Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet

While trying to figure out what to do for dinner last night I had three stipulations:

1. I wasn’t leaving the house to get groceries so it had to be stuff that we already had in the fridge and cupboards.
2. It couldn’t take longer than an hour to put together and have on the table.
3. There had to be cheese involved…and only 2 cups because that’s what we had left. (see #1)

Thankfully I was able to fulfill all three! This recipe was put together on the fly last night and it turned out so good that I just had to share it (poorly lit nighttime photos and all). You better believe I packed this in my lunch today!

Makes 6 servings · Printable Version
What you’ll need:

• 1-1/2 cups cooked brown or white rice (about 1/2-2/3 cup dry rice; rice generally triples when cooked)
• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets and stems, chopped
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 12-ounce can 2% or regular evaporated milk
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice according to package directions. In the last 7 minutes of cooking, add broccoli on top of the rice to allow it to steam. Replace the lid and continue to cook the rice.

Meanwhile, in a large oven-safe skillet, heat olive oil on medium. Place chicken in skillet and cook for 10 minutes. Flip chicken, cover with a lid, reduce to low and cook on the other side for another 10 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

(**I only needed two chicken breasts for this recipe but it made sense to cook up the whole pack and freeze the chopped up leftovers for future casseroles. I got 4 extra cups of cooked chicken for no extra work!)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring burner back up to medium and melt butter in skillet. Add onions, garlic and celery and saute until softened.

Pour in wine and stir to deglaze pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow wine to evaporate. Stir in flour and cook for one minute.

Whisk in milk and continue whisking until slightly thickened.

The evaporated milk will thicken pretty quickly, and you’ll have this lovely thick sauce.

Add 1½ cup cheese and stir to melt. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Add broccoli and rice to cheese sauce. Chop chicken into bite size pieces and add to mixture. Stir to combine in the skillet. If mixture seems dry, stir in a little milk.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

 

Garrett would like me to note that if you want to kick this up another notch, add a drizzle of your favourite bbq sauce before eating. I concur.