This Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice is easy, cheesy, and loaded with veggies, fiber and protein for a complete slow cooker dinner that the kids will love, too!
Back to school is nearly upon us so we’re busting out all the easy crockpot meals, and this Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice is at the top of the list!
I’ll be honest, with 3 kids 6 and under I don’t have a lot of prep time for meals. They keep me on my toes (and the 9 month old keeps me chasing her around the house all day!), and if I can provide them with an easy, healthy meal that I didn’t have to spend a lot of time making? I’m down.
What I love about this Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice is how easy it is to customize to your family’s tastes.
You can add in different veggies, different seasonings, different cheeses, and really make it your own (i.e., make it so that you know it won’t be a fight at dinnertime!).
Another thing I love? That there are no extra pots or dishes. A cutting board and a slow cooker is about all you need here, and I’ve given you a few ideas below for how to make this even easier (with even less dishes!).
It’s also naturally gluten-free (check your labels) and can pretty easily be made dairy free as well.
If you love chicken and rice, check out my Chicken Wild Rice Soup, Chicken Rice Soup or Chicken and Rice Bake next!
How to make Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice:
- First, we add the rinsed rice, veggiess, low sodium chicken broth, seasoning and chicken breasts to the crockpot. You want to make sure your vegetables are chopped finely so that they cook in the same amount of time as the chicken (because nobody likes overcooked chicken!).
- When the chicken is cooked, remove it and chop.
- Lastly, we stir in a little milk or cream, cheese and frozen peas to give it a touch of creaminess (and because my kids eat anything with cheese in it!).
How to make this Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice your own:
- Try swapping out the vegetables for ones your family enjoys more: broccoli (add it with the rice at the end!), mushrooms, zucchini, corn, fresh peppers, etc.
- Use boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts if you prefer (just take the skin off first!).
- Mix up the seasonings and cheeses to create something entirely new — especially fun if you’ve made it once as is, and now want to create a new variation to add to the recipe box!
Love easy slow cooker dinners? Try these!
- Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Honey Balsamic Glaze
- Slow Cooker Beef Beef Barley Soup
- Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1½ cups long grain white rice
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 large carrots (peeled and finely diced)
- ¼ cup onion (finely diced)
- ½ cup roasted red peppers (store-bought, chopped)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- â…“ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup half and half
Instructions
- Lightly grease 4-5 quart slow cooker. Rinse rice well and drain completely.
- In the slow cooker, stir together the rice, broth, carrots, onion, red peppers, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Add chicken breasts(whole), cover and cook on high for 2.5-3.5 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Remove chicken and test the rice. If rice is not yet al dente, cover and continue cooking, checking every 20-30 minutes.
- Remove chicken and place on a cutting board. Chop or shred chicken and set aside.
- When the rice is cooked, stir in the chopped chicken, cheese, peas, and half and half.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Notes
- Vegetables: this is an easy recipe to swap in the vegetables you have and enjoy, so feel free to clean out the fridge! Firmer vegetables get added at the beginning of the cook time, and softer or frozen vegetables get added at the end.
- Chicken breasts: I prefer to cook these whole in the slow cooker as they don’t dry out as quickly. You can chop them first and add raw, chopped chicken to the rice and it will easily cook with the rest of the ingredients, or you can use pre-cooked Crockpot Shredded Chicken or chopped leftover Air Fryer Chicken Breast and stir it in with the cheese and cream.
Nutrition Information
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Diane says
I doubled this recipe & it turned out great. We loved it! We are a family of 4 so I needed to double it. I thought the rice might have been hard but it was fine. It’s delicious. Going to make this again. Thank you 😊
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Diane! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Sarah says
Followed the instructions perfectly it was nowhere near ready after 2.5 hours. The rice was still completely hard and there was a ton of liquid still. We had to leave the slow cooker on high for another 2.5 hours and even then the rice was still a bit hard. We ended up having to order a pizza so I haven’t even tried it yet, but husband said it’s pretty good (just needs more salt).
Sarah says
Realized we did NOT in fact use instant rice so there’s part of the problem. Even with instant rice though this recipe needs a much longer time period in the slow cooker.
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks for the update!
Cece says
Hello, wondering how much broccoli to add (in place of the peas) at the end? Do you think frozen broccoli would work?
Thanks, looking forward to making this tonight!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Cee, add it with the rice at the end. I’m not sure how froze would work. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Lynn says
White minute rice worked great, also just used a splash of milk and a small amount of cheese to keep the fat and cholesterol down. It is delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lynn!
Jessic says
Can I use white rice?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jessic! I’ve only tested this with instant brown rice. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Matt says
Needed alot more time then the the 1/2 hr. The instructions indicated for the rice to cook.
Miranda says
Delicious!! I used Jasmine rice because it’s all we had on hand. Just added approx 1/2cup of water and cooked for about 10-15 minutes longer. Turned out perfect!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Miranda, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Madison Soto says
Do I need to cook this before freezing? Or can I put the ingredients in a freezer bag before they’re cooked?
Ashley Fehr says
I would probably cook and then freeze
Sheila says
Hi! This looks great? How would you change it for cooking in the Instant Pot?
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t tested it in the Instant Pot so I can’t say for sure.
Jade says
Hi Ashley,
I didn’t see in the ingredients how much rice or what type of rice?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jade! All of the ingredients plus instructions are in the recipe card in the post. It’s right above the section where you left the comment. You can also get there by hitting the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the screen.
Chris says
Could you use frozen chicken?
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t tested this recipe with frozen chicken so I can’t say for sure.
Des says
Hi! I only have 6 quart slow cooker.. would that change anything?
Ashley Fehr says
It may just cook a little quicker since it is not as full
Meg says
I am interested in trying it with quinoa – curious about how to change the cook times if I do
Ashley Fehr says
Sorry, I’ve never tried this recipe with quinoa so I can’t say for sure!
Allison says
How would I use normal rice?
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t tested this recipe with long grain rice yet, so I can’t say
Tamikia Samford says
How would I cook this if I have a package of already cooked shredded chicken?
Ashley Fehr says
You could probably add it in at the beginning of the cook time but I would wait until the last hour or so so it doesn’t get overcooked
Robin says
This recipe looks great! I usually make a big batch of shredded chicken on the weekend and then use it for quick cooking throughout the week. Could I use it in this recipe? How would it alter cooking time if the chicken is already cooked?
Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes definitely! You wouldn’t change the cook time at all 🙂
Sally McMurray says
Thank you so much. I was wondering about the
Sally McMurray says
Sorry for the cut off. I was just wondering the same thing as the original poster and just wanted to thank you for your help in your response.
Ashley Fehr says
No problem Sally!
Tammy VanSant says
Hi Ashley! I made this meal tonight for this week.. loving the idea.. one question.. I put the 1/2 cup res peppers and it is really hot… I tried watering it down, putting brown sugar in it.. and she is still spicy!! I can handle it I think, but was that supposed to be half cup peppers?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Tammy! Roasted red peppers are not spicy at all. I would make sure you are using roasted red peppers and then you shouldn’t have any problem!
Raegan Dyck says
We’ve made this a couple times now and we double the recipe for our family of 4 big eaters; with lots of leftovers for lunches. It’s great to have when you get home from hockey.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m happy to hear that Raegan!
Jonathan Murray says
Did you have to adjust the cook time if you double the recipe?
Ashley Fehr says
It may take a little longer to cook if your slow cooker is very full. If you use a larger slow cooker, it would take about the same amount of time
Coleen says
Don’t have chicken broth can I use water? If yes how much should I use?
Ashley Fehr says
You can definitely use water but you may need to increase the seasoning as the broth adds lots of flavor
Georgina Bailey says
Hi
I’m front the Uk. When you say instant rice, what are the instructions to book? We have microwaveable rice that you put in microwave for 2 minutes, but I don’t think this is what you’re referring to. Would it be the quick cook rice (takes 5mins)? Thanks
Ashley Fehr says
Our instant rice takes about 5 minutes on the stove. I hope that helps!
Jen777 says
I was wondering this too, I love finding new recipes but it’s hard to know what to use as we don’t have the same in the UK as they do in the US, we have microwave rice, boil in the bag rice I just don’t know which one to use, what one did you use in the end? Did it turn out ok? I really want to make this
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jen, I’m actually in Canada and not the US, so I run across things that are different as well. After doing some research online it seems like it would be comparable to your quick cooking rice and not microwavable rice. Hope this helps!
Claire says
Can this be frozen easily? If so, do you have any tips for freezing and/or warming?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! Rice freezes extremely well. I would package it in freezer packs, squish it into a thin layer and freeze flat. Then thawing will be a breeze — just leave out at room temperature for a few hours and toss into a skillet with a splash of water.