Any shreddable, meltable cheese does the trick. I like Cheddar, but you can use Mozzarella, Provolone, Havarti, Swiss, or even Velveeta.
• Sour Cream – Optional, but it makes the cheese sauce extra creamy. Greek yogurt or plain yogurt is a good substitute for sour cream if you need it.

How to Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice with Broccoli

The first time I made this, I was blown away by the flavor in the seasoned ground chicken and creamy rice. Making it creamier is optional, so you can leave out the sour cream if you’d prefer. Here are the steps.

• Sauté. Start by sautéeing the onion and garlic in an oiled skillet over medium heat. Cook until the onions soften, about 5-7 minutes.

• Add the other ingredients. Turn up the heat and add the chicken. Stir and break up the meat while it browns, then season with salt, pepper, paprika, and chili flakes. Add your cooked rice and the broccoli, and lastly, pour in the chicken broth.
• Cook. Bring the chicken and broccoli to a boil, cover the skillet, and lower the heat. Let that simmer on low for 10 minutes, until the rice is heated through and tender.

• Finish and serve. Finally, stir in the sour cream and season the skillet to taste. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and cover it again, letting that melt, and then serve.

Quick Tips and Variations

• Use pre-cooked ingredients. Not to say you can’t cook your ingredients like rice and broccoli the night of, but its SO much quicker to make this recipe with frozen (and thawed) broccoli and pre-cooked rice. Use up those leftovers!
• Swap the ground chicken. Instead of ground chicken, use cooked shredded chicken. In this case, stir it in with the seasonings just before you add the broccoli and rice.
• Add the sour cream last. Adding it after the chicken and broccoli simmers is key. If you add the sour cream earlier, it may split from overheating.
• Skip the cheese. For a lighter option, you can leave off the shredded cheese. It won’t be cheesy, but it’ll still be creamy!

What to Serve With Chicken and Broccoli

I created this cheesy chicken broccoli and rice as an all-in-one meal, but I’ll never say no to a side of bread with dinner! I love turning my homemade French bread into garlic bread, and this fluffy hot water cornbread is a family favorite. Spoon bread is also a fun side that’s great for sharing.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

• Refrigerate. Store any leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. This cheesy chicken and rice with broccoli lasts in the fridge for up to 3 days when stored airtight.
• Reheat. You can warm this chicken and broccoli in a skilet or in the oven at 350ºF. If you find that the rice has absorbed a lot of the moisture, add a splash of chicken broth while the leftovers reheat.

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