This cheesy and delicious Southwest Crock Pot Chicken and Rice is freezer friendly and super easy in the slow cooker. Come home to the best comfort food ready to enjoy for dinner.
I have a delicious and super easy crock pot freezer meal for you today, Southwest Crock Pot Chicken and Rice. You are not going to believe how easy this is to make. If your family is anything like mine, this is going to become a go-to meal, just like this Crock pot Chicken and Dumplings, Crock Pot Monterey Chicken, Crock Pot No Peek Chicken and Crock Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice recipe.
The chicken is so tender and the crock pot does all of the work. The southwest flavor is amazing!
This crockpot recipe is the perfect comfort food when money is tight.
Why We Love This Recipe
Being a busy mom of 8, this Southwest Crock Pot Chicken and Rice makes dinnertime a breeze. It is easy to throw into the slow cooker for a delicious meal whenever everyone gets home.
The flavors are amazing and I can easily change the ingredients to what we have on hand. If you like this recipe, make Chicken and Rice Casserole.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts – You can use other types of chicken such as thighs or tender
- Onion – See Best Onion Substitute if you are out
- Black Beans – Drained and Rinsed. Feel free to also use pinto beans
- Corn – We used canned whole kernel corn
- Cream of Chicken Soup – Learn How to Make Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles – We like using Rotel
- Milk – Use milk of your choice
- Taco Seasoning – Make Easy Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe
- Cooked White Rice – Make Instant pot White Rice Recipe ahead of time
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Use any type of cheese that your prefer
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.
How to Make Southwest Chicken and Rice in the Crock Pot
Step 1 – Place the chicken at the bottom of a crock pot. Top with the beans, corn, tomatoes, cream of chicken soup, milk, paprika, taco seasoning and pepper.
Step 2 – Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Remove the chicken, shred and return it back to the crock pot. Stir in the cooked rice and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
Step 3 – Top with the remaining cheese. Cover and allow the cheese to melt (3-5 minutes).
Step 4 – Serve immediately and store the leftovers in an air tight container. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Crockpot Recommendation – If you are needing a new crock pot, check out Best Slow Cookers of 2024. You may also love this programmable crock pot. I love coming home to a nice meal ready and waiting!
- Liners – I also like to use crock pot liners to make clean up a breeze. These are worth every penny and save a ton of time.
- Chopped Veggies – I use a small food chopper or processor to quickly and easily dice the onions. If you do not have one of these, I highly recommend them. I usually just chop the entire vegetable and freeze what I don’t need. Learn how to freeze onions and you will save so much time in the kitchen!
- Shred Chicken – You can easily shred the chicken with two forks or learn how to shred with a stand mixer.
Variation Ideas
- Extra creamy: Stir in 4 ounces of cubed cream cheese when you shred the chicken and let it melt before adding the rice.
- Spicier: Use hot Rotel, or add a diced jalapeño with the onion. Top with pepper jack instead of cheddar.
- Rotisserie chicken shortcut: Skip the raw chicken. Cook everything else on Low for 2 to 3 hours, then stir in 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken with the rice.
- Brown rice: Use 3 cups of cooked brown rice. It holds its shape well and adds a little more fiber.
- No beans: Leave them out and double the corn.
Serving Suggestions
This Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Recipe is a complete meal idea. I love to serve topped with sour cream, diced avocado, fresh cilantro, lime juice and Homemade Salsa Recipe.
I even like to serve with Cowboy Queso with tortilla chips for a delicious side dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no need to brown the chicken before placing in the slow cooker. You can even cook frozen chicken in the slow cooker.
Cooked. You need 3 cups of cooked rice, which is about 1 cup of dry rice. Cook it separately and stir it in at the end.
Yes. Cook it according to the package directions, then stir in 3 cups of the cooked rice at the end.
Yes, we like to use boneless chicken breasts but you can also make this chicken and rice recipe with boneless chicken thighs.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. We actually think it taste better the next day.
How to Freeze Chicken and Rice
- Put all ingredients in your labeled freezer bag and place in the freezer. I told you it was easy!
- Once you are ready to make this, place the contents of your freezer bag in your crockpot (ingredients can be thawed or frozen). Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and add 2 cups of cooked rice right before you serve.
I love to keep a few bags of this in the freezer for easy meals during the week. It is so nice to just be able to grab and toss in the slow cooker. You can even freeze cooked southwest chicken and rice once it has cooled in a freezer safe container.
More Easy Crock Pot Chicken Recipes
We love to hear from you. If you make Southwest Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Southwest Crock Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts
- ½ Onion diced
- 1 can Black Beans Drained and Rinsed
- 1 can Corn Drained
- 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 Tbsp Taco Seasoning
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 3 cups Cooked White Rice
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese Shredded
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Place 4 chicken breasts in the bottom of a crock pot.
- Add black beans (drained and rinsed), corn (drained), diced tomatoes with green chiles, diced onion, cream of chicken soup, and milk on top of the chicken.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning, paprika, and pepper over the ingredients.
- Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours or on high for 3–4 hours.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the crock pot, shred the chicken breasts, and return the shredded chicken to the crock pot.
- Stir in cooked white rice and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top. Cover and allow the cheese to melt for 3–5 minutes.
- Serve immediately and store any leftovers in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Just to clarify, does the recipe call for 3 cups of rice uncooked -> which turns into ~9 cups of rice by volume once cooked? or does it call for 1 cup of uncooked rice -> turning into 3 cups of rice by volume once cooked?
Great question, Klay! You need 3 cups of cooked rice, which is approximately 1 cup of dry rice before cooking. Cook it separately, then stir it into the crock pot near the end.
What size cans should I use?
Hi Lauren! Use a standard 15-ounce can of black beans, a 15-ounce can of corn, a 10.5-ounce can of cream of chicken soup, and a 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, like Rotel. Drain the corn and drain and rinse the beans. Thanks for asking!
Can I use chicken thighs ? And for the rice can I use minute rice ?
Yes, boneless chicken thighs will work great! You can also use Minute Rice. Cook it separately according to the package directions, then stir the cooked rice into the crock pot at the end.