Crockpot Chicken and Rice from scratch (without any mystery condensed soup) is easy, flavorful, comfort food the whole family will love!This Chicken and Rice Crockpot recipe is an astonishingly easy, creamy, cheesy comforting dream laced with aromatic Italian herbs and cheese. The juicy chicken, textural brown rice, broccoli and carrots are cooked until tender then swaddled in a luxurious, creamy, cheesy sauce that is downright swoon worthy – you will be licking your plate! This recipe requires less than 20 minutes of hands-on prep, reheats like a dream and is wonderfully versatile. It also avoids the pitfalls of many other recipes such as dry chicken, mushy rice and/or bland delivery. Instead, this stunner is a low maintenance high reward win you will have on repeat. Your family will love this Crockpot Chicken and Rice with a side of Caesar Salad and breadsticks for an easy chicken dinner win! Show
I love using my crockpot all year round because it creates the richest, complex flavor profiles and the juiciest chicken, beef or pork with hardly any effort in ONE POT. Some of readers’ favorite crockpot recipes include: crockpot chicken and gravy, crockpot beef tips and gravy, crockpot Mexican chicken, crockpot beef stroganoff, crockpot creamy white chicken chili, crockpot Mongolian chicken and now this Crockpot Chicken and Rice! PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATERHow to make crockpot CHICKEN AND RICE VideoCreamy Chicken and Rice is one of those meals you CRAVE. For me, it goes back to being a little girl making my own chicken and rice after school and devouring it in front of The Partridge Family reruns. Today, chicken and rice is still one of my all-time favorite foods – when it is done right. And this Crockpot Chicken and Rice recipe is done right. It’s the best of rustic comfort food with the ease of modern-day cooking. Why this recipe works:No mushy rice! This recipe took some repeat experimenting to get it right. I discovered brown rice is the only way to ensure brilliantly al dente rice every time. Brown rice takes longer to cook but is incredibly forgiving and very hard to become mushy – so please only use brown rice! It would be so frustrating to wait through the tantalizing aroma of the recipe for hours only to discover your rice is a goopy mess. With brown rice, you will never have that problem and it reheats like a champ. A killer sauce made with minimal processed ingredients. Most recipes for crock pot chicken and rice are made with cream of celery, mushroom or chicken soup. Instead of using any mystery canned soups or making homemade cream of chicken soup on the stove, I opted for an easier method by blending evaporated milk, cream cheese and cornstarch until smooth then adding to the cooked chicken and rice. I’ve used a similar method in my crockpot potato soup and crockpot creamy white chicken chili with stellar results -and it delivered again. This creamy blender sauce takes less than 5 minutes to make and you get the added bonus of luxurious cream cheese! Succulent, flavorful chicken. The chicken is gloriously flavorful, and juicy by being lightly coated in olive oil then independently seasoned with Italian herbs and spices – and then the clincher – it is not overcooked. In my first attempt at perfecting this recipe, I cooked the chicken and rice together until the rice was done. I have never had more disgusting chicken in my life. It was unappetizingly dry, rubbery and almost chalky tasting. I learned my lesson. The chicken has to be removed from the crockpot when it is done, before the rice to create chicken so fabulous you will be eating it plain. In a perfect world, the chicken and rice would cook at the same rate, but seeing as brown rice is the best option and it takes longer to cook than chicken breasts, you’ll have to suffer through it. Versatile. This Chicken and Rice recipe can be made with whatever veggies you like. You can omit the broccoli and carrots and just stir in frozen peas at the end or add corn, mushrooms, peppers etc. You can also skip the chicken breasts altogether and stir in rotisserie chicken or any leftover protein or swap the chicken for ground beef or Italian sausage. INGREDIENTS FOR CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND RiceThis Crockpot Chicken and Rice recipe is the epitome of low effort high reward. It creates comfort food so addicting you won’t be able to stop eating it. Here’s what you’ll need:
RECIPE VARIATIONS TO TRY
HOW TO MAKE CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND riceThis Crockpot Chicken and Rice recipe is wonderfully easy to make. The hardest part is waiting until it’s done! Here’s how (full recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post): Step 1: Add the rice and veggies. Add the rice, chicken broth and bouillon and stir to combine. Add the broccoli and carrots on top. Step 2: Add the chicken. Line the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables. Drizzle the top of the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with half of the seasoning and rub in a bit (I find it easiest to combine the seasonings first). Flip the chicken over and repeat. Step 3: Cook until chicken is done. Cover, and cook on HIGH for approximately 2-2 ½ hours, just until the chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees F (don’t overcook!). Remove the chicken to a cutting board and tent with foil. Chop the chicken when cool enough to handle. Step 4: Cook until rice is done. Cook for an additional60 minutes to 90 minutes or until the rice is al dente. Every slow cooker is different so I apologize I can’t give you a more specific time window. For me, it was an extra 60 minutes. Step 5: Add cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese, cornstarch and evaporated milk to blender and liquefy until smooth. Add to the rice along with the chopped, cooked chicken. Cover and cook on low until warmed through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Step 6: Add cheese. Add the cheese in batches, stirring to combine in between. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Step 6: Season to taste Add additional salt and pepper and garnish with parsley if desired. Dig in! TIPS FOR MAKING crockpot CHICKEN AND rice
CAN I MAKE THIS RECIPE IN ADVANCE?Absolutely! You can make the recipe in its entirety, cool to room temperature then store the ceramic crockpot insert in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat it or transfer to an airtight container. This Crockpot Chicken and Rice reheats very well as long as you don’t overcook the rice or chicken initially. CAN I PREP THIS RECIPE IN ADVANCE?In addition to being made entirely in advance, ingredients in this recipe can also be prepped ahead of time:
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT chicken and rice
CAN I FREEZE crockpot chicken and rice?Yes, this Chicken and Rice Crockpot recipe freezes pretty well because brown rice keeps its texture and evaporated milk is used instead of cream but you may notice a slight change in the sauce texture due to the cheeses. Here’s how to freeze:
WHAT TO SERVE WITH crockpot CHICKEN and RICE?This Chicken and Rice Crockpot recipe is complete with veggies, protein and carbs so it doesn’t need much as way of sides. You can go as simple as a green salad, grapes and crusty bread or choose any of the options below to make dinner a feast:
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WANT TO TRY THIS chicken and rice crockpot RECIPE?PIN IT TO YOUR crockpot, chicken or DINNER BOARD TO SAVE FOR LATER!FIND ME ON PINTEREST FOR MORE GREAT RECIPES! I AM ALWAYS PINNING :)!©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com Save This Recipe To Your Recipe BoxYou can now create an account on our site and save your favorite recipes all in one place! RICE AND VEGGIES
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HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT chicken and rice
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