This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
Dinner is a breeze with this Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Recipe. The tender chicken and cheesy rice make an amazing meal your family will go crazy for.
Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Recipe
We absolutely love this tasty and creamy chicken and rice crock pot recipe. Everything gets tossed into the crockpot and dinner will be ready when you get home.
My kids go crazy over this dish and they love when I make it. It is so cheesy and delicious.
We make this meal frequently because it is so very simple and everyone enjoys it so much. Once I find something everyone will enjoy, it makes dinner time much easier.
Give this easy slow cooker recipe a try. It is so yummy and budget friendly. You will love to slow cook this meal! You may even like Crock Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice, Crock Pot No Peek Chicken and Chicken and Rice Casserole.
Crock pot cheesy chicken and rice is sure to impress the entire family!
Throw this chicken and rice in crock pot and be prepared for a great dinner! It is comfort food in every single bite.
The cheese blends together with the rice for the best flavor. The kids really like this dish and ask frequently for cheesy rice as they call it. It is one of their favorite Kid Friendly Slow Cooker Recipes.
If you want to add something green to this meal, try serving these Delicious Roasted Green Beans. Another good side is steamed broccoli.
Learn how to steam broccoli in the microwave for a quick and easy side dish. This recipe is so good that the kids don’t even seem to mind eating their veggies when paired with this tasty dish.
Can you put rice in a slow cooker with chicken?
Yes, definitely! I have love cooking the rice right in the crock pot for this recipe. I have found that brown rice works best as it’s less likely to be over cooked in the crock pot.
This is one of our favorite slow cooker chicken and rice recipes!
Your family will love this amazing meal. Make sure you check out our page for all our easy crock pot recipes too. Plus, if you are short on time you might want to try our Instant pot Chicken and rice recipe.
Programmable Slow Cooker
I have had this slow cooker for years. I love the latching lid feature to make traveling easier. It is a digital slow cooker with a timer so it goes to warm for you when the timer is up.
Ingredients for Chicken and Rice crock pot:
- Chicken Breasts
- Minced Garlic
- Salt and Pepper
- Onion
- Chicken Broth (See Chicken broth substitutes)
- Cream of Chicken Soup (You can make homemade cream of chicken soup.)
- Brown Rice – I recommend brown rice for this recipe as it is more hearty and less likely to over cook in the crock pot. I have tried this recipe with white rice before and the rice generally gets overcooked and turns mushy.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
How do you cook chicken and rice in a slow cooker?
- Place the chicken broth, garlic, salt, pepper, onions, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and uncooked brown rice in a crock pot. Stir to thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
- Cover and cook on high for 3.5-4 hours until all the broth in the crock pot is absorbed by the rice.
- Stir in the shredded cheese after the cook time. Cover and let the heat from the meal melt the cheese.
- Serve warm once the rice is tender and blended with the cheese.
Variations to Try!
- Try cream of mushroom in the casserole.
- Make homemade cream of chicken soup.
- Substitute chicken thighs.
- Add frozen vegetables to the rice mixture.
- Add another ¼ cup shredded cheese to the rice when finished cooking.
Chicken and Rice is simple to make!
Another time saving tip is to use a small food chopper or food processor to quickly and easily chop the onions in this recipe. If you do not have one of these, I highly recommend them.
They are such a time saver and you can get the veggies really fine. I usually just chop the entire vegetable and freeze what I don’t need.
It’s so nice to be able to just take the diced onion out of the freezer for recipes.This is how I meal prep. It’s so quick and easy and helps get dinner on the table fast.
Learn how to freeze onions and also how to freeze peppers to save so much time in the kitchen!
You need a crockpot for this Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice.
My Favorite Slow Cooker
I love this slow cooker because it is digital and you can set the time. This is nice because then it automatically goes to warm when the time is up.
You can also use a Casserole Crock Pot:
You can use a traditional style of crock pot but we also really like to use one of these casserole crock pot styles.It is perfect for casserole style slow cooker recipes.
I bought mine on Amazon,and I love it. It is perfect for the Holidays and really year round.
Plus, it is just so pretty. We can still enjoy all our favorite casserole recipes without ever turning the oven on.
Chicken and rice crockpot recipe easy to make!
You only need 2 chicken breasts for this recipe so it is very frugal friendly. The rice and cheese really stretch the meat and make it easy to feed a big family.
I love meals that are easy on my grocery budget, taste amazing and only take a few minutes to prepare. Life is so busy and most of us are running from work and school to activities and more. Take out is so tempting on those crazy busy days.
Now, you can just toss everything in the crockpot and make this amazing recipe. You will love coming home to dinner ready and waiting.
Print this Chicken and Rice Slow Cooker recipe below:
Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Crockpot I really love this Crockpot! I use it all the time!
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ onion chopped
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 can cream of chicken soup (10.5 oz can)
- 1 ½ cup brown rice (uncooked)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
Instructions
- Place the chicken, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and brown rice in the crock pot. Stir to thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
- Cover and cook on high for 3.5-4 hours until the rice has absorbed all the chicken broth in the crock pot.
- Stir in the shredded cheese. Cover and allow the heat from the meal to melt the cheese (5-7 minutes).
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- I recommend brown rice for this recipe instead of white rice as it’s more hearty and able to handle the longer cook time from the crock pot. I do not recommend white rice for this recipe as it will likely turn too mushy.
- If the mixture is too thick, gradually stir in more chicken broth at the end of the cook time until the meal is the consistency that you prefer (¼ cup at a time).
- Refrigerate the leftovers in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
Check out these other easy Crock Pot Recipes:
- Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing Recipe
- Crock pot Ranch Pork Chops
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- The Best Crock Pot Roast Recipe
- Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken Recipe
- Crockpot Chicken Quesadillas Recipe
- Easy Crock pot Lasagna Soup Recipe
- Easy Crock pot Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Crock Pot Cube Steak and Gravy
Make sure to check out all our favorite easy crock pot recipes.
Can I use white rice? If so, how to I adjust. Thank you
I have the meal in the slow cooker as I type. I chose a slightly different approach. Using the stock recipe, I added green chilies, paprika, cumin, and chili powder for a southwest flair. I did not “intend” on doing so, but I was thinking “Spice it up” as I do with most dishes.
I am adding Mexi-blend cheese rather than cheddar. This recipe would be great as it is, or with a twist such as this. I may add a bit of sour cream at the end… Oh, and I am adding some corn with the cheese, and some cilantro as well.
Rob – So glad you tried it and those ideas sound delicious.
Thanks for sharing Rob, your changes to the recipe sound amazing! Thank you for sharing and for the positive review!
would like to add fresh broccoli, when would be the best time to add it the crockpot?
Crystal – Add the broccoli in for the last 30 minutes of the cooking time so that it does not get overcooked. I hope you enjoy it!
Could you do this on low instead of high? I know sometimes with rice that doesn’t work the best.
I don’t recommend cooking this one on low just on high for the best texture of the cooked rice.
Great advice easy to make and tastes amazing.
Thank you, Al! So glad you loved it.
How about skipping the cheese?
Rita – You can omit the cheese, but the flavor will be different. Let me know if you try it!
The recipe was so easy which is what I need. But I let it cook for 4 hours and it was still too liquidy. I waited a little longer then added the cheese. Once that melted I served it but the rice was still hard! Any idea what I did wrong? I did also add a cup of frozen veggies.
Oh no Lauren! It sounds like it needed more time to cook in the crock pot. Each crock pot cooks differently so some take longer than others.
So I make the chicken and rice but after 4 hours my rice was still hard. I did everything that was told what is the problem.
Chris – Each crock pot cooks a bit differently. If the rice is not done yet, then it still needs more time to cook. Continue to cook it and add more liquid if needed until the rice is tender.
Is your chicken raw or cooked when you put it in?
Brienna – The chicken is raw. Can’t wait for you to try it!
Hi! I wanted to make this tonight for my family but don’t have time to slow cook. Do you have an instapot version of this recipe? Thank you!
Samantha – Yes, I have an Instant Pot Chicken and Rice that is easy to make and tastes amazing! I hope you try it out and let me know what you think. Thank you!
How many lbs of chicken thighs for twice the recipe? Also will twice the recipe fit in a 6 qt slow cooker?
Tina – I recommend using 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe (3 pounds if doubling the recipe). I do not recommend doubling and cooking it all in one crock pot as I don’t think all the ingredients would fit and I don’t think that all the rice would get cooked all the way through. If you want to double the recipe, I recommend using 2 crock pots to make 2 separate meals. I hope you enjoy it!
You had said the use of brown rice was because white rice tended to get overcooked in this recipe. Could I use white (Basmati) rice but wait a certain amount of time after starting the cooking process before adding the rice to the crockpot? If so, how long should I allow for the white rice to cook after being added?
Tammy, we have tried using white rice multiple times and we just don’t like the way that it turns out in the recipe so we don’t recommend using it in this recipe.
Can I sub cream of mushroom for the cream of chicken??
Chelsea – Yes, you can. It will change the flavor a little but feel free to swap for your taste!
I made this using cream of chicken with herbs soup, added a few mushrooms and some chopped celery, and four cheese Mexican blend cheese. Delicious, and so easy!
Diane – I’m so glad you loved it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Can this work with brow minute rice?
Auggie – Minute rice does not take as long to cook and would need to be added toward the end if using.
U wonder if this would would with quinoa
Auggie – Yes, you can substitute quinoa for rice in a crockpot chicken dish, but you need to adjust the liquid and cooking time to accommodate its different texture and cooking properties. For best results, add the quinoa toward the end of the cooking process, allowing it to cook and absorb the liquid without becoming mushy.
I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS!!! My husband was tearing it up haha. I added fresh mushrooms, green pepper and used minute rice since I didn’t have brown rice. The best part was topping it with Fried onions!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Amy! Thank you so much for sharing and your additions to the recipe sound amazing!
Wanting to throw in before work, but it says hi for 3.5 to 4 hrs… Think I can do low for 9 hrs?
Rachel – I find that the consistency is not great when cooked on low, so I do recommend cooking this one on high and having it switch to the keep warm setting after the cooking time.
Made this recipe as is and it was absolutely delicious. Will definitely make this dish again.
Thanks for leaving a comment Steven! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
If I add frozen veggies, will it throw off the recipe?
Becca – I think the additions of the frozen vegetables would be delicious in this recipe!
I forgot to add the rice at the beginning. So I cooked some white rice and added it at the end. It turned out fabulous! I’ll be making this again.
Sharon – Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m so glad it turned out great!
Can I cook it on low for longer time without ruining it?
April – No, this recipe doesn’t work well when cooked on low. The rice get too mushy. I only recommend cooking this recipe on high.
If I added the frozen vegetables, do I add them at the first and do i need to increase cooking time?
Becky – I would stir in the frozen vegetables into the crock pot for the last hour of the cooking time so that they don’t get too soft or over cooked. Let me know how it turns out!
Should I double the cook time for double the ingredients?
Jonathan – You will not need to double the cook time but it will take a bit later to cook all the way through. Cook on high for 4-5 hours until the chicken broth is absorbed and the rice is tender.
Yum, Yum and more Yum!
I made it exactly as written and it was gobbled up. I only had about a cup of the mixture left over. I used it the next day as a small side for an all veggie dinner! I will make it again for sure!
Lois – Yay! So glad you enjoyed this.