Simple meets satisfying in this easy crockpot chicken meal!
Crock pot chicken and rice is a full meal with tender chicken, vibrant veggies, and seasoned rice.
Both hearty and healthy, it’s a family favorite.
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An Easy Crock Pot Chicken Meal
- This quick and easy crockpot chicken and rice recipe is a perfect weeknight dinner.
- With just a few simple steps, it’s both healthy and hearty.
- This dish is a nutritional powerhouse, combining lean chicken, wholesome brown rice, and vibrant veggies for a balanced dinner.
- The Crockpot does the work making this a no-fuss favorite.
- Leftovers make satisfying lunches or dinners
- This recipe works great for using up leftover veggies, too! Serve with a simple tossed salad and some homemade dinner rolls.
Ingredients for Crockpot Chicken & Rice
Chicken – Choose boneless, skinless chicken breasts or switch to chicken thighs (about two thighs per person).
Vegetables – Onions, carrots, and peas are our favorites and a little bit of roasted red peppers add extra color and flavor. Feel free to mix it up with broccoli, sliced mushrooms, beans, or your frozen green beans or a frozen veggie medley.
Rice – I recommend instant brown rice for a quick cooking option that won’t get mushy. If you use instant white rice, reduce the cooking time slightly.
Sauce – Skip the cans of cream of chicken soup! This sauce is made with fresh ingredients like chicken broth, milk, and cheese for a homemade flavor and creamy texture.
How to Make Crockpot Chicken & Rice
- Add the vegetables (except the peas), broth, Italian seasoning, and chicken to the Crockpot.
- Stir in the peas and instant rice and cook until the rice is fluffy.
- Add sliced chicken, milk, and cheese and cook until the cheese is melted, as per the recipe below. Season with additional salt & pepper to taste.
Tips
- Prep Ahead: Chop the veggies and measure the ingredients a couple of days ahead for quick morning prep.
- Season: While the recipe includes seasoning, feel free to customize it with your favorite herbs and spices for a personal touch. Try a pinch of rosemary, thyme, or even a dash of hot sauce.
- Chicken Temp: Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Don’t Peek: Avoid lifting the lid of the Crockpot too frequently; each time you do, it releases heat and extends the cooking time.
- Cheese on Top: If you love cheese, add a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese just before serving.
Got Leftovers?
- Keep leftover Crockpot chicken and rice casserole in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat portions of this chicken recipe on the stovetop with a little milk to make it creamy again.
- Freeze portions for up to 4 weeks.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Favorites
If you’re looking for another great crock pot recipe, here are some of our favorites!
If you’re looking for more easy Crockpot dinners, try crockpot chicken tacos, slow cooker pork tenderloin, or this slow cooker beef stew!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 large carrots peeled and finely diced
- ½ onion finely diced
- ½ cup chopped roasted red peppers
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cups instant brown rice
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a 4-quart crockpot, stir together the broth, carrots, onion, red peppers, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Add chicken breasts, 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, 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 crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 15 more minutes, until cheese is melted and rice is tender.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Main Course, Slow Cooker
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I just love new and exciting recipes
I followed the recipe. My rice wouldn’t cook even after an hour. Super disappointed and wasted a lot of food. Had to make my daughter something else for dinner as it wouldn’t cook.
Was your rice Instant rice?
Bland, too much cheese (even though we love cheese!)
Sorry to hear that Kami! We love this recipe.
Everything looks so good. I cant wait to start trying them. Looking forward to receiving even more
So many recipes, so little time! Have fun cooking Patty, let us know what you think of them!
My slow cooker is 7qt so how long cooking time for this? I’ve had so many fails because the chicken over cooked! This sounds so delish, but need to know how long to cook!
Thanks!
Christy
I haven’t made this recipe in a 7qt but I’d think the cook time would remain about the same! I hope it comes out perfectly juicy for you!
If I am cooking the chicken on low for the normal 6-8hrs, how do I adjust the time for the rice etc when adding it later? Is it still 15min on low as it would be on high?
Up the temperature on the crockpot to high and cook the rice for 15 minutes. Enjoy John!
Hi, thank you for this recipe. I live in Germany and want to try it but have a question concerning the amount of chicken to use. The recipe mentions 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Does that mean two full chicken breasts, ( a full breast having two lobes each)?
Then that would make 4 chicken breasts lobes. Or is it simply two chicken breast lobes?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Bianca
Hi Bianca, 2 breast lobes. Thank you!
Has anyone used frozen chicken breasts? Is it the same cooking time or should I dethaw them first? This sounds easy and yummy
NOT FROZEN!!! Use ‘thawed’ chicken breasts. Well, at least you’re making an effort to learn how to cook. Good luck. Please let us know how your dish turns out.
Can this be made without cheese, i get hives when i eat cheese
Hi David,
While I have only prepared this recipe as written, you could omit the cheese and still have tasty results!
Can this be made with instant white rice instead?
Yes, you can use white rice too Cyd!
Our whole family has gluten issues and this recipe was the answer to dinnertime madness. The only thing diffrent I did was sub diced frozen green peppers for the peas. We all loved it.
So glad you loved it Ann!
This was amazing .. healthy and delicious!! We added a little crushed red pepper to the dish (our bowls)to give a little Kick.. so good!!
Yum Anna!
Hi,
I cooked this early in day. I haven’t added the cheese and the milk or chicken yet to it. I plan to wait until we are almost ready to eat. That’s not for another 4 hours or so. Will this dish be soggy by then? Any suggestions how to keep this all day in crockpot without it ruining it?
Apologies for the delay in reply, hopefully it worked out well for you. You could try leaving it on warm and then add the cheese/milk before serving. 4 hours is a bit long to sit so perhaps you can cool and refrigerate it and then reheat before serving.
Hey. I cooked this today for tea it was yummy! Although have loads left, Could you freeze this?
So glad you loved it! This recipe freezes well. Just pop it in the oven to reheat. Enjoy!
Do you dice the chicken before cooking?
The chicken breasts go in whole and cut in step 5.
Can you use regular rice, not instant?
I’ve only made this recipe as written Janice. This Chicken and Rice Casserole uses regular rice as does this Baked Chinese Chicken and Rice.
Did you try it with regular rice? How did it turn out?
This is not a smart question , but do you leave the rice uncooked? Some recipes need it to be cooked and some don’t
That’s a great question Erin! The instant brown rice is added uncooked, and will soak up the liquid and cook in the crockpot. Enjoy!
If I use 4 chicken breasts instead of 2, would I double everything including the cook time? Or how would I handle that?
It should work just fine if it can fit in your slow cooker. You’ll want to ensure it reaches 165°F.
Omg I just saw it says instant! So sorry haha
Won’t instant overcook being in there for 15 min on high?
Stephanie, I thought the same until I did it Turned out perfect
I didnt notice until i read the comments I used regular rice and failed lol
What kind of rice did you use? I have long grain brown rice. will that work for the last 15 minutes you think?
I was wondering the same thing, which instant rice do you use?? Also could I do without the onion and peppers? My family hates those lol
Hi Amber, we use instant brown rice for this recipe but we have heard that it also works with instant white rice as well! You could leave out the onions and peppers if you prefer. You could add celery, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini or anything else your family enjoys. Just keep in mind that some vegetables will cook more quickly than others and you want to add them at just the right time.
hi could i use chicken leg quartes in this recipe if so how long to cook and regula rice
Chicken legs would take about 6 hours on low to cook Pamela. Enjoy!