Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Nothing satisfies a comfort food craving like a hot and cheesy casserole. With cold days approaching, this Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole is going to be just the hot and hearty meal you want to come inside to after a long day. Chock full of filling chicken, brown rice and broccoli and smothered with a creamy homemade cheese sauce, you won’t believe a serving is only 327 calories or 9 Green, 9 Blue or 6 Purple Weight Watchers SmartPoints! To view your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
Not only is this the ultimate comfort dish, but a lot of it can be prepped in advance to make it a quick and easy weeknight dinner. I like to make the rice and shredded chicken ahead of time, or you can even skip part of that step with a rotisserie chicken. Don’t forget to check out my Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken post- the perfect way to make shredded chicken for this recipe! If you cook a lot of it at once you can even freeze some so the next time you need shredded chicken for a recipe you only have to thaw it out.
Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons light butter, I used Land-O-Lakes
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups skim milk
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 oz 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I used Cabot)
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I used Cabot Seriously Sharp)
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- ¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Melt the light butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour to the butter one tablespoon at a time and stir to combine. Add the milk a little at a time and whisk the flour mixture into the milk until smooth. Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium and add the cheddar cheese to the milk mixture. Whisk together for 5-6 minutes until smooth and thick.
- Combine the rice, chicken and broccoli florets in the prepared baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the top and stir the mixture together until well combined. Spread evenly across the casserole dish.
- Place the bread crumbs in a dry skillet over medium heat and brown bread crumbs for a few minutes, stirring frequently until golden. Sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs over top of the casserole and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Notes
8 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)