Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice is a cheesy chicken and rice casserole made in a slow cooker. Throw it together, set it, and forget it. It’s an easy meal to prep on those hectic days.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice
This slow cooker chicken and rice recipe has a lot going for it! Throw it together, set it, and forget it. It’s an easy meal to prep no matter who you are…and has easy clean-up, too. Not to mention you can customize it to suit your needs or your family’s. It’s just great!
I can see two scenarios where this recipe would be the most helpful, however…
Imagine that you’re a busy parent, or just have kids in your life in general, and it’s been a long day…you’ve been chasing the toddler around, the teenagers have been a little prickly, the 8-year-old’s homework completely mystifies you…you love everybody, but you’re tired, and you have a headache…and it’s dinner time.
Or imagine that you don’t have a family yet, and it’s just been an exhausting day at work…you can barely focus on driving home, much less try to read the instructions on some long, complex meal…but you do want to make a meal, rather than stop at the local fast food place.
In both of these cases, you don’t want to put together a meal that’s going to cause you much trouble! This is a slow cooker chicken and rice recipe that’s simple to “wrangle up” and doesn’t require pulling a lot of bowls and utensils out of the cupboard. No mess, no fuss. You can also change it however you’d like so the kids will enjoy it, too!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice recipe
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- chicken broth
- long-grain brown rice
- mozzarella cheese, shredded
- frozen peas and carrots
- small shallot
- garlic powder
- salt
- pepper
Dietary Notes
Cooking gluten-free can be so tough sometimes…I swear they sneak gluten into the most random things at the store. But this recipe should be perfectly safe for a gluten-free diet (just check the frozen veggie back real quick…you never know).
This is obviously not vegan/vegetarian, but this recipe isn’t very keto-friendly, either, because of all the rice. Sorry to all the keto folks out there!!
How to make Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice
- Lightly spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add the rice, shallots, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker.
- Arrange the chicken on top.
- Pour in the chicken broth.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 1.5-2 hours.
- Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Cover and cook the rice mixture an additional 20-30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
- Add peas, carrots, and cheese.
- Slice the chicken and add it back on top of the rice.
- Cover and cook 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft, the cheese is melted, and the chicken is heated through.
- Serve warm immediately.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
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Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice – Questions
Here are just a few questions I’ve been asked before about this recipe…
- Can you use chicken thighs? What about any other part of the chicken?
You can definitely use skinless chicken thighs! Otherwise, I’m not sure. I haven’t tried any other meats yet with this exact recipe! If you’ve found a really tasty variation, please let me know in the comments!!
- What other vegetables do you suggest for this recipe?
Oh goodness. Anything you can imagine! My favorites are probably peppers, broccoli, and corn. But really, throw in whatever your family enjoys. Or leave out what they don’t enjoy! 😉
- How else can you customize this recipe? Any suggestions?
Different cheese…different seasonings…really get creative! Like I said, one of my favorite parts of this recipe is that it’s totally customizable.
How did you like this recipe
This chicken and rice recipe is definitely one I want to hear about from you all…please, please let me know in the comments how you liked this, or how you changed the recipe for yourself/your loved ones! I may just steal your variations to try myself…
Other recipes you may enjoy
Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 1/2 pounds
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups long-grain brown rice
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 10 oz frozen peas and carrots
- 1 small shallot finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Lightly spray Slow Cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add rice, shallots, garlic powder, salt and pepper to Slow Cooker.
- Arrange chicken on top.
- Pour in chicken broth.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 1 ½ – 2 hours.
- Remove chicken and set aside.
- Cover and cook rice mixture an additional 45-60 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
- Add peas and carrots, cheese.
- Slice chicken and add back on top of rice.
- Cover and cook 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are soft, cheese is melted and chicken is heated through.
- Serve warm immediately.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Feel free to swap the cheese or veggies to whatever you prefer!
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.
Nutrition
Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary significantly between brands. Always be sure to read labels. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Likewise, recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them.
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