This Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice is easy, cheesy, and loaded with veggies, fiber and protein for a complete slow cooker dinner that the kids will love, too!
Recipe first shared on Spend With Pennies.
Back to school is nearly upon us so we’re busting out all the easy crockpot meals, and this Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice is at the top of the list!
I’ll be honest, with 3 kids 6 and under I don’t have a lot of prep time for meals. They keep me on my toes (and the 9 month old keeps me chasing her around the house all day!), and if I can provide them with an easy, healthy meal that I didn’t have to spend a lot of time making? I’m down.
What I love about this Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice is how easy it is to customize to your family’s tastes.
You can add in different veggies, different seasonings, different cheeses, and really make it your own (i.e., make it so that you know it won’t be a fight at dinnertime!).
Another thing I love? That there are no extra pots or dishes. A cutting board and a slow cooker is about all you need here, and I’ve given you a few ideas below for how to make this even easier (with even less dishes!).
It’s also naturally gluten-free (check your labels) and can pretty easily be made dairy free as well.
If you love chicken and rice, check out my Chicken Wild Rice Soup, Chicken Rice Soup or Chicken and Rice Bake next!
How to make Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice:
- First, we add the veggiess, low sodium chicken broth, seasoning and chicken breasts to the crockpot. You want to make sure your vegetables are chopped finely so that they cook in the same amount of time as the chicken (because nobody likes overcooked chicken!).
- Then we add the instant rice, and it soaks up all the extra liquid and cooks up nice and fluffy (so easy!).
- Lastly, we stir in a little milk and cheese to give it a touch of creaminess (and because my kids eat anything with cheese in it!).
How to make this Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice your own:
- Try swapping out the vegetables for ones your family enjoys more: broccoli (add it with the rice at the end!), mushrooms, zucchini, corn, fresh peppers, etc.
- Use boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts if you prefer (just take the skin off first!).
- Mix up the seasonings and cheeses to create something entirely new — especially fun if you’ve made it once as is, and now want to create a new variation to add to the recipe box!
Love easy slow cooker dinners? Try these!
- Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Honey Balsamic Glaze
- Slow Cooker Beef Beef Barley Soup
- Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 large carrots peeled and finely diced
- 1/2 onion finely diced
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cups instant brown rice
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a 3-4 quart slow cooker, stir together the broth, carrots, onion, red peppers, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Add chicken breasts, and cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
- When chicken is cooked, remove and place on a cutting board.
- Stir in the peas and rice to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 15 minutes.
- When chicken is cool enough to handle, slice thinly.
- After 15 minutes, stir the chicken, milk, and cheese into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 15 more minutes, until cheese is melted and rice is tender. Serve.
Nutrition Information
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Laura M says
The base recipe is excellent. The roasted red peppers really add some good flavor. Because of other comments about the rice not being done, I cooked it separately & added at the very end. Instead of the cheese and milk, I made a 1/2 cup of flour slurry with chicken broth with a couple dashes of hot sauce. It could have been thicker but I didn’t want the cheese. It was delicious. Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks Laura!
Laura says
I enjoyed this recipe. I thought it was very tasty, however the rice did not cook all the way and I even added extra liquid because I feared this would be the case. I’m not sure how others were about to make it work.
Heather says
I have to say, I was excited to try this recipe due to the amount of veggies involved, plus the cheese and the CROCKPOT! The bummer is, although it was extremely easy, the taste was not good. I am sure that Beth is a fabulous cook, but for us, the leftovers ended up in the trash. I’m sorry, Beth. I’m just trying to help a sister out. I will certainly try some of your other recipes.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, Heather. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
Marina says
Tried this for dinner tonight and it ended up not having very much flavor. I think next time I’ll add more seasoning and then also put seasoning on top of the chicken after placing it in the crock pot. But all around, still a great chicken and rice recipe!! I will definitely be making it again. 😊
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Marina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review and feedback!
Beth says
Definitely tasty, but this took way longer than 2.5 hours and I used instant rice! The chicken took about 3.5 hours on high. I followed your recipe to a T, but it ended up taking more like 40 minutes for the rice alone and it was still kinda chewy. Next time I’ll just cook the rice separately and toss it in.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Beth! Glad it was tasty!
Marlan Harris says
I made this tonight, exactly as it says. The rice was in for 30 minutes, like it says, and did not cool. The flavor was fine but it was like eating little rocks in it. Probably the biggest failure in a recipe I’ve had in a while. I should have done Marry Me Chicken.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe, Marlan. 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.
PH says
I’m making this right now. I was wondering, do you think it would be good with some Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup with it instead of the milk and cheese? Just curious if anyone has tried that.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi PH! I feel like this version is better, but would love to know how it turns out if you experiment.
Vicki says
What is a serving size?
The Recipe Rebel says
It’s 1/6 of the recipe.
Emma says
Hi – we have found your recipe and can’t wait to try it! Quick question, can we use plain white rice instead of instant rice? We are in UK, any recommendations on how much longer we would need to put it in for?
Thanks!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Emma! I haven’t tried it myself but another reader did this: “I used Jasmine rice because it’s all we had on hand. Just added approx 1/2cup of water and cooked for about 10-15 minutes longer.” If you end up trying it this way, I’d love to know how it comes out!
B.F. says
I certainly know that fresh is preferred, but can I use frozen chicken?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi B.F.! I haven’t tested this recipe with frozen chicken so I can’t say for sure.
Courtney says
I tried regular rice with the 1/2 cup of water and additional 15min but sadly it did not cook the rice. Tried doing another extra 15 when adding the chicken & almond milk at the end but still did not cook the rice. I would just suggest if all you have is non-instant, make that separate and add it in before serving.
Also to the commenter from a month ago asking about using frozen chicken. I had to use only partially thawed chicken due to time constraints & added an extra 30min to make sure it was cooked fully. It was pull-apart tender when I went to cut it
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks for the feedback about the frozen chicken Courtney!
Fran LaMantia says
It was delicious! My 7 year old son gobbled it down. Thanks!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Fran! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!