Crock Pot Chicken and Rice (+Video)
This creamy Crock Pot Chicken and Rice is an easy, classic family favorite made with seasoned chicken, long grain rice, onions, garlic and broth.
A CHEESY, CREAMY CROCK POT RECIPE
How many of y’all grew up with Chicken and Rice? I think most countries and cultures have some sort of variation of a chicken and rice recipe. It is comfort food that is filling and makes your belly happy. This recipe for Crock Pot Chicken and Rice that I am sharing with you today is a slight variation of one from my childhood.
WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH CHICKEN AND RICE?
This Crock Pot Chicken and rice is a very simple and affordable meal (which we love!) that easily feeds a family of four! It’s comfort food at its finest. Serve with a salad, some Butter Swim Biscuits and a side dish of your favorite veggie like Green Beans or Maple Glazed Carrots or even just some steamed broccoli.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- chicken tenderloins – you can use chicken breasts, just cut them into slices or even boneless chicken thighs.
- lemon pepper seasoning – lemon pepper is a great all-purpose seasoning but you could use any seasoning you prefer for chicken. Some folks really love cajun seasoning or you could just use the standard salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- chicken broth (or water) – if you want to cut down on the sodium, I would suggest using water or you could purchase a low/no sodium chicken broth.
- onion – if you don’t like onion just leave it out. Or consider using a shallot which is not a strong onion flavor at all.
- minced garlic – I just used the jarred garlic here but you can certainly use fresh.
- long-grain rice – this needs to be long grain rice not minute (instant) rice.
- cream of chicken – you can use a low sodium option here if you prefer or you can make your own version from scratch.
- cheddar cheese soup – if you’ve never purchase this before, see my ingredient picture below. You’ll find it near all the other canned soup in your grocery store.
- shredded cheese – this is optional but I love the extra cheese.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT CHICKEN AND RICE:
Pat chicken tenderloins dry with a paper towel. See my trick at the end of this post for removing that piece of cartilage that runs through chicken tenderloins (if you prefer to remove it). Season the chicken with lemon pepper seasoning on both sides.
In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add 2-3 tbsp of olive or vegetable oil. Let the pan get nice and hot. Working in batches, brown both sides of the chicken tenders. We don’t want to cook them all the way through – just get a good brown color on both sides. This not only adds flavor but also color to the final dish. Don’t overcrowd your pan or the tenders will just steam and not brown.
Once all batches of chicken tenders are browned. Remove from heat and place into the bottom of a 5 or 6-quart oval slow cooker.
In a medium bowl, combine chicken broth, diced onions, minced garlic, rice. Then stir well.
Next, stir in cream of chicken soup and cheddar cheese soup. Mix until combined. Pour soup mixture over chicken tenders.
Cover and cook on low for about 3 1/2 – 5 hours (this will all depend on the type of slow cooker you are using – some cook faster than others.)
About halfway through cooking, gently stir around the rice to make sure it is evenly cooking and spread evenly throughout the pot. This will ensure all the rice gets cooked properly and is absorbing all the liquid. Chicken should be cooked to 165f degrees and rice should be soft but not mushy.
Optional: For extra cheesiness, try adding some shredded cheddar cheese during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Put the lid back on and allow it to melt.
Then serve!
HOW TO REMOVE CARTILAGE FROM CHICKEN TENDERLOINS:
There is a little strip of cartilage that runs through chicken tenders. This can sometimes be chewy. It doesn’t bother me at all once the tender is cooked but some folks don’t like it. So, I have an easy trick for removing that little white strip. First, you’ll need a fork and some paper towels or a kitchen towel. Grab the strip of cartilage and put it in between the tines of a fork.
Next, grab the end of the cartilage, hold the fork steady, and pull it though the fork tines. It helps to have dry fingers for this because it gets slippery. I will usually grasp it with a paper towel to make it easier. This trick makes it so easy.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: November 2012
Updated & republished: February 2021
Crock Pot Chicken and Rice (+Video)
Ingredients
- 8 chicken tenderloins
- 1/2 Tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning (see notes below)
- 3 cups chicken broth (or water)
- 1/2 sweet onion finely diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
- 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 10 ounce can cheddar cheese soup
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese, for topping, optional
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley, for topping, optional
Instructions
- Pat chicken tenderloins dry with a paper towel.
- Season the chicken with lemon pepper seasoning on both sides.
- In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add 2-3 tbsp of olive or vegetable oil. Let the pan get nice and hot.
- Working in batches, brown both sides of the chicken tenders. We don't want to cook them all the way through – just get a good brown color on both sides. This not only adds flavor but also color to the final dish.
- Don't overcrowd your pan or the tenders will just steam and not brown. Once all batches of chicken tenders are browned. Remove from heat and place into the bottom of a 5 or 6-quart oval slow cooker.
- In a a medium bowl, combine chicken broth, diced onions, minced garlic and rice. Stir well. Next, stir in cream of chicken soup and cheddar cheese soup. Mix until combined.
- Pour soup mixture evenly over chicken tenders (making sure the rice is spread evenly and not in one clump.)
- Cover and cook on low for about 3 1/2 – 5 hours (this will all depend on the type of slow cooker you are using – some cook faster than others.)
- About halfway through cooking, gently stir around the rice to make sure it is evenly cooking and spread evenly throughout the pot. This will ensure all the rice gets cooked properly and is absorbing all the liquid. If rice seems a bit crunchy and there isn't much liquid left in the pot.
- If necessary, add about 1/2 cup more water, gently stir, then cover and continue cooking.
- Chicken should be cooked to 165f degrees and rice should be soft but not mushy.
- Optional: For extra cheesiness, try adding some shredded cheddar cheese during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Put the lid back on and allow it to melt.
- Serve with a side salad or maybe some steamed broccoli.
Video
Notes
- Don’t have lemon pepper seasoning? Or maybe you just don’t like it? Just use a little salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Updated to add: This recipe has been updated since first introduced. After receiving lots of feedback, I have re-tested this recipe several times and came up with a better, more flavorful recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Made this tonight, so yummy. In Australia we do not have cheese soup so l googled how to make it as l know a lot of comments ask as they do not either..
1 cup Milk
3tbl butter
2 tbl flour
250g Cheddar grated
Salt and pepper.
And l just added it all to a mixing bowl with all other ingredients..
Was yummy
I love that you were able to still make this. Thank you for sharing your recipe too!
Can i substitute rice a roni?
I honestly don’t know. Rice a Roni isn’t actually rice. It’s vermicelli so it may cook up very differently in this.
Didn’t have time for the crock pot so it was crunch time for slow and steady wins the race. I used 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized chunks and we are not fans of lemon pepper anything so I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder and let it sit in the fridge for about an hour. Browned the chicken and rice and sautéed the onion and garlic, deglazed the pan with some of the chicken broth and mixed the other two into the rest of the broth and added it to the pan along with the chicken chunks. Brought it all up to a simmer in the covered pot and turned it to low heat stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom. It was perfectly done after an hour, tasted fantastic with a little cheddar on top. Have plenty of leftovers. Easy to do it on the stove, just make sure your pot is nonstick and that you stir frequently. Add a little extra liquid if you need to, I had to add about a cup of water and it didn’t affect the flavor any. Thanks again Brandie!
I’ve made this several times and it is delicious.Definitely COMFORT FOOD. Leftovers are fantastic.
I forgot and actually put the soup mixture in first. Then I put the chicken in, I tried to mix it up really well to get the chicken to the bottom. Do you think it will come out ok?
My family loved it and it was very easy to put together. When i mad it i only had sliced cheese and it work out great!
Can we cook this on high? If so. How long should we cook on High? Thank you!!
Family loved it! However, i substituted the plain cheese soup with the broccoli and cheese soup. Came out great!
We don’t have Cheese soup in Australia..any substitute l can use
Can I use minute rice?
I am making as I type this. I am adding par boiled asparagus in the last two hours. I am cooking on high two hours then turning to low the last 3 to 4 hours.
Great addition!
Has anyone made this with bone in chicken breasts or thighs? That’s what I have in the freezer but I’ve never used them in a slow cooker. Any advice?
This dish looks tasty, and would like to make it. I have family member who is “orange cheese” intolerant. What soup could I use instead of Cheddar Cheese soup??
Can this be cooked on high?
Hi Nancy, I haven’t tested it on a high setting. It is possible but you’d have to make sure it didn’t burn around the edges as some slow cookers get very hot very quickly these days.
I made this today and cooked it on low for 8 1/2 hours. It tasted great, but my rice was still hard/uncooked. I do live 7,200ft above sea level, so not sure if that caused it to not cook. Anyone else have this problem?
Are you supposed to use frozen chicken or thawed ?
Hi Scottie Ann – I tested this recipe using fresh chicken breasts. 🙂
Can you substitute anything for the cheese soup? I don’t have any cheese soup but was wondering if I could use cream of mushroom but still add cheese at the end?
Can I prep this the night before or will that mess up the rice?
Has anyone had success with this using brown rice? If so, what changes did you make?
I made this with brown rice and didn’t have cheddar cheese soup so used broccoli cheese soup instead and dried minced onion instead of fresh. It was delicious!!
Tracy – I love the substitutions you made! It’s also super helpful to anyone else on here who might’ve been wondering if they could successfully substitute other ingredients!
Can this receipt be cooked 4 hours instead of 6 hours
Anyone add a bag of frozen broccoli in at the beginning? How’d it come out?
Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to make it! Just bought all of the ingredients!
I can’t wait to make this delicious looking recipe!!!Thanks for posting!!!????