Chicken and broccoli casserole is healthy and budget-friendly

A Midwestern-style chicken and broccoli casserole that takes about an hour to make and uses parboiled brown rice and frozen broccoli for convenience and cost savings.

Midwestern-style casseroles are described as homey, shareable dishes tied to community, care and resourcefulness. This chicken and broccoli bake is framed as a weeknight-friendly, saucy dish that comes together in about an hour and requires minimal chopping. It relies on economical, convenient ingredients—parboiled (instant) brown rice and frozen broccoli—to shorten cook time and simplify prep. The casserole is seasoned with milk, broth, lemon zest, thyme and Parmesan, and nests browned chicken thigh pieces into the rice before baking. Key details: - Total time is about an hour, including roughly 30 minutes covered baking and 5–10 minutes uncovered finishing. - The recipe uses parboiled (instant) whole-grain brown rice, which is partially cooked and finishes more quickly than uncooked rice. - Frozen broccoli is used; it is noted as nutritionally comparable to fresh cooked and does not need chopping. - The sauce is built from onion, garlic, flour, broth and milk, and is flavored with lemon zest, thyme and Parmesan. - Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are browned before being nested into the rice mixture and baked. Summary: The casserole is presented as a nourishing, economical weeknight meal that can feed a group and requires little hands-on time. Undetermined at this time.