This Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice is loaded with juicy chicken, crispy bacon, tender broccoli and plenty of cheddar. An easy family dinner made in one pot.
If you’re looking for a no-fuss family dinner, this one’s for you. Everything cooks together in one pot, which means less washing up and more flavour as the rice soaks up every last drop. It’s kind of a cross between a creamy rice casserole and a risotto, with the best bits of both! Follow me…
Ingredients Notes
The recipe card below provides the full list of ingredients and measurements, but here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients:
- Cheddar Cheese – I recommend using mature (sharp) cheddar for the best flavour. Freshly grate it yourself if you can, as pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt quite as smoothly.
- Chicken Thighs – I prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they stay lovely and juicy throughout cooking. Chicken breast works too; just be careful not to overcook it.
- Bacon – Streaky bacon adds loads of savoury flavour and leaves behind some delicious fat, which forms the base of the dish. Smoked or unsmoked both work well.
- Long-Grain Rice – Stick with long-grain white rice for this recipe. Other varieties absorb liquid differently.
- Milk & Cream – Using mostly milk with a splash of cream creates a rich, creamy sauce without making it overly heavy.
One Pot Chicken and Rice
To start the dish, you actually want to begin with the bacon. Keep it on a medium heat and render out as much fat as possible. This will not only allow the bacon to crisp up, but it’ll also leave enough oil to start the chicken.
From there, everything comes together in one pot. Just a couple of tips before you get going:
- Brown the chicken – You don’t need to cook the chicken all the way through at this stage, but giving it a nice golden colour adds plenty of flavour to the finished dish.
- Room temp milk and cream – I recommend taking the milk and cream out of the fridge and leaving them at room temp until needed. Sometimes adding fridge-cold milk/cream to hot stock can cause it to curdle.
Process shots: fry bacon then remove (photo 1), add chicken (photo 2), fry both sides (photo 3), stir in rice (photo 4), add in milk and chicken stock (photo 5), add chives and dijon mustard (photo 6).
Cheddar and Broccoli Rice
Once you’ve added in the liquids, it’s time for the broccoli. Same as the rice, this doesn’t need pre-cooking as it’ll cook in with the rice. I usually let the rice simmer for 10mins or so before adding the broccoli. I find this leaves the broccoli fork-tender, but still with a little bite; just so it’s not wet and sloppy in the rice.
You’ll want to add the cheese once you’ve formed a thick, creamy sauce. At this point, the rice will have released its starch into the sauce, which helps the cheese bind and melt without going grainy.
Process shots: simmer rice (photo 7), add in broccoli (photo 8), simmer until cooked (photo 9), stir through cheddar and bacon (photo 10).
Serving and Storage Suggestions
The sauce will thicken pretty quickly, so I recommend serving it up right away. If you find it does over-thicken, just loosen it up with a splash of stock or milk. You can, of course, serve with even more cheese if your heart desires!
Storage – This keeps great in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just allow it to completely cool and tightly cover in the fridge. You can also freeze it, thaw, then reheat until piping hot again.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this broccoli, cheddar, chicken & rice shall we?!
How to make Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice (Full Recipe & Video)
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Casserole Dish & Wooden Spoon
- Slotted Spoon & Side Dish (to remove bacon)
- Jug (for stock and milk)
- Cheese Grater
- Serving Spoon
Ingredients
- 7oz / 200g Bacon, diced
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt, Black Pepper (to season chicken)
- 1.3lb / 600g boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, diced into large bite sized pieces
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked Long-Grain Rice
- 2 1/2 cups / 600ml Chicken Stock
- 2 cups / 480ml Milk, leave at room temp (see notes)
- 1/2 cup / 120ml Double/Heavy Cream leave at room temp
- 2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Chives
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1x 14oz/400g head of Broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets (approx 9oz/250g)
- 1 1/2 cups / 150g Cheddar Cheese, grated
- Olive Oil, as needed
- Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bacon: Add the bacon to a large pot/casserole dish. Turn the heat to medium and fry until crisp with the fat rendered. Remove with a slotted spoon (leaving the fat behind) and place in a dish to the side.
- Chicken: Coat chicken pieces in 1/2 tsp onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and place the chicken in the leftover bacon fat (add a drizzle more oil if needed). Leave to fry until golden, then flip and fry until golden on the other side. The main goal here is to brown the chicken; you want it mostly cooked through, but it'll continue cooking when the rice is added (3-4 mins each side should be fine).
- Rice: Turn the heat back down to medium and stir in the rice. Pour in the chicken stock, milk and cream, then add the dijon mustard and chives. Give it all a good stir, scraping off any flavour from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Broccoli: After 10 minutes, you should notice the sauce thickening and the rice softening. At this point, add in the broccoli florets and continue cooking until the sauce fully thickens (but is still saucy), the rice is cooked, and the broccoli is fork-tender. Keep the broccoli submerged in the liquid as best you can. This should take another 4-6 minutes or so.
- Serve: You won't have too much liquid, but if the sauce overthickens, just add a touch more stock to loosen it up/cook through the rice as needed. Stir through the cheddar and crispy bacon, then season to taste (generously if needed).
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
If you’re after another delicious broccoli recipe check out my Broccoli Pasta Bake!
If you’re looking for more similar recipes check out these beauties too:
One Pot Dinner Recipes
- One Pot Creamy Mushroom Orzo
- Spanish One Pot Chicken Orzo
- One Pot Meatballs and Rice
- Creamy One Pot Pasta with Asparagus and Bacon
Looks delicious can’t wait to try it!
Hope it goes down well, Marilyn! C.
My fussy 8-year old wolves down a bowl of it! (with visible broccoli in it!!)
Need I say more?
Chris, your recipes never disappoint, I’m so happy I found you.
Marina, thank you so much for the lovely review! So happy to hear this went down well with you and the little one 🙂 C.
I made this tonight, exactly as per the recipe and it was simply delicious. I could definitely eat this for dinner every night. Will be making it regularly from now on and will certainly be trying your other recipes.
Great to hear, Yvonne! Thanks so much for popping back and leaving a review 🙂 C.
I love one pot meals. This recipe comes out so creamy and delicious.
Can’t beat a one pot meal!
This looks so delicious and perfect for tonight! I can’t wait to make this recipe! My family and I are going to love it!
Hope it goes down well! 🙂
This is such a staple in our home! I love how easy and simple it is to whip up and always delicious! Thank you for this recipe.
Great to hear – Thanks Kathryn! 🙂
This is a meal that my family would love! I can’t wait to try it out for dinner this week!
Hope it goes down well! 🙂
This looks so good and easy! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Thanks Julia! 🙂