Gluten-Free Chicken Broccoli Casserole
This gluten-free chicken and broccoli casserole recipe puts a fun twist on the famous body builder’s meal of plain chicken, rice, and broccoli. It’s easy to make, it’s got a ton of flavor, and no one has to know it only took you a few minutes of active time.
This Casserole is More Than Chicken and Rice…
Chicken and rice is that stereotypical meal prescribed by fitness trainers. It’s focusing on protein (chicken) and carbs (rice) to help fuel your body.
But we can do better. Not only is chicken and rice boring but it’s also bland. And don’t get me wrong, gluten-free bland foods have their place but let’s be real, in most cases we want more flavor in meals.
That’s where this gluten-free chicken broccoli casserole comes in. It’s a gentle yet delicious recipe with many chances to spice it up.
About The Chicken and Broccoli Casserole Ingredients
When cooking this gluten-free Chicken Broccoli Casserole, it’s important to understand what the ingredients do. This will not only help you build your cooking skills but also help you understand where you can make adjustments to add flavor (not that this recipe isn’t flavorful already…).
So let’s talk Chicken and Broccoli Casserole ingredients:
- Chicken – This will serve as the protein of this recipe. Feel free to substitute the chicken for any other protein you prefer or have on hand.
- Rice – I use white rice in this recipe because I prefer it. If you want to add more fiber to your gluten-free diet, you can substitute this for brown rice or wild rice.
- Frozen Broccoli – This adds tons of flavor, fiber, and nutrients to the dish. If you don’t like or don’t have broccoli, feel free to use what ever frozen vegetables you have on hand. If you need to use canned vegetables, skip the step of letting them cook in the pan for 6 minutes and move on to mixing everything into the casserole dish.
- Chicken Broth – This is where the flavor comes in. To keep these gentle on the stomach feel free to stick with chicken broth, if you want some more flavor feel free to use gluten-free condensed soups.
- Shredded Cheese – I like to use Monterey Jack Cheese but any cheese will work.
How to Enjoy Gluten-Free Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
Enjoy this gluten-free Broccoli and Chicken Casserole by:
- Topping it with your favorite hot sauce or salsa.
- Serving it with pickled vegetables to help cut through the heaviness (might I suggest my famous quick pickle cucumber salad).
- Doubling the recipe and saving half in the freezer for a rainy day.
- Skipping the casserole step and instead just making it into a one-pot chicken and rice dish.
Gluten-Free Chicken Broccoli Casserole
- Casserole dish
- 1 lb chicken, diced
- 1 1/2 cup white rice, uncooked
- 2 cups broccoli florets, frozen
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cups shredded cheese
- salt, pepper, spices to taste
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Preheat the oven to 350F
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On medium heat, brown the cut chicken in a large pot (you may use a tbsp of oil if desired and if you want to add any spices now is the time (I like adding taco seasoning here))
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Once the chicken is browned, push it to the side of the pot using a spatula
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In the grease of the chicken, toast the rice on the empty side of the pot for about a minute
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Once the rice is toasted, pour in 2 cups of chicken broth and stir it in until well-combined with the chicken and rice
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Now bring the pot to a simmer and cover and cook for 24 minutes
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Prepare a casserole dish. and after the dish has been cooking for 24 minutes add it to the casserole dish, mix in the broccoli and remaining 1 cup of chicken broth
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Bake in the oven for 30 minutes (topping it with cheese just 5 minutes before it's done)
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Let sit and thicken for 10-20 minutes outside of the oven.
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Enjoy!