This Healthy Broccoli Chicken Casserole is just 300 calories and has 28.8g of protein!

I love making this low calorie casserole for dinner, and I package up the leftovers as frozen meal prep dinners. I’ll show you how to do that below so you can also make the most of your leftovers (if you have any).

I have also supplied you with directions on how to boost the protein more, lower the carbs and even lower the sodium. This way you can modify the recipe for your own needs. You can find all that information in the “Nutrition” section.

Healthy Broccoli Chicken Casserole

What You’ll Find in this Article:

Ingredients in Rice Chicken and Broccoli Casserole (shopping list!)
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Casseroles
Broccoli Chicken Casserole with Rice Recipe (recipe card!)
Nutrition and Calories in Broccoli Chicken Casserole Rice Recipes

Ingredients in Low Calorie Broccoli Chicken Casserole

If you want to save lots of time, get pre-cooked rice (or cook it ahead of time) and get a rotisserie chicken at the store. Just cut off and cube (or shred!) the chicken breasts for this recipe, and save the legs, wings, and thighs for another recipe. Or serve for dinner with some yummy veggies tomorrow night.

You can also skip cooking the broccoli if you get frozen broccoli. The defrosting process will soften it up enough, and as a bonus frozen broccoli is inexpensive and great to have on hand in your freezer.

Shopping List for Skinny Broccoli Casserole with Chicken and Rice:

3/4 cup uncooked rice
1 3/4 cups water divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (or gluten-free)
3 cups unsweetened almond milk (or 1% dairy milk)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Homemade Ranch Seasoning (or store-bought)

How to Make Low Calorie Chicken Broccoli Casseroles

You can easily meal prep this recipe, or just meal prep package the leftovers!

Meal Prep Tips:

Cook according to the recipe.
Cool completely.
Scoop 2 cup servings into individual meal prep containers.
Cover and freeze for up to a month, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To reheat from frozen, add 1 tablespoon water to the container and microwave for 3-4 minutes (each microwave is different) or from refrigerated, 1-2 minutes.

How to Make Skinny Broccoli Casserole with Chicken and Rice:

To a medium pot, add the rice and 1.5 cups (one and one half cups) of water.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and cover. Cook until the water is absorbed (about 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, onion, and chicken.
Cook until the chicken is cooked through (about 5 minutes) then remove the chicken and set aside on a plate.
To the onions, add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon, continuously, until you have a paste (about 5 minutes).
Add in 1 cup of milk and whisk well to remove any flour lumps. Then mix the remaining milk and whole garlic cloves.
Increase the heat to medium-high. Mix often, scraping the bottom of the pan often, until the sauce has thickened and coats the spoon (5-10 minutes). Turn off the heat, remove the garlic cloves and discard.
Meanwhile, add the broccoli to a microwave safe bowl with 1/4 cup of water. Microwave for 2 minutes then drain and set aside. (You can also add the broccoli to the sauce to cook for the last 5 minutes).
Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and add in 1/2 of the cheese, and the ranch seasoning. Mix together.
Add in the cooked rice, cooked chicken, and cooked broccoli. Mix well until everything is well coated in sauce.
Move to a casserole dish, and top with remaining parmesan cheese.
Broil for 2-5 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven, and serve hot.

Healthy Broccoli Chicken Casserole

This low calorie casserole is filling and delicious! If you’re looking for meal prepping tips, they are above in the “How to Make” section. And I have also shared some time saving tips in the “Ingredients” section. Coming up next, I’ll show you how to lower the carbs and boost the protein more, and even lower the sodium. So be sure to see the “Nutrition” section below for those.

More Healthy Casserole Recipes:

Low Calorie Broccoli Chicken Casserole

Lose Weight By Eating

This Parmesan Ranch Broccoli Chicken Casserole is just 300 calories for 2 cups, and it's packed with 28.8g of protein!

This ranch flavored casserole is sure to be a crowd pleaser, but if you happen to have leftovers I have supplied you with a leftover meal prep (or regular meal prep) guide above.

Special Tip: You can make this recipe gluten-free with gluten-free 1:1 (one to one) flour. I like Bob's Red Mill.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

¾ cup uncooked rice
1 ¾ cups water divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion minced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (or gluten-free)
3 cups unsweetened almond milk (or 1% dairy milk)
2 garlic cloves
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Homemade Ranch Seasoning (or store-bought)

Instructions

To a medium pot, add the rice and 1.5 cups (one and one half cups) of water.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and cover. Cook until the water is absorbed (about 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, onion, and chicken.
Cook until the chicken is cooked through (about 5 minutes) then remove the chicken and set aside on a plate.
To the onions, add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon, continuously, until you have a paste (about 5 minutes).
Add in 1 cup of milk and whisk well to remove any flour lumps. Then mix the remaining milk and whole garlic cloves.
Increase the heat to medium-high. Mix often, scraping the bottom of the pan often, until the sauce has thickened and coats the spoon (about 5 minutes). Turn off the heat, remove the garlic cloves and discard.
Meanwhile, add the broccoli to a microwave safe bowl with 1/4 cup of water. Microwave for 2 minutes then drain and set aside. (You can also add the broccoli to the sauce to cook for the last 5 minutes)
Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and add in 1/2 of the cheese, and the ranch seasoning. Mix together.
Add in the cooked rice, cooked chicken, and cooked broccoli. Mix well until everything is well coated in sauce.
Move to a casserole dish, and top with remaining parmesan cheese.
Broil for 2-5 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven, and serve hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cupsCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 24.9gProtein: 28.8gFat: 9.5gSaturated Fat: 3.2gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 406mgPotassium: 246mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1.3gCalcium: 342mgIron: 2mg

Keyword casserole, Healthy Broccoli Chicken Casserole, Low Calorie Broccoli Chicken Casserole

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Nutrition and Calories in Broccoli Chicken Casserole Rice Recipes

One serving is about 2 cups, and the nutrition is based off store-bought ranch seasoning. My homemade seasoning is much healthier for you, and I recommend making it. But I used store-bought in the nutrition label as I figured most people would go that route.

Lower the Carbs: To lower the carbs and boost the protein, add one more chicken breast to the casserole and one more cup of broccoli. Then cut the rice down to just 1/3 cup rice (cook in 2/3 cup water).

Lower the Sodium: I recommend making the homemade ranch seasoning, and omitting the salt from it all together. The parmesan has enough “bite” that you won’t miss the salt too much.