This easy Crockpot Chicken and Rice is packed with veggies, but it will please everyone at your table because it’s also scrumptious! It’s healthy, flavorful, freezer-friendly, and cooks entirely in your slow cooker.
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Why You’ll Love This Easy Crockpot Chicken and Rice Recipe
- Easy to Make. I love slow cooker dinners because they’re usually set-it-and-forget-it recipes. This crockpot chicken and rice definitely qualifies! You’ll get a delicious, hearty dinner with minimal effort. Need chicken and rice even faster? Try my Baked Chicken and Rice.
- Kid-Friendly. A creamy, cheesy blend of juicy chicken, whole grains, and fresh veggies, this chicken and rice crockpot 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). This recipe 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. Plus, leftovers freeze well and reheat like a dream.
- 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.
5 Star Review
“This is THE BEST crockpot recipe! My entire family loves it. It’s healthy, accessible, and the only leftovers my family and I will actually eat.”
— Freda —
How to Make Crockpot 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. If you prefer crockpot chicken thighs and rice, you can swap boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breasts.
- Long Grain Brown Rice. Because I wanted this to be a healthy chicken and rice crockpot 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. You can use part of a regular onion if you prefer. Be sparing or sauté it first.
- 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
- Add Everything to the Slow Cooker. Cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.
- Remove the Chicken. Let everything else cook for another hour.
- 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.
Meal Prep Tip
Up to 1 day in advance, dice the carrots and chop the shallot. Refrigerate each item in a separate airtight container until you’re ready to finish the recipe.
What to Serve with Crockpot 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 crockpot 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 crockpot chicken and rice soup, make this recipe according to the cook times and temps in the recipe below.
- Make Sure the Chicken Is Thawed. Unfortunately, you cannot put frozen chicken in the crock pot for safety reasons. During the cooking process, it may spend too long at room temperature and become unsafe to eat. Fully thaw your frozen, boneless chicken breast before using it in this recipe.
- 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 crockpot 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).
Crockpot Chicken and Rice
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total: 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings, about 6 1/2 cups
This creamy crockpot chicken and rice casserole is loaded with veggies and tender chicken. An easy, kid-friendly slow cooker recipe!
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Ingredients
- 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*
- 4 ½ to 5 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ 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 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese divided (I love white cheddar for this)
- Chopped fresh parsley optional for serving
Instructions
- Rinse the rice several times to remove excess starch (this is key to the dish cooking properly). Bring 2 cups of the broth to a boil, then add the rice. Cook for 10 minutes, then drain.
- 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 2 1/2 cups chicken broth. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 to 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 to 1 1/2 additional hours.** If the rice seems dry, splash in some of the remaining 1 cup broth.
- 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
- Recipe retested and updated 5/27/24: Added step to par-cook the rice since some readers reported it coming out crunchy. I have never had this problem and have made it successfully several times without par-cooking the rice first, but if you want to play it safe, par-cook as the recipe now directs. If this is your first time making this recipe, since slow cookers vary a lot, I also 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, and if you don’t rinse the rice well, it can take longer.
- *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. If you like, you can try substituting store bought par-cooked rice (vs. par-cooking it yourself) but do note this will be an experiment and the rice may not cook evenly.
- I 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 hours for the chicken + 1 to 1/2 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 and if you do not rinse the rice, it 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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I would make this recipe again
Great to hear, Jean!
I dont usually comment but this recipe was amazing. I did make double the recipe. I used chicken thighs instead of breast. I couldn’t find the rice mentioned in the recipe, the rice I used was a whole wheat long grain with dirty rice seasoning already mixed with the rice. I did not precook the rice and it came out a little mussy but was still great not crunchy. I also dont like greek yogurt so i went for the cream of chicken soup. Although it doesn’t really need more flavor I think cooking spiced thighs on the grill will add some good flavor but tha also defeats the easy all in 1 pot cook.
I will definitely be making this recipe again.
So great to hear, thank you Shane!
I am so disappointed in this recipe. I followed it exactly and pre-cooked the rice as the recipe suggested. After following the recipe with the longer cook times, the rice is hard and crunchy and the consistency is very watery and soupy……. this was a fail for me
I’m sorry to hear you had problems with the recipe, Jen. We’ve actually adjusted the recipe for those who were having issues with the rice and that seemed to help, so not sure why it didn’t work for you. We recommend if it’s the first time making the recipe, since slow cookers vary a lot, to build in extra time in case your rice takes longer than mine does. Further, older rice can take longer to cook than newer rice, and if you don’t rinse the rice well, it can take longer. Hope this helps!
I agree with this comment. Watery and rice was hard – had to cook extra and just didn’t turn out like the photo. Needed like 2 cups of rice.
Hi Sarah (and Jen) – I am truly sorry this happened, and believe me when I say it makes me want to pull my hair out because I haven’t been able to replicate this issue when I make the recipe as written, nor have any of my friends or family and many readers have made it with success. It bothered me so much, I even paid for professional national recipe tester to make it, and they found no issues with it. Did you try parcooking the rice as the recipe suggests?
I hate recipes like this… step 1- put everything in the slow cooker… step 3- add remaining ingredients… If you add everything to begin with, what else is there to add in step 3 ??
Hi Jim, what you are reading is the condensed version of the recipe that is briefly highlighted in the blog post. The actual recipe is in the recipe card located further down with all of the directions. There is a “jump to recipe” button at the top of the screen to help you navigate there quicker. Hope this helps!
Followed the recipe perfectly, and it came out soupy and disgusting. I can’t even eat it, and I don’t know if I would even make my dog eat that. Terrible
I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe, Allie. The amounts, flavorings and timing have worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would have been a hit for you too! I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it does not turn out for you.
Loved the recipe..added some steamed broccoli at the end since we’re not fans of peas! I used the correct rice and rinsed, but as I think the next time I would not parboil and take my chances. Although some softness is expected from the slow cooker method, I found it too be a little too mushy for my preference. Overall, great recipe and we’ll make it again.
Thanks for the feedback, Karen!
I made this, followed the recipe and the rice is so mushy!!!
I’m so sorry to hear that, Tina. Did you use brown rice?
Hi Erin. Thank you for replying! I did! However, I am not giving up on this recipe. I am going to try it without cooking the rice first. My crockpot works very well and I think that may have been the issue.
Hi Tina! Thanks for the reply! So glad to hear! 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 but we still love it! Let us know if you decide to play around with the recipe!
I made this tonight for dinner, and it was delish! I will be making it again, but I will not be par-cook the rice. I will make it the original recipe as I do not like mushy rice. Very tasty dish! It was a big hit with the family.
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Kim! Thank you!