This flavor-forward dish is a makeover of one of my husband’s childhood favorites. I replaced the can of cream of mushroom soup and mayonnaise with a creamy homemade sauce instead, and – my whole family agrees – the outcome does not disappoint! This one does require a little advance planning though – just be sure to cook your rice and chicken in advance so it doesn’t take very long to pull it together at dinner time.
Chicken Curry Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice, cooked according to the package directions
- 1 pound broccoli, roughly chopped (5 or 6 cups) and steamed for about 5 minutes
- 2 cups chicken, cooked, and shredded or diced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, sharp, shredded
- 4 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°
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Combine the cooked rice, broccoli, and chicken in the casserole dish and set aside.
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Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and flour and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the flour begins to brown but doesn’t burn, whisking almost continuously.
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Whisk in the milk, watching for lumps, reduce heat and cook until it thickens. Stir in the sour cream, grated cheese, curry powder, salt, and pepper and stir until well combined. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the mixture is the consistency of gravy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
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Pour the sauce in the baking dish and mix thoroughly with the rice, broccoli, and chicken and spread it out evenly in the baking dish.
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Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, and then turn it up to a high broil to brown the top for another couple minutes. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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Debbie Fehr
March 31, 2015 at 10:34 amThis sounds delicious
Judy
March 31, 2015 at 11:35 amThis looks so good. I have made a lot of chicken and rice dishes but they always seem to call for canned soups. I also like that this one has curry.
Karen
March 31, 2015 at 3:59 pmThis sounds really good. My husband does not care for cooked broccoli. Do you think asparagus, green beans or peas would work?
Lisa
April 1, 2015 at 11:38 amAnother read just told me that she tried peas and it was great – I think any of those would work though! :)
Marianne
March 31, 2015 at 4:48 pmIs that 1 cup of rice measured before cooking, or 1 cup,after cooking?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food
April 1, 2015 at 8:12 amHi Marianne. Sorry for the confusion, we’ve updated the recipe to read “1 cup dry brown rice, cooked according to the package directions.” – Jason
Kaitlin
March 31, 2015 at 6:20 pmYum! This looks really tasty. I think this recipe would work with tricolor quinoa too. I’ve been obsessed with quinoa lately! It used to be brown rice now I find myself posting so many quinoa recipes. It’s amazing how I go through so many phases!
Lisa
April 1, 2015 at 11:39 amSounds like a great sub – and would take less time to cook, too! :)
Dan
March 31, 2015 at 7:58 pmWhy do people think putting curry powder in something makes it a curry? LOL That’s like saying putting chili powder in something makes it chili.
Lisa
April 1, 2015 at 11:39 amAre you suggesting a different name for this dish? It tasted pretty much like curry to me!
Audrey
July 22, 2015 at 4:29 pmThen obviously you have unfortunately never tasted a true curry dish ….
Dan, I totally agree with you!
Kayla
March 31, 2015 at 9:00 pmIs this the real food version of “Chicken Divan”? I was just hoping for something like this the other day! Is the 1 c. of rice measured before or after cooking? Thanks!
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food
April 1, 2015 at 8:15 amHi Kayla – No, actually this was adapted from a recipe my mom used to make when I was a kid. Sorry for the confusion on the rice; we’ve updated the recipe to read “1 cup dry brown rice, cooked according to the package directions.” – Jason
Sommer @ASpicyPerspective
April 1, 2015 at 10:29 amI’m in love with this chicken curry casserole! Seems to me the perfect comfort food!
Lisa
April 1, 2015 at 11:40 amIt totally is! Sometimes you just need a big one-dish dinner :)
Jen
April 1, 2015 at 12:03 pmCan I substitute the wheat flour with another non gluten flour ? Do you recommend a good match?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 1, 2015 at 1:57 pmHi Jen. I use Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain GF blend for most recipes. I’ve not tried it in this one but think it will work just fine.
susan
April 1, 2015 at 1:05 pmThis recipe sounds delicious, but I’m trying avoid dairy. What do you recommend as substitutes for milk and sour cream? Thanks!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 5, 2015 at 11:01 amHi Susan. I use almond or coconut milk and plain coconut yogurt.
lauretta
April 1, 2015 at 3:19 pmI can’t wait to try this! Think it’d be ok to use left over chicken and rice!??? and I’m pretty sure that the Bob’s Redmill flour mentioned above would work fine. I use it for pretty much everything!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 5, 2015 at 11:07 amHi there. I think that will work just fine. :)
Audrey
April 1, 2015 at 4:47 pmWhile this does look quite good, it is not real “curry”. I am a bit off-put by the use of curry powder… why not use the REAL spices achieved to make curry – turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, coriander, etc.
Kayla
April 1, 2015 at 5:45 pmI don’t think it’s fair to give the recipe a low rating when you haven’t actually tried it.
Audrey
April 1, 2015 at 6:03 pmI am simply rating this recipe based on the ingredients and preparation steps presented…..That is fair. Comments and criticism is fair game.
Carol
April 1, 2015 at 7:19 pmI agree with Kayla, it is not fair to rate a recipe unless you have tried it. It was delish!
Audrey
April 1, 2015 at 8:38 pmAs stated in my initial comment, I said the recipe looks good, my issue is with the spices…..
My rating does not change – two stars based on the ingredients!!!!
Jessy
April 2, 2015 at 12:16 pmIsn’t curry powder just a blend of these spices? How is this any different than using the separate spices?
Audrey
April 2, 2015 at 2:12 pmCurry powder is a Westernized version of the mix of spices used which relies heavily on turmeric (which also gives the yellow colour)…..The amount of curry powder used in the recipe in no way makes it taste even relatively close to an actual curry…..
Tricia
April 2, 2015 at 2:11 pmWhat substitutions would you use in place of the curry powder? Some of us do not know that this isn’t a “curry” dish and are unsure what amounts of the other spices to use.
Audrey
April 2, 2015 at 3:57 pmI would suggest 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp garam masala, and 1/2 tsp coriander powder. Then adjust per your personal taste.
Cheri
April 2, 2015 at 5:24 pmTo all the people freaking out over the dish not being “real curry”: a casserole’s name usually says what is in it. There’s nothing wrong with calling it a curry casserole because that’s exactly what’s in the casserole…it’s the only spice. I don’t think that the author is even trying to make people think that it is traditional curry, so there is no reason to get upset or give the recipe a bad rating. There’s curry powder in the casserole, hence calling it a curry casserole.
Don’t worry Lisa, we’ve got your back ;) lol
Liz S
April 2, 2015 at 8:30 pmWell, for starters, I ACTUALLY made this dish…and we LOVED it. I don’t give a crap what you call it, it’s delicious. Thanks for another great recipe Lisa!
Trudy
April 2, 2015 at 8:39 pmI made this tonight (though I cut the curry to one teaspoon to appease my picky husband) and it was delicious. Will definitely be making it again.
Rachel @ Slim Life
April 3, 2015 at 12:26 amChicken curry is love! It’s one of my favorite food. I will give this a try and get back to you for my feedback! Anyway, can I replace cheddar cheese? I would love to use Parmesan or mozzarella.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 8, 2015 at 10:46 amHi. We’ve not changed up the cheese in this recipe but I think it would work using a combination of the two (moz and parm). Let us know. :)
Denise
April 4, 2015 at 1:01 pmThis Chicken Curry Casserole is definitely a keeper. I will be making it again. It is delicious!
Linda
April 5, 2015 at 3:40 pmLoved it. My husband said it was better than his mother’s recipe. We loved the extra curry.
Karen
April 6, 2015 at 9:04 amThis looks so good! I wonder what protein would be best to sub to make it vegetarian..?
Beth
April 7, 2015 at 9:41 amI was wondering the same thing! One thing I dislike about being vegetarian is missing out on all those yummy chicken casseroles. [although I don’t have an appetite for chicken, just the dishes!]
Maggie
April 13, 2015 at 4:13 pmMaybe chickepeas would work in place of the chicken?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 17, 2015 at 3:17 pmGood idea, Maggie or sauteed organic tofu.
Ashley
April 6, 2015 at 7:21 pmWe love thai food and this did not disappoint!
Erin
April 6, 2015 at 8:08 pmThis was delicious! I don’t understand why there are so many people freaking over this being called curry casserole…It has curry in it! Sounds like a legit reason to call it curry casserole to me. :) All 3 of my boys actually ate it…which is so unusual for them to all like the same thing! I did add more like 3 cups of chicken and had to add about another 1/2 cup of milk at the end because my sauce was way too thick, but this will be going into my rotation! Thanks so much!
Mona
April 7, 2015 at 10:11 amIs it 1 cup of (dry) rice, then cook it, or is it 1 cup of cooked rice?
Ann
April 7, 2015 at 5:42 pmuncooked
ellenk
April 7, 2015 at 10:33 amLooks good! What size casserole seems to work best?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 21, 2015 at 8:02 amHi. A 9 x 13 works well.
Susan
April 7, 2015 at 10:52 amDoes this freeze well? I’m expecting baby number 2 in a couple of weeks and looking for more real food freezer meals…would this be a good option?
Anna
April 7, 2015 at 11:51 amThough I haven’t made this recipe, I freeze something very similar to it all the time. You can freeze it in the pan, or pour in a Ziploc bag and freeze flat to maximize freezer space. A couple more good freezer meals for baby’s birth are homemade sloppy joes, spaghetti meat, lasagna or substitute lasagna with ziti, marinated chicken that can be thrown on the grill and is frozen in the marinade, and barbecue that you make ahead in the crock pot and freeze once cooked. I serve the barbecue with sauce and slaw on a bun. The lasagna or ziti noodles do not have to be cooked. If using ziti, just mix all of the “lasagna” ingredients in a big bowl, pour in your pan, top with parmesan and mozzarella and freeze. Come serving time, just pour 1 cup of water around sides and cook. That is so much easier than having to cook your noodles in advance! Carrots are great to hide in lasagna too! Hope this helps. I’ve done the same thing many times! It was hard to cook again after my babies because I had lived off freezer food for so long! :)
Tara
April 7, 2015 at 9:03 pmThis is the first time I’ve actually commented on a recipe but I feel compelled to do so because I actually made this recipe and can vouch for it. This was a delicious, hearty meal and my entire family enjoyed it. It was a little dairy heavy for me to classify it as healthy but we’ll for sure be making it again. Great flavor, not to spicy so even my Grandma and 19 month old would eat it. I’m actually going to make it again tomorrow to bring to a friend who just had new baby! Thanks for sharing!
easypeasy
April 7, 2015 at 11:16 pmGot to try this! It sounds so different and it’s so nice to have a change now and then. We love curry at our house! :)
jen
April 7, 2015 at 11:23 pmWe are vegetarian but this sounds yummy . Besides tofu, which my husband refuses to eat, what would be a good vegetarian substitute for the chicken? I know I could leave it out but it seems like it would be missing something if I did. :)
Eva
April 12, 2015 at 10:36 pmTempeh? Although if he’s not a fan of tofu he might not go for tempeh
Jenifer
April 15, 2015 at 3:47 pmHello! I have made this omitting the chicken. Came out just fine.
If you are a vegetarian that eats eggs – The second time serving, I added dippy eggs (placed on top of the plated casserole. It was quite nummy.
Lisa
April 9, 2015 at 5:34 amI love the flavours of this curry casserole, but I have one small problem: when I make this, I need to double the sauce ingredients (and that’s a LOT of cheese!) so that it is saucy. Is anyone else having this issue? Mine doesn’t even resemble the picture if I don’t double the sauce. What I’ve been thinking of doing: lay down rice, broccoli and chicken mix, pour over the milk, onion and curry, 1/2 the cheese, etc mix, do not mix, then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top so it melts and browns nicely over the top. But then there’s nothing holding the rice, broccoli and chicken together… Such a dilemma!
Liz S
April 14, 2015 at 6:38 pmSo bizarre! I doubled the recipe, to feed our family of 7, and made it exactly as written and it looked just like the picture. So weird that you are having issues! Wish I could help.
SallyWhite
April 9, 2015 at 9:43 amThis was amazing, we substituted in ground turkey for the chicken, and peas for the broccoli and we thought it was delish! Only other addition, we added hot sauce to each bowl individually later to give it a bit more kick based on personal preference. Overall, YUM! Super easy to make and was great as leftovers.
Elizabeth
April 12, 2015 at 12:01 amMy husband, daughter, and I loved this! I used greek yogurt rather than sour cream. I prefer the mixture to be tiny bit more soupy, and so I added another 1/2 cup of milk. Was perfect and delicious! Thank you, Thank you for such yummy dishes!
Beverly
April 18, 2015 at 6:10 pmWe tried this tonight and it was a hit! My husband went back for seconds (that’s always a good sign!) I did have to add more milk before mixing the sauce into the chicken, broccoli and rice. It was thicker than gravy and it needed to be thinned out a bit. But it was very tasty!
christy
April 18, 2015 at 11:45 pmI often times make the whole chicken in a crockpot , shred the chicken and freeze it. Do you think I could use the frozen , previously cooked chicken in this recipe? Would I just defrost the chicken the night before in the fridge then add it to the dish?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 21, 2015 at 10:19 amHi Christy. Yep, this recipe calls for cooked chicken. And yes, defrost it first.
Amber
April 20, 2015 at 12:44 pmThis has just been added to my meal plan for next week. Looks D-lish!
Lisa
April 28, 2015 at 11:15 amI just made this last night and it was a hit. My son really liked it, but I believe my husband loved it as he had thirds!! LOL Personally, I felt it was a little salty, however I could have been a little heavy on the cheese. Oops! Always looking for good wholesome recipes! Thanks!
Michelle
May 1, 2015 at 11:09 amThis was delicious! I cooked my basmati rice in coconut milk, and used coconut milk for the sauce as well. Gave it a very full flavor. Thanks for a great, and fun, recipe to put together. From start to finish, took me 47 minutes including my cleanup!
Anne
May 4, 2015 at 12:50 pmCan you use quinoa instead of rice?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
May 5, 2015 at 12:31 pmHi Anne. Quinoa should work, too. Just be sure to cook it first. :)
Karla
May 20, 2015 at 3:26 pmCan this be frozen? Meaning, make 2- 1 for now and 1 for later?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
May 26, 2015 at 2:24 pmAbsolutely!
Christianna
June 23, 2015 at 6:20 pmI’m planning to make this tonight but all I have is red curry paste and ‘regular’ curry powder. Can I substitute for the yellow?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
June 25, 2015 at 11:33 amHi Christianna. Sorry that we are rarely able to answer recipe questions in real time. How did it turn out?
Erin
July 13, 2015 at 10:00 pmHi there,
I am currently doing on own mini 21 days of real food and have enjoyed every recipe on this site so far. My question is can I substitute the sour cream for plain yogurt? The only reason I am asking it would save one less thing on my grocery list because I have lots of yogurt on hand. Has anyone tired this ?
Thanks
Char
August 3, 2015 at 11:51 amI saw on a previous comment that someone subbed Greek yogurt and it was “yummy” ;)
Tony
August 1, 2015 at 1:15 pmAny idea on the nutritional values?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
August 4, 2015 at 12:30 pmHi Tonya. We don’t share nutrition information as we try to avoid getting caught up in numbers. This post helps explain: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.
Ashley
August 9, 2015 at 7:43 pmI’ve made this twice in the past few weeks and love it! It’s pretty quick if you cook the rice and chicken ahead of time and I really enjoy the yellow curry flavor in something other than Thai food, which I’m also a big fan of, but fun to see the versatility of the spice. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
DC
September 12, 2015 at 2:44 pmHas anyone tried freezing this! If so, did you bake it before freezing or just assemble?
shawn
September 22, 2015 at 4:28 pmHi DC, I would freeze it before baking.
Meg
September 13, 2015 at 12:39 pmSo broccoli cheese rice with chicken and curry…I’ll give it a whirl!
Julie
October 7, 2015 at 6:22 pmWe love this dish!! It’s in the oven right now actually and smells delicious!!!
Melissa H.
October 22, 2015 at 8:21 pmThis looks delicious! I love rice but I am hearing a lot about the arsenic. What are your thoughts?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
October 26, 2015 at 10:56 amHi Melissa. This might help: http://www.realnatural.org/the-surprising-way-to-avoid-arsenic-in-rice/.
Melissa H.
October 26, 2015 at 12:39 pmThanks!
Angela
October 25, 2015 at 1:43 pmi make a similar dish, but I add a couple tablespoons lemon juice and 1/2 c. Mayonnaise. I’ll have to try your soup sauce replacement
Sam
November 20, 2015 at 10:29 pmLove this recipe! I love curry spice but was a tad skeptical at first due to the cheese so I cut the recipe completely in half. Cutting it in half worked just fine and it was delicious! I also didn’t have any broccoli left so I used sauteed spinach which I will do again next time.
T W
December 8, 2015 at 5:06 amThis recipe is amazing!! I have been looking for a chicken/broccoli/rice casserole for years. They all seem to have canned soup. I made the recipe exactly as it was written. I wouldn’t change a thing. It was the best chicken casserole I have ever eaten!! The only negative is that It did mess up quite a few pans. Next time I will cook the rice and chicken ahead of time to make it easier on myself . In the end, It was SO worth it!! Thank you!
Christy
January 4, 2016 at 6:58 pmI did not have any sour cream on hand, so I omitted it and added the juice of one lemon. I also added a little more milk to get the right consistency. I turned out delicious!
Kaleigh
January 4, 2016 at 10:27 pmSo good!! I added Portabella mushrooms and they gave the casserole an extra layer of flavor. I’ll be adding this into the monthly dinner rotation!
Jodie Scalfaro
January 13, 2016 at 5:41 pmMy husband and I love this dish!! It is wonderful and the 4 teaspoons of curry powder give it such incredible flavor. I add an extra 1/2 cup of milk to make it a bit creamier and I try to buy a rotisserie chicken, shred, and freeze it to make it easier to assemble on a weeknight.
Elyse
February 8, 2016 at 11:19 amMy husband doesn’t like broccoli. Do you think I could substitute for cauliflower?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 9, 2016 at 10:27 amYep, I think cauliflower will do well.
Megan
February 10, 2016 at 10:07 amI have leftover shredded pork… Would this work in place of the shredded chicken?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 22, 2016 at 6:19 pmThat’s not something we’ve tired.
Teri
February 24, 2016 at 7:59 pmI made this tonight for my family and the neighborhood kids and all I can say is WOW! I had five kids here for dinner and four of the five hate broccoli. Well lets just say the whole thing is gone. I only got a tiny scoop after serving them seconds but I will be making this again this weekend. I even had two kids ask me to email their parents this recipe!
Angie
March 24, 2016 at 9:17 amFor the 1 cup dry brown rice, should I use instant or regular?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 11, 2016 at 10:03 pmHi. We use regular.
Pam Tiede
April 15, 2016 at 10:21 amThanks for this – I’ve been waiting a long time to make my mother’s very unhealthy Chicken Divan, and this is close enough to pass for it! We do not use regular milk at all, and I wanted to let you know that I used unsweetened coconut milk and did not lose any of the taste or consistency, making it even healthier!
Phaedra
June 23, 2016 at 6:08 pmI love coconut milk with any type of curry! Yum!!
Ang
May 10, 2016 at 11:52 pm20 mins to make, 10 to bake. Very good with or without curry.
Michelle
May 22, 2016 at 11:51 amI love this version. This is one of my kids favorites, and I love making it from scratch. But you definitely need to add the lemon juice–just a few tablespoons. Without it the flavor is lacking, but with it, it is better tasting than the original canned soup recipe.
Christy
August 5, 2016 at 6:53 pmYummy! Made this several times and will double and save some to freeze.
sajida
August 28, 2016 at 4:15 pmumm I am going to try tonight with cauliflower and coconut milk.. Yummy gluten free too ! I will use corn starch instead of flour!
Jane Beairsto
October 8, 2016 at 5:08 pmHave made this recipe 3 times. First time I found it dry and that was with 1 1/2 c. milk. Next time I added 1 large can of diced tomatoes and used garam masala instead of curry. Love it now.
Paula
November 12, 2016 at 11:59 pmThis recipe was a huge hit with my family. Don’t change a thing. It’s perfect the way it is.
Kayla
January 10, 2017 at 10:04 amI’ve made this casserole several times and love it! I’ve used half garam masala and half curry powder, Parmesan, cheddar cheese, whole milk yogurt instead of the sour cream… it’s delicious with or without those substitutions!
Kara
January 27, 2017 at 7:17 pmWow, this was a big win for our family! My husband and I loved it; however, my kids didn’t like the casserole as they are not used to eating food mixed together. I didn’t expect them to like it but I will keep this as a regular dish as I couldn’t stop eating it!! One mistake I made was putting in UNCOOKED rice! When I realized, I just added chicken stock (about 1.5 cups) and covered it tightly. It took about 1 hr and 15 min at 350 for the rice to be cooked. But it was even more delicious this way! I highly recommend it – and shared it with my friends and family!
Charles
March 4, 2017 at 9:33 amCan this be made the day before baking?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
March 16, 2017 at 11:13 amSure,
Zandra
March 27, 2017 at 5:20 pmliked it. I was worried about the garlic, onion, flour mix. It got really thick fast but it all worked out. I added more milk to make it more like a gravy but it remained thick. Nevertheless, i was pleased with it. Next time, I will most likely use white rice. For some reason brown rice always gives me problem s when I cook it.
Ashley
August 29, 2017 at 11:03 amThis is one of my favorite recipes for my leftover chicken from the slow cooker whole chicken recipe! I’m always looking for recipes that I can prepare in advance and throw in the oven at dinner time, this is one of those! This reminds me of the comfort food casseroles from my childhood but CLEAN thank goodness. If you’re looking for a genuine curry dish this is obviously not it…so I’m not sure why so many people complained about that in the comments…
Love all my 100 days of real food recipes! :)
Corrie
September 24, 2017 at 12:28 pmCan you male this ahead and freeze this?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
September 25, 2017 at 3:20 pmHi. Yes, you can.
Cathy Scott
October 28, 2017 at 6:54 pmThis was delicious! My hubby balked the first of the week when I told him that I was making a curry dish. So I didn’t make it until tonight and did not tell him. He ate 2 bowls!!!
Lanie
May 19, 2018 at 2:11 pmHow spicy is it?