Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Who doesn’t love cheesy, creamy goodness? And when you’re dairy-free, that is one of the hardest things to get back.
I love a good skillet meal. What I wanted was a 30-minute dinner that still had that cheesy, creamy, gooey thing going on — plus rice, plus a vegetable my kids wouldn’t fight me on. All in one pan, on a night squeezed between school pickup and practice.
So I went after the cheese sauce. And y’all, dairy-free cheese does NOT behave like the real thing. My early batches had little lumps of unmelted shreds floating in the sauce and a top that never got glossy. It took a lot of testing to figure out what dairy-free cheese is actually made of and what makes it melt.
Then came the broccoli. I finally chopped it small enough that it blended into the whole thing instead of announcing itself, and my kids — who do not love broccoli — ate it up without even pausing. I just quietly smiled on the inside. That’s a mom win.
This one’s for the busy night when dinner feels like it might not even happen — and for anyone who gave up dairy and misses this exact meal. My daughter-in-law can’t have dairy and one of my boys reacts hard to it, so putting a cheesy skillet on the table for them is a big deal here. More one-pan nights like it: my 30-minute skillet dinners.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One skillet, about 30 minutes. Sear, sauce, fold, melt. That’s the whole night.
- Gluten-free and dairy-free — and easily nut-free and egg-free, too.
- The broccoli disappears. Chopped small and coated in cheese sauce, it stops being the thing kids pick around.
- It’s a full dinner in one pan. Protein, veggie, and rice together, so you’re not making sides.
- Great use for leftover rice. Day-old rice actually works better here than fresh.
- No two separate meals. Everyone at the table eats the same thing, dairy-free or not.
Ingredients
Chicken breasts or thighs — Cut into about 1-inch chunks so they sear fast and finish in the sauce. Thighs stay a little juicier if that’s what you have.
Frozen steamable broccoli florets — The bagged steam-in-the-microwave kind is the shortcut that keeps this at 30 minutes. Fresh works too, just steam it separately.
Dairy-free cheddar shreds — This is the make-or-break ingredient. Look for an oil-and-starch-based shred (tapioca in the ingredient list) — those are the ones that actually flow when they melt. I prefer Violife and Daiya. Follow Your Heart I love on pizza, but it didn’t melt super well into the cheese sauce. If you want to know more about my favorite dairy-free cheese, I broke them all down in the best dairy-free cheese.
Dairy-free cream cheese — Does the heavy lifting on body and richness. Without it, the sauce tastes thinner and less cheesy.
Full-fat canned coconut milk — The cream base. Stir the can before you measure so the fat and liquid go in together. I use unsweetened, canned coconut milk, with this one being my favorite.
Chicken broth — Thins the sauce to the right consistency and keeps it from tasting heavy.
Nutritional yeast — Don’t be shy with this one. It’s what carries the savory, cheesy flavor that dairy-free shreds can’t do on their own. I love and prefer Trader Joe’s nutritional yeast – it’s also the best price! If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, this one from Amazon works as well. I don’t love the Great Value Walmart brand for this product.
Gluten-free all-purpose flour — Makes the roux that keeps the sauce smooth and pourable. I love and recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure flour, which I get at Walmart or on Amazon. Cornstarch works too.
Dijon or ground mustard — A little sharpness. It reads as “aged cheddar” to your brain.
Fresh garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, black pepper — The savory backbone. Salt harder than feels right; under-salted dairy-free cheese sauce tastes flat, not cheesy.
Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar — A squeeze at the end. Tang is what dairy-free cheese is missing most.
Cooked white or brown rice — Day-old rice from the fridge holds its shape better and soaks up sauce without turning to mush.
How to Make It
1. Set up the broiler first. Move a rack 8–10 inches below the broiler and set it to low if your oven has that option. Pull your shreds out of the fridge now — room-temperature cheese melts noticeably better than cold.
2. Season and sear the chicken. Toss the chunks with salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Get your oil shimmering over medium-high, add the chicken in a single layer, and leave it alone for 2–3 minutes so it browns. Stir and cook another 2–3 minutes, then move it to a plate. It doesn’t need to be fully done — it finishes in the sauce.
3. Steam the broccoli while the sauce comes together. Microwave the bag per the package, then dump it into a colander and actually drain and pat it dry. Any water left clinging to it will thin your sauce.
Then chop the big florets small. This is the step that got my kids eating it — small, uniform pieces blend into the meal instead of sitting there as broccoli.
4. Make the roux. Wipe the skillet if it needs it, drop the heat to medium, and add your oil or dairy-free butter. Whisk in the gluten-free flour and cook about a minute until it smells nutty — don’t let it brown. Stir in the fresh garlic for 30 seconds.
5. Build the cheese sauce. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk and broth, scraping up the browned bits from the chicken. Simmer a minute or two, then turn the heat to low.
Stir in the cream cheese until it’s smooth, then add the shreds a handful at a time, then the nutritional yeast and seasonings.
Keep it at a bare simmer the whole time. Dairy-free cheddar goes grainy if you hard-boil it, and it melts through moisture and time, not blasting heat. If the shreds start to clump, splash in a little more broth and slow down.
6. Make it too cheesy on purpose. Taste it now, and taste it hard. The sauce should feel almost too intense on its own, because the rice is about to mute it. More nutritional yeast for depth, more salt until it stops tasting flat, mustard or lemon for sharpness.
Same goes for consistency — leave it looser than looks right. The rice will drink about a third of it.
7. Fold everything in. Add the rice, the chicken and its juices, the drained broccoli, and a handful of shreds straight into the body of the skillet. Fold gently for 2–3 minutes until everything’s coated and melty.
Putting cheese INSIDE and not just on top is what makes it taste cheesy in every bite. Loosen with a splash of broth if it tightens up, then spread it into an even layer.
8. Steam-melt the top, then broil for color. Scatter the rest of the room-temperature shreds over the top and give it a light spritz of oil. Now cover it with a lid for 2–3 minutes over low heat.
This is the part I got wrong for a long time. Trapped steam melts dairy-free shreds gently and evenly, while a bare broiler dries them out and sets them before they can flow. Once the top is melted and glossy, uncover and broil 2–4 minutes for color only — and stay right there watching it.
9. Rest and serve. Give it about 3 minutes to settle, then serve it saucy with lemon at the table.
Substitutions
Here’s what I’d swap, and what each swap actually costs you.
Chicken → ground turkey or rotisserie chicken: Both work. Rotisserie chicken makes this a 20-minute dinner — skip the searing step and fold it in at the end. Check the label for dairy and gluten, since seasoning blends hide both.
Broccoli → cauliflower, peas, or green beans: All fine, all chopped small. Frozen cauliflower needs a harder drain — it holds more water than broccoli and will thin your sauce.
Rice → cauliflower rice or gluten-free pasta: Cauliflower rice makes it lighter but releases water, so cook it separately, drain it well, and go easier on the broth. Gluten-free pasta turns this into more of a cheesy chicken-broccoli bake, which is not a bad night either.
Gluten-free flour → cornstarch or arrowroot: Use about half as much and whisk it into cold broth first instead of making a roux. You’ll lose the toasty flavor the roux adds, but the sauce thickens fine.
Coconut milk → dairy-free heavy cream or unsweetened non-dairy milk: Dairy-free heavy cream is the closest match. Thin non-dairy milks (almond, oat, rice) make a noticeably looser, less rich sauce, so you’ll want a little more flour.
Coconut allergy: Skip the canned coconut milk entirely and use a dairy-free heavy cream or a thick oat cream. Also read your cheese shreds and cream cheese labels — coconut oil is in a lot of dairy-free cheese, so this one takes real label reading. Full transparency, I haven’t made the fully coconut-free version myself, so treat your first pan as a test pan.
Nut allergy: Easy to keep nut-free, but check the shreds and cream cheese. Some dairy-free cheese is cashew or almond based. Starch-and-oil based shreds are usually your safest bet, and they melt better anyway.
Soy allergy: Choose a soy-free dairy-free cheese and check your broth. Both are common places soy sneaks in.
Nutritional yeast → there’s no real swap. I’d be lying if I told you otherwise. It’s carrying the savory, cheesy flavor here, and without it the sauce tastes like seasoned cream. If you’re out, add more mustard, salt, and a little onion powder and know it won’t taste the same.
Egg-free and nut-free as written — no swap needed, this recipe has neither.
FAQ
Why won’t my dairy-free cheese melt?
Because it’s not melting the way dairy cheese does. Dairy-free shreds melt through starch and oil, which need moisture and time — not high heat. Blasting it under the broiler dries the shreds and sets them before they can flow. Melt some of the cheese into the sauce itself, then cover the skillet with a lid for a few minutes to steam-melt the top, and use the broiler only for color at the end.
Why is my cheese sauce grainy?
You probably had the heat too high. Dairy-free cheddar breaks and goes gritty if it boils hard. Keep it at a bare simmer, add the shreds a handful at a time, and let each addition disappear before adding more.
If it’s already grainy, whisk in a splash of warm broth off the heat and it usually comes back together.
What’s the best dairy-free cheese for this?
Look for shreds made with oil plus tapioca or potato starch — that combination is what actually flows. I use whatever my Walmart carries, mostly because I can get it delivered, and I’ve linked my full brand breakdown up in the ingredients section above.
How do I reheat the leftovers?
Leftovers dry out and clump in the fridge, so plan on adding liquid. Reheat in a skillet over low heat with a good splash of broth or coconut milk, stirring until it loosens back up.
In the microwave, add a spoonful of broth, cover it, and heat in short bursts with a stir in between. Skip the high-heat blast — that’s what makes it seize.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes, through the folding step. Make it, cool it, and refrigerate up to 3 days. When you’re ready, reheat it in the skillet with extra broth, spread it flat, add fresh shreds on top, and do the covered steam-melt and quick broil then.
I don’t love it from frozen — the rice and the sauce both come back grainier than I want.
Does it taste like coconut?
Not once the nutritional yeast, mustard, garlic, and salt are in. Use unsweetened full-fat canned coconut milk, not the sweetened carton kind, and it reads as creamy rather than coconutty.
My sauce got thick and pasty. What happened?
The rice drank it, which it will always do. Make the sauce looser than looks right before you fold anything in, and keep warm broth nearby to loosen it at the table and again for leftovers.
Is this Whole30 or Paleo?
No — the rice and the dairy-free cheese put it outside both. If you’re looking for something in this same creamy-chicken lane that IS compliant, try my Whole30 creamy chicken and rice, and if you’re new to cooking without dairy at all, start with dairy-free for beginners.
Other Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Skillet Dinners You’ll Love
If this one worked for your family, these are the other weeknight pans I keep coming back to.
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Taco Rice Skillet
- Skillet Beef and Broccoli
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
- Easy Chicken Fried Rice (Soy-Free)
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Macaroni and Cheese
A cheesy chicken, broccoli, and rice skillet that’s gluten-free and dairy-free. One pan, about 30 minutes, and the kids eat the broccoli.
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 12 ounces frozen broccoli florets
- 2 cups cooked rice day-old works best
Cheese Sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons cassava flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
- 1.5 cups canned full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 4 ounces dairy-free cream cheese ideally at room temperature for better melt
- 3 cups dairy-free cheddar cheese divided; see notes
- 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt plus more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar optional but will give it a more dairy cheddar tang
Instructions
- Season and sear the chicken. Toss the cubed chicken with salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Heat oil over medium-high heat, add chicken in a single layer, sear for 2–3 min undisturbed, stir, and cook 2–3 min more until browned and just cooked. Transfer to a plate (it finishes in the sauce).
- Steam the broccoli off to the side. Microwave the frozen bag per package directions (~4–6 min) while the sauce comes together. Tip into a colander and drain and pat it dry — undrained water thins the sauce. Chop big florets small. Set aside.
- Make the roux. Wipe the skillet if needed, lower to medium, add the DF butter. Whisk in the GF flour and cook ~1 min until nutty — don't brown. Add garlic, stir ~30 sec.
- Build the cheese sauce. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk and ¾ cup broth, scraping up browned bits. Simmer 1–2 min. Turn heat to low, stir in the cream cheese until smooth, then the 2 cups cheddar a handful at a time, then the nutritional yeast, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, and pepper. Keep at a bare simmer — DF cheddar goes grainy if hard-boiled. Keep it looser than looks right; the rice will drink a third of it. Simmer the sauce until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon before folding in the rice, chicken, and broccoli, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the apple cider vinegar.
- Fold everything together — with cheese in the body. Add the rice, chicken (and juices), drained broccoli, and another ½ cup cheddar shreds. Fold gently 2–3 min until coated and melty throughout. Keep it visibly saucy — loosen with a splash of broth if it tightens. Spread into an even layer.
- Steam-melt the top, then broil for color. Scatter the remaining ½ cup room-temp shreds over the top. Cover with a lid for 5 min over low heat — trapped steam melts the shreds gently and evenly. Once melted and glossy, uncover and broil 2–4 min for color only, watching closely.
- Rest briefly and serve. Let it sit for 5-10 min. Serve saucy. Keep a little warm broth nearby to loosen leftovers.
Notes
- it'll melt better if it's at room temperature (pull it out an hour or so before you need to cook dinner), and/or
- It'll melt better if it's in smaller shreds. I food process mine into small crumbles before I use it so that it will melt more easily.
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