Ingredients

• 500g (1 lb) boneless chicken thighs or tenderloins, cut into small pieces
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp stock powder (bouillon powder or crumbled cube)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1½ cups uncooked long-grain white rice
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp stock powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, heated
• 2½ cups milk (any fat %), heated
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 heads broccoli, cut into florets (about 4–5 cups)
• 2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Gruyere, or a blend), divided
• 2 green onions, finely sliced, to garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Use a 9x13-inch ceramic or glass baking dish.
2. In a bowl, combine the chicken pieces with thyme, garlic powder, pepper, stock powder, olive oil, and minced garlic. Mix well and set aside.
3. Heat the chicken broth and milk together until hot — either in a saucepan on the stove or in a microwave-safe jug. They don't need to boil, just be hot.
4. Spread the uncooked rice evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the flour, stock powder, and garlic powder evenly over the rice.
5. Pour about half the hot broth over the rice first and stir to dissolve the flour — some small lumps are fine. Then add the remaining broth and all the milk. Swish the rice with a spoon to spread it out evenly.
6. Spread the broccoli florets over the rice. Scatter the seasoned chicken pieces evenly over the broccoli. Dot the butter pieces around the top.
7. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. The chicken should begin to brown on the surface. Check the rice — it should be just cooked through.
8. Remove from the oven. Add half the shredded cheese and stir it through the rice mixture, making sure to get the rice in the corners and edges. It should look creamy and fairly loose at this stage.
9. Scatter the remaining cheese over the top and return to the oven for 5 minutes until just melted.
10. Garnish with sliced green onion and serve immediately.

• Hot liquid is essential: Heating the broth and milk before adding them to the dish is the step that ensures the rice cooks evenly without going gluey. Cold liquid brings down the temperature inside the dish and causes uneven cooking. This is non-negotiable.
• Use ceramic or glass: Flimsy metal pans don't provide even heating for this recipe. Ceramic or glass gives the most reliable result. Heavy-duty cast iron also works well.
• Check the rice before stirring in the cheese: At 40 minutes, taste a grain of rice from the centre of the dish. It should be just cooked through. If it's still firm, cover with foil and return for another 5–10 minutes before adding the cheese.
• The stirring step makes it creamy: Adding half the cheese at the stir stage and mixing it through the rice is what creates the risotto-like texture. Don't skip this step and just put all the cheese on top — the texture will be completely different.
• Scaling: If halving the recipe, use a smaller 8-inch square dish. If scaling up by 25%, the same 9x13 dish works. More than that and you'll need a second dish to ensure even rice cooking.