I Tried Campbell's vs. Ree Drummond's Broccoli Chicken Casserole Recipes—Here's the One I Recommend

Chicken broccoli rice casserole will always be a comforting and nostalgic dish for me. Not only is it something my mom made for us regularly when I was growing up, but the combination of tender broccoli and creamy rice creates a kind of warmth that is deeply satisfying.

I grew up on some version of Campbell’s Baked Chicken, Broccoli & Rice. Sometimes my mom swapped the condensed cream of broccoli soup for chicken or mushroom soup, and occasionally she’d add cheese or use leftover roast chicken. I hadn’t had her dish in nearly two decades when a friend recommended Ree Drummond’s Broccoli Chicken Casserole as a family favorite.

As a mom of two and a recipe developer, I love putting two beloved recipes head-to-head and seeing which one comes out ahead, so I made both the classic Campbell’s version and Ree’s. My family had a lot to say about the two casseroles. It was easy to pick out which one they’d love to have for dinner again.

How To Make Campbell’s Baked Chicken, Broccoli, & Rice

Campbell’s recipe calls for only five ingredients—condensed cream of broccoli soup, white rice, frozen broccoli, chicken breasts, and paprika. However, I struggled to find its canned broccoli soup at any of the grocery stores in my neighborhood. So, I opted for its condensed broccoli and cheese soup instead.

Campbell’s calls its casserole a “dump-and-done” and “just two steps,” but that’s not entirely accurate. The canned soup, rice, and broccoli are stirred together in a casserole dish, and the chicken breasts are seasoned separately and set on top of the rice mixture. This isn’t a ton of effort, but it’s worth noting that it isn’t just two steps.

This casserole is very hands-off once assembled. You cover the casserole with foil and bake at 375°F for 55 minutes. That’s it.

How To Make Ree Drummond’s Broccoli Chicken Casserole 

By contrast, Ree’s recipe calls for close to 20 ingredients, four of which are various forms of cheese. Sure, the recipe only has six steps, but you will need to blanch broccoli, cook chicken, and make a cheese sauce from scratch. Oh, and cook rice too if you don’t have any leftovers on hand.

While you will spend about 35 minutes cooking all the components, assembly is easy. Ree has you fold the broccoli and chicken into the cheese sauce and then layer that mixture with the rice in a buttered casserole dish.

The casserole is topped with crushed crackers tossed with melted butter and more cheese. It is baked, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until the crackers are browned and the whole thing is melty.

The Winner: Ree Drummond’s Broccoli Chicken Casserole

I really wanted the Campbell’s casserole of my youth to come out as the crowd favorite, but it struggled as much in appearance as it did in taste. The broccoli soup muddied the color of the rice and vegetables, while the chicken got a bit rubbery from cooking on top of the casserole.

Worse were the pockets of undercooked rice in the corners of the casserole dish. Upping the liquid, adding some cheese, and using rotisserie chicken tucked into the casserole would go a long way toward making it a more comparable opponent to Ree’s four-cheese masterpiece.

While Ree’s casserole is a bit more fussy, the results are well worth the effort, and it makes a very generous serving—perfect for leftovers. The cheese sauce does a lot for both the rice and the chicken, keeping everything moist.

My kids were audibly excited about the cracker crumb topping and appreciated the vibrant color of both the cheese topping and the broccoli florets underneath.

Next time I make this winning casserole—and there will be many more next times—I’ll grab a rotisserie chicken or use leftovers and opt for pre-chopped broccoli to save myself some prep time. You could easily skip the onions and garlic in favor of their powdered counterparts, too. Just don’t skip the four forms of cheese and the sauce they come together to make.