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This incredible Crockpot chicken and rice recipe is an absolute dream. Creamy and rich like my best ever risotto, and cooked in the slow cooker for a mostly-hands-off meal the whole family will love. It turns simple ingredients into a hearty and flavorful dish that’s just as delicious as leftovers as it is freshly cooked.
🍚 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This recipe is a slow cooker version of my reader-favorite Instant Pot chicken and rice recipe, and we packed everything you love about the original dish into this one. Creamy, cheesy rice. Bite-sized pieces of juicy chicken. Light flavors and a simple seasoning. It’s truly a comfort meal in every sense.
- Both this Crockpot chicken and rice and the original Instant Pot version are huge hits with my whole family. My kids absolutely love when we have this for dinner, even after years of having it fairly regularly. What can I say? When you find something that just works, and that everyone will eat without complaining (too much at least), you stick with it!
- The ingredients are simple and super budget-friendly. Honestly, you probably have everything you need on hand right now. Cooking the dish is simple, too. You do need to sauté a couple of things in a skillet first, but other than that, you just dump everything into the Crockpot and let it work its magic! Not quite effortless, no, but super low effort at least.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- Trust the process. Trust the Crockpot. The chicken and rice may not look like they’re cooking for the first 2 hours or so, but don’t stress. That’s why we say to cook for 3 to 4 hours. As long as your slow cooker works, everything will turn out the way it’s supposed to by the end of the cook time.
- When you sear the chicken, don’t cook it so long that it cooks through completely. If it’s fully cooked when you add it to the Crockpot, it’ll be very overcooked by the end of the cook time.
- Store-bought chicken stock works perfectly, but for a heartier dish with a little more flavor and even more nutrients, make your own! Both homemade chicken stock and homemade chicken bone broth will work well in Crockpot chicken and rice.
- If you want to add a green element, stir in frozen peas, frozen mixed veggies, or frozen broccoli florets in the last hour of cooking. Keep in mind that the water content in the vegetables may throw off the overall consistency of the chicken and rice, though.
🥘 More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Creamy Rotel Pasta with Ground Beef
- 8 Can Taco Soup
- Slow Cooker Carnitas (Pork Carnitas with Pork Loin or Tenderloin)
- Easy Seared Scallops
- Canned Tuna Nachos
- Bean and Cheese Taquitos (4 Ingredients)
- 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast
- Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
- Marry Me Chicken
- Antipasto Salad with Easy Italian Vinaigrette
Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Rice
A super rich and creamy chicken and rice made in the Crockpot for an easy, family-friendly dinner.
servings
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Sharp chef's knife
- Large skillet
- Large wooden spoon
- 6-quart Crockpot or similar slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 2-3 medium chicken breasts
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- ¼ cup dry white wine or ¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice juice from approximately 1 medium lemon
- 1 ½ cups uncooked white rice rinsed well, see Notes
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper more or less to taste
- 1 cup fresh parmesan cheese shredded or grated, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts on cutting board. Use sharp knife to slice chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, approximately 1-inch cubes. Set chicken aside.
- Heat skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add butter and let melt, swirling pan occasionally to distribute butter across surface.
- When butter is almost completely melted, add chopped onion and minced garlic to skillet. Stir to incorporate then sauté 3 to 5 minutes or until onions have softened.
- Add chicken pieces to skillet and stir to incorporate. Sauté chicken, stirring occasionally, just until all sides are opaque but not long enough to cook chicken through completely.
- Transfer sautéed onions, garlic, and chicken to Crockpot. Add chicken stock, dry white wine, water, lemon juice, white rice, salt, and pepper and stir until all ingredients have been incorporated.
- Place lid on Crockpot and cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours or until mixture is creamy and rice is tender.
- Carefully remove Crockpot lid and stir in parmesan cheese until completely incorporated. Replace lid and cook until cheese is melted, approximately 5 minutes.
- Once cheese is melted, divide chicken and rice into preferred portions. Garnish with additional parmesan, salt, or pepper if desired and serve warm with preferred sides.
- Trust the process – the chicken and rice may not appear to be cooking for the first 2 hours in the Crockpot. As long as your slow cooker is working, they’ll turn out like they’re supposed to.
- Texture: This won’t be a fluffy rice dish. Instead, the rice will be creamy and cheesy, sort of like a risotto.
- Rice: It’s important that you use plain white rice for this recipe. Instant rice, minute rice, etc. are not recommended.
- Parmesan: Optional, but highly recommended. Feel free to sub with the shredded cheese of your choice.
- Make it Gluten Free: Make sure your chicken stock is 100% gluten-free, and use cheese that doesn’t have any added starches or fillers.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 462calProtein: 36gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 1386mgPotassium: 642mgTotal Carbs: 41gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gNet Carbs: 40gVitamin A: 399IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 235mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Do you have a stovetop adaptation for this recipe?
Not at this time, but I’ll definitely make note that you asked about one as we evaluate our recipes for next year!
Inedible. Not creqmy at all a Mushy mess with some pieces.of rice not ven cooked
So sorry to hear this didn’t work out for you, Lizabeth. Did you stir everything together well and was all of the rice submerged in liquid? It sounds like some of the rice may have cooked dry. What size Crockpot did you use?
Delicious! I made it for the first time tonight (and made a double batch), and it was so good! I used 2 lbs. of chicken tenders and a jumbo onion and doubled every other ingredient. A double batch fed 5 adults all of whom had seconds and there were 2 or 3 servings left over. Thanks so much for a new recipe to add to my winter rotation!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Do you think some sliced baby portobello mushrooms could be added when sauteing the onions?
Absolutely! Baby portobello mushrooms would be a great addition. You could also dice them and add toward the end of the sautéing step so they’re not overcooked or tough, and so you get mushrooms in every bite.
Excellent recipe! Made as stated except I didn’t have wine, so I substituted apple cider vinegar. It turned out great! Thank you!
Thanks for the review, Lisa! So happy you loved it!
Would this work cooking on low for 6-8 hours? Thanks!
We haven’t tried it on low, but the lower heat for a longer time might affect the texture of the rice too much. It could come out mushy or gummy. If you try it, let us know!
Made this for the first for dinner tonight. I love risotto and this has the texture and I love about it! This recipe is definitely a keeper to my comfort food rotation. So yummy! I’m sautéing mushrooms to add to the top and serving with an arugula salad dressed with red wine vinaigrette. So fancy!
I have some left over gruyere cheese. Do you think I could use it in place of the Parmesan?
We have not tested that method, but please let us know how it goes! Sounds like it could be yummy.
I’m so excited to make this!! If I replaced 1/2 cup of the rice with riced cauliflower (I LOVE CAULIFLOWER) could I put the rice cauliflower in the slow cooker the entire cook time? Or would I add it later on? XO
We think it could work well for the cauliflower rice to be in the Crockpot the entire time!
I used this recipe but just cooked it on the stovetop in a pot (didn’t have time to wait for the crockpot / don’t have an instant pot) and it worked out great. I added peas and cherry tomatoes and it was delicious. Thanks!
Awesome!!
Would it be ok to leave out the wine?
Sure!