Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

Easy and packed with veggies, this scrumptious Crock Pot Chicken and Rice is a simple way to please everyone at your table! It’s healthy, flavorful, freezer-friendly, and cooks entirely in your slow cooker.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Crock Pot Chicken Recipe

• Weeknight Warrior. If you are looking for more easy, healthy crock pot chicken recipes to navigate you through a busy week, this crockpot chicken and rice will be your ride. It’s not quite a 3 ingredient crockpot chicken and rice recipe, but it is incredibly simple and uses very few ingredients!
• Kid-Friendly. A creamy, cheesy blend of juicy chicken, whole grains, and fresh veggies, this healthy chicken and rice crock pot recipe has a universal appeal (like my Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole). It’s mild enough for picky eaters and flavorful enough for more adventurous palates.
• Feeds a Crowd (or Makes Leftovers). It yields a large batch and is rich in fiber and protein, so it’s hearty enough for hungry households, just like its cousins Chicken and Rice Casserole and Instant Pot Chicken and Rice.
• Freezer Friendly. The leftovers reheat like a dream, so if you like easy meal prep recipes or are part of a smaller household that only needs healthy crockpot recipes for two, it’s easy to save and reheat.
• Classic. As much as I love to be adventurous with ingredients and flavors (Slow Cooker Chicken Curry and Slow Cooker Butter Chicken are two absolute favorites), I also appreciate the all-American, family-friendly meals that were a part of my Midwestern upbringing: the Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup; the Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff; the Crock Pot Mexican Casserole; the classic Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie.

How to Make Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

The Ingredients

• Chicken Breasts. You can cook raw chicken with rice for this recipe, and it makes it easy! Your chicken will come out perfectly tender, flavorful, and delicious every single time. Chicken adds protein to the dish, making it more satisfying.

• Long Grain Brown Rice. Because I wanted this to be a healthy chicken and rice crock pot recipe, I opted for brown rice over white rice, as it is higher in fiber and protein. Brown rice is also a bit heartier, so it can better handle the longer cooking time that comes along with any slow cooker meal.
• Carrots. Packed with vitamins and sweet flavor, carrots are a delicious and nutritious addition to this recipe.
• Shallot. Adds a mild onion flavor without overpowering the other ingredients.

• Dijon. Deliciously tangy and zippy.
• Spices. This recipe suggests salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme. These ingredients help add flavor and earthiness to the dish. Feel free to adjust each of these to suit your and your family’s tastes.
• Chicken Broth. Acts as the cooking liquid for the chicken and rice.
• Frozen Peas. An easy way to sneak in extra veggies. No need to thaw them.
• Greek Yogurt. Helps make the recipe creamy and packs in extra protein and potassium. No need for cream of chicken soup here!
• Cheddar Cheese. Cheesy goodness helps make this recipe a crowd-pleaser and adds calcium.

The Directions

1. Add Everything to the Slow Cooker. Cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.
2. Remove the Chicken. Let everything else cook for another hour.
3. Add the Remaining Ingredients. Add the yogurt, peas, diced chicken, and part of the cheese. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Let cook for a few minutes. ENJOY!

Storage Tips

• To Store. Store leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave. Add a splash of broth, milk, or water to keep it from drying out.
• To Freeze. Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

What to Serve with Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

• Salad. Pair this chicken and rice with Arugula Salad or Apple Walnut Salad.
• Bread. Drop Biscuits or Cornbread Biscuits would be delicious with this recipe.
• Veggies. Air Fryer Broccoli, Roasted Green Beans, and Roasted Carrots are all great options.
• Applesauce. A simple, healthy, kid-friendly side dish for this meal is Instant Pot Applesauce or Crockpot Applesauce.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

• Slow Cooker. Perfect for making healthy crock pot chicken and rice recipes.
• Measuring Cups. These sturdy metal measuring cups are my favorite.
• Measuring Spoons. Magnets help keep these together during storage.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Slow Cook on HIGH. While the slow cooker can be good for rice, it does much better on high. The rice just did not turn out well when I made this recipe on low heat. It was watery and mushy. To avoid ending up with crock pot chicken and rice soup, make this recipe according to the cook times and temps in the recipe below.
• Plan a Test Batch. Slow cookers can vary widely in temperature, so build in extra time the first time you make this recipe. My rice cooks in 2 1/2 hours total, but other readers have reported needing longer.
• Don’t Overdo the Onion. If you opt to use a regular onion instead of shallot, be sure to chop the onion very finely, and don’t add too much. If you’d like, you can also sauté it on the stovetop before adding it to the crock pot to deepen and mellow its flavor.
• DO NOT Overcook the Chicken. Obvious, yet essential. The chicken breasts will finish cooking before the rice. Be sure to remove them as soon as the internal temp reaches 160 degrees F (the carryover cooking will take it to 165 degrees F).

Review Save Recipe SavedPrint

Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

4.32 from 266 votes

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Easy Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Casserole with veggies. Simple and SO yummy! A family favorite healthy crockpot meal. This easy crock pot recipe is made with real ingredients, gluten free, and freezer friendly. Even kids love it!

*Update 4/11/19: Updated the amount of chicken broth because a few people reported having issues with the rice coming out crunchy. I have never had this problem and have made it successfully several times with the original 2 1/2 cups chicken broth.* If this is your first time making this recipe, since slow cookers vary a lot, I suggest building in extra time in case your rice takes longer than mine does. Further, older rice can take longer to cook than newer rice.

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Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total: 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

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Servings: 4 servings, about 6 1/2 cups

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup  long-grain brown rice  do not substitute any other kind of rice, including short grain, instant, or white, as the cooking time and liquid ratios will not be the same*
• 1 1/2 cups diced carrots about 4 medium
• 1 small shallot finely chopped, about 1/4 cup (you can also use 1/2 of a small regular onion, though I prefer the more mild flavor of the shallot since it isn’t precooked)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 1/2–3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese divided (I love white cheddar for this)
• Chopped fresh parsley optional for serving

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Instructions

 

• Lightly coat a 5-quart or larger slow cooker with nonstick spray. Add the rice, carrots, shallot, and Dijon mustard, and stir to combine. Arrange the chicken breasts on top, then sprinkle with the garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour in the chicken broth. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Stir the rice, vegetables, and broth, then re-cover and continue cooking on high until the rice is tender, about 1 additional hour.**
• Uncover and stir in the peas and Greek yogurt. Dice the chicken and stir it in with 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, then re-cover and cook for a few additional minutes on high until the cheese is melted. Serve warm, sprinkled with fresh parsley as desired.

Video

Notes

• *I do not recommend using any other kind of rice or grain for this recipe other than long-grain brown rice, as the cooking times and liquid ratios will vary.
• I also cannot recommend cooking this on low, as my attempts to cook the rice on low resulted in wet, mushy rice. If you do have success making it on low heat, I’d love to hear about it!
• **Please note, the cook time (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours for the chicken + 1 additional hour for the rice and vegetables) listed can vary depending upon your slow cooker. Mine consistently finishes in this time, but others have reported needing longer for the rice. Further, older rice can take longer to cook. Use your best judgment depending on your slow cooker model. If it is your first time making the recipe, you may want to build in extra “buffer time” just in case your slow cooker doesn’t get as hot as mine and others who see similar cook times.
• As written, the rice does come out a little more mushy than it would if cooked on the stove or in a rice cooker. It’s a necessary evil with the ease of a slow cooker, so just be prepared (we still loved it!).
• TO STORE: Refrigerate chicken and rice in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
• TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave. Add a splash of broth, milk, or water to keep it from drying out.
• TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Nutrition

Serving: 1(of 4), about 1 2/3 cupsCalories: 567kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 53gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 125mgPotassium: 1249mgFiber: 6gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 8489IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 198mgIron: 3mg

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