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! If you like this Southwest Crock pot Chicken and Rice dinner, try my other Crock pot Freezer meals. They really are very easy to throw together.
This crockpot recipe is the perfect comfort food when money is tight.
What's in this post: Southwest Crock Pot Chicken and Rice
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 peppers and 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.
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.
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 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed), 1 can corn (drained), 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, ½ diced onion, 1 can cream of chicken soup, and 1 cup milk on top of the chicken.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon 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 4 chicken breasts, and return the shredded chicken to the crock pot.
- Stir in 3 cups cooked white rice and 1 cup 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!
Is the nutritional info listed with the recipes based on individual servings — if yes, how big are the recommended individual serving sizes?
Yes, the nutritional information is per serving is based on 6 servings of the entire recipe. So 1 serving is approximately 1/6 of the entire meal. Thanks!
This is so quick and easy to make. It’s my husband’s favorite meal to come home to. I have used canned chicken breast chunks when in a hurry. Most of the ingredients are already in my cupboard. Thank you so much for this recipe. We’ve made it often and it’s a definite keeper.
(Duplicate review because I missed clicking on the 5 Stars with my first post!)
Lori – Thank you so much for your kind words. It means a lot that you took the time to leave a comment! I’m so glad it’s going to be on repeat!
This is so quick and easy to make. It’s my husband’s favorite meal to come home to. I have used canned chicken breast chunks when in a hurry. Most of the ingredients are already in my cupboard. Thank you so much for this recipe. We’ve made it often and it’s a definite keeper.
Lori – You made our day! Thank you so much!