Dairy Free Chicken and Rice Casserole

This broccoli chicken rice casserole is creamy, easy to make and made with no condensed soup! The quick and easy homemade sauce comes together in just minutes and the entire casserole is ready in just 30 minutes thanks to some prep done ahead of time! Don’t worry, I have tips to help you get your meal on the table fast even if you didn’t prep ahead!

Ingredients

• Onion– sauteed onions create a flavorful base for the casserole. Use white or yellow onions in this recipe or you can omit them if needed. You can also add fresh garlic along with the onions as well if you prefer.
• Broccoli – fresh or frozen works in this recipe! Be sure to cut the broccoli florets down into bite size pieces so they are easy to eat in the casserole.
• Shredded chicken – for this recipe to be ready in under 30 minutes, the chicken needs to be cooked ahead of time. If you are short on time, you can use store-bought rotisserie chicken or replace the chicken with 1-2 cans of white beans for a vegan broccoli casserole.
• Cooked jasmine rice – this recipe utilizes cooked jasmine or basmati rice (white or brown both work well). Both jasmine rice and basmati rice are great for meal prep, as the rice doesn’t get hard as it sits in the fridge, instead it stays easy to work with, even as leftovers! If you don’t have jasmine rice on hand, you can always buy frozen jasmine rice at most grocery stores or use the quick cooking packets found in the rice section of your grocery store. Note: to make this casserole Whole30 or low carb, you can replace the rice with cauliflower rice.

Creamy Casserole Sauce

• Soaked cashews – soaked cashews break down easily in a high-speed blender and add a creamy texture to the sauce. It’s easy to soak cashews, I tend to pour boiling water over them and let them sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes, but you can also use the microwave, stove or all day soak method. Check out the tips below.
• White beans – you can use any white bean you have on hand. If you are using canned beans, be sure to drain and rinse the liquid the beans are canned in. The white beans create a super creamy sauce and also add fiber and more protein to the dish making it more filling and a healthier alternative to traditional soup-based sauces in most casseroles. Note: to make this casserole Whole30 or low carb, you can replace the beans with ¾ cup of cashews.
• Vegetable broth (or chicken broth) – the broth helps to add lots of flavor to the sauce as it’s full of aromatic ingredients. If you don’t have broth or stock, you can also use water.
• Spice: Salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning – these spices add flavor to the sauce. You can easily swap out the Italian seasoning for other spice blends to completely change the flavor of this casserole. Check out more ideas below!

Almond flour breadcrumbs (optional)

• Almond flour – almond flour creates a crumbly topping for the casserole that browns up under the broiler. You could also use crushed up gluten free crackers in place of almond flour.
• Avocado oil – this helps to moisten the almond flour so it can get nice and brown under the broiler.
• Spices: salt and garlic powder – these give the breadcrumbs a little flavor.

How to make chicken rice casserole with no soup

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Optional: Turn on the electric kettle and boil water.

Chop the onion. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.

While skillet preheats, cut the broccoli florets down into bite size pieces (even if you are using frozen).

Once water is boiling, pour the water over the cashews so they can soak as you cook the veggies.

When the skillet is hot when you place your hand over it (not touching it). Spray skillet with extra virgin olive oil spray or avocado oil spray and add onions. Cook 2-3 minutes.

After cooking onions for 2-3 minutes, add the broccoli florets. Stir well. Cook 4-5 minutes.

After 4-5 minutes of cooking the broccoli, add shredded chicken, rice, vegetable broth (or water) and turn off heat. Cover the pan.

Rinse and drain the white beans. Drain the hot water from the cashews (be careful the water is likely still hot).

Add soaked cashews, white beans, vegetable broth (or chicken broth), salt, garlic powder and Italian seasoning to the blender. Blend on high 1 minute until thick and creamy.

Pour the sauce over the broccoli, rice, and chicken. Stir well until everything is well coated. Flatten down the casserole in the pan (must be an oven safe pan, otherwise transfer this to a casserole dish).

Make the almond flour topping by combining the almond flour, avocado oil, salt and garlic powder in a small bowl. Spoon the breadcrumbs over top of the casserole.

Bake in 425F oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the broiler on and broil 3-4 minutes. If you find you get one or two hot spots, simply spoon off any burned breadcrumbs if you see them.

Top tips

• Prep ahead to cut down on total time. Cut the onions and chop the broccoli florets down ahead of time so you can quickly get started on your casserole. Prep the chicken and rice ahead of time.
• Be sure to soak your cashews, even if you have a powerful blender. Soaking cashews allows the cashews to easily blend into a creamy sauce. There are many ways to soak cashews, pick your favorite way!
• Utilize the grocery store if you didn’t prep ahead! You can buy rotisserie chicken, minute rice and broccoli florets from the grocery store to help you get this dairy free broccoli chicken casserole on the table quickly!
• Freeze the casserole for later. Need a simple meal later this week or month? Assemble the entire dish in a freezer safe baking dish. You can use the single serve foil casserole dishes to make this easy! Once you are ready for dinner, place the frozen casserole covered into a 350F oven for 50-60 minutes until hot. At the end, turn the broiler on and broil the top for 2-3 minutes.
• Want to make this dairy free chicken casserole Whole30 or low carb friendly? Replace the rice with cauliflower rice (cook the cauliflower rice 5-6 minutes in a separate skillet before adding it to the other ingredients) and replace the beans with ¾ cup of cashews.

Other spice blends to use

I love the Italian seasoning with the chicken and broccoli, but you can easily change the flavor of the entire casserole by changing the spices you use. Here are some other ideas:

• Greek: Add ½ teaspoon oregano and the juice of 1 lemon to the blender.
• Cheesy: Omit the Italian seasoning and add ¼ cup nutritional yeast and 1 teaspoon paprika to the blender.
• Smoky: Omit the Italian seasoning and add 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon cumin.
• Curry: Omit the Italian seasoning and add ½ tablespoon of curry powder + 1 teaspoon ground cumin.

Other veggies you could add or use

• Cauliflower – be sure to steam the cauliflower instead of sauté it on the stove with the onions. Check out this cauliflower casserole for tips on how to do that!
• Carrots – carrots on their own would likely make this casserole a bit sweet, but they could be a great addition, especially paired with the curry powder or cheesy casserole option above. Be sure to thinly slice the carrots so they cook up quickly and add them with the broccoli in the skillet.
• Bell peppers – bell peppers would be a great addition or used in place of the broccoli. You could even do a Mexican/taco casserole by using bell peppers, omitting the Italian seasoning and adding the smoky seasoning above.
• Brussel sprouts – I would recommend thinly slicing brussel sprouts before cooking them in the skillet. I typically use the shredding attachment on my food processor to do this. You can also buy brussel sprouts already shredded. Also add the juice of ½ -1 lemon to the creamy casserole sauce to help offset some of the bitterness from the brussels.

Common questions

Can you use frozen broccoli in this casserole?

Yes! Follow the same instructions as fresh, the broccoli will defrost in the pan when cooking with the onions. You may need to increase the cook time 1-2 minutes to help the water evaporate before adding the chicken and rice.

How to prep chicken ahead?

My favorite way to prep chicken ahead is to use the instant pot! It’s almost 100% hands off and you can make a big batch at a time. Typically, 1 pound of chicken equals 3(ish) cups of shredded chicken, so if you make a large batch, you can portion it out to use in many meals.

You can also use the slow cooker to make a large batch of shredded chicken or you can poach chicken on the stove. Check out the tips on how to poach chicken on the stove in this meal prep chicken article.

Do you have to cook the rice before?

Yes! This recipe does not have enough liquid to cook the rice and doesn’t bake long enough in the oven cook the dry rice.  

What if you don’t have prepped rice?

You can use store bought quick rice packets or defrost frozen rice as well. To defrost rice, you can allow it to sit in the fridge ½ a day, microwave it or cook it in a small saucepan, covered with about ¼-1/2 cup of water over low heat until the rice breaks up easily.

What if you don’t have prepped chicken?

You can use store bought rotisserie chicken or you can make 10 minute Italian skillet chicken. If you choose to make the skillet chicken, you can cook it while you are managing the onions/broccoli in another skillet. Cutting the chicken down in to cubes will add 5 minutes or so to your prep though.

Can you make this without chicken?

Yes! You can simply replace the chicken with 1 can of white beans, rinsed and drained.

Can you freeze this casserole for later?

Yes! Assemble the casserole all the way up to the step when you would put it in the oven. From here, allow it to cool in the fridge then transfer it to the freezer. I recommend using a freezer safe casserole dish or using a foil dish for this so you can go right from the freezer to the oven on the day you are going to make this. Be sure to tightly cover the casserole before transferring it to the freezer.

When you are ready to cook the casserole, remove any plastic wrapping and wrap the casserole in foil or add the casserole lid. Put frozen casserole in 350F oven for 45-60minutes until warmed through. After it’s warm, remove the foil/lid and turn the broiler on and broil for 2-3 minutes to brown the top.

You can also freeze the casserole in single serve portions instead of the entire casserole at once. I like to use Soupercubes for this. Transfer the casserole ingredients to the Soupercubes then store in the fridge until cold. Once cold, transfer to the freezer and freeze solid. Once solid, you can pop them out of the silicone mold and store in a freezer safe bag.

When ready to eat the single serve, place in a oven safe dish and bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes (covered) until warmed through. Take off the cover and broil 2-3 minutes to brown the top.

If you love this recipe, you should try

• Vegan Broccoli Cheese Casserole
• Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
• Dairy Free Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
• Mediterranean Chicken and Rice Skillet