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When I’m looking for easy, creamy comfort food, I turn to this crockpot chicken and rice. It’s so simple to make—just mix some rice with a creamy sauce, pour over chicken thighs, and cook. I like to add cheddar cheese at the end because who doesn’t love cheese?! This is the perfect satisfying weeknight dinner the whole fam will love!
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“Made this for dinner tonight and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!” – Elizabeth
Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice Recipe
There’s nothing I love more than a hearty, comforting meal that’s mostly hands-off. Chicken and rice is a classic dinner in our house, and this easy crockpot version is one both kids and adults love. I mix tender chicken with cheesy rice and let it slow-cook.
This recipe uses mostly pantry items that you can keep on hand for when you need an easy midweek meal. I usually have a few cans of cream soup and long-grain rice in the pantry, which means I can easily pull this recipe together in the morning so we can sit down to a creamy, cheesy, meal in the evening.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
- Use chicken thighs. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work best for this recipe, but you could also use chicken breasts.
- Long grain rice. I recommend using long-grain rice for this recipe. You can use other types, but they may need a different cook time. Avoid instant or cauliflower rice.
- For properly cooked rice. Cook on high for 3-4 hours for the best rice texture. Cooking this recipe on a lower heat for longer leads to mushy rice.
- Modify the cook time if needed. If the rice isn’t cooked through, keep cooking. Temperatures can vary amongst crockpots, so yours may need more time. If the rice seems dry, add more stock as needed to help it continue to cook.
Crockpot Chicken and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs chicken thighs or turkey breast also work
- 1 tsp kosher salt divided, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper divided, plus more to taste
- 10.75 oz. condensed cream of chicken soup (1 can)
- 10.75 oz. condensed cream of mushroom soup (1 can)
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1½ cups long-grain rice
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Parmesan also works
Video
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in the crockpot insert. Season with half of the salt and pepper.1½-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper
- In a large bowl, whisk the soups, chicken broth, onion powder, garlic powder, remaining salt and pepper, and rice. Pour over the chicken.10.75 oz. condensed cream of chicken soup, 10.75 oz. condensed cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup low sodium chicken broth, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1½ cups long-grain rice
- Cover the crockpot with the lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
- After cooking, turn off the crockpot. Remove the chicken, shred it, and add it back to the crockpot.
- Stir to combine and thin out with additional chicken broth, if needed.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the cheese on top, cover, and let it melt for 5-10 minutes before serving.1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Equipment
- Crockpot
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Crockpot Chicken and Rice Step by Step
Gather your ingredients.
Season the chicken: Place 1½-2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the crockpot and season with ½ tsp each of salt and pepper.
Combine the soups, seasoning, and rice: In a large bowl, combine a 10.75-oz. can of condensed cream of chicken soup, a 10.75-oz. can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth, 1 tsp of onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, the remaining ½ tsp each of salt and pepper, and 1½ cups long-grain rice. Pour this mixture over the chicken.
Cook: Cover the crockpot with the lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
Shred the chicken: Once the cook time is up, turn off the crockpot. Remove the chicken, shred it, and then place it back in the crockpot. Stir to combine and thin out with additional chicken broth, if needed.
Top with cheese: Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if required. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top, cover, and let it melt for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Serve: Serve warm and enjoy.
Recipe Variations
- Swap the soup. Swap one of the cans of soup for a can of cream of celery soup to change the flavor of your chicken and rice.
- Use turkey breast. Easily swap the chicken for turkey breast.
- Add veggies. Add veggies in the last hour of cooking, such as chopped carrots, broccoli, green beans, or celery.
- Try a different cheese. Swap the cheddar cheese for Parmesan cheese if you prefer.
How to Store
Store leftover chicken and rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing leftovers as cream-based recipes become grainy when thawed.
Reheat in the microwave in 30-second bursts until warmed through. You may wish to add a splash of water or chicken broth to help the rice steam.
Serving Suggestions
I find this crockpot chicken and rice is a meal on its own, but I like to add a few veggie sides to round things out. Some of my favorites include savory sauteed mushrooms, or if I’m in the mood for something on the slightly sweeter side, roasted honeynut squash is ideal. Sometimes I’ll start us off with beef barley soup or a kale salad.
Hi Amanda, we’re sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. We do note in a comment to “Make sure there is enough liquid in the crockpot throughout the cooking process!” as well as the comment you reference about temperature. We will be sure to add these notes to the recipe for future reference!
I made this even simpler than the recipe is because I had no time, and it turned out great! I just mixed two cans of condensed cream of chicken soup and a cup of water, didn’t spice the chicken or anything… The rice cooked perfectly and it’s a really easy comfort food dish. I’m just wondering how it will do with reheating.. def a keeper!
I generally like to “enhance” most recipes. I decided to play with this one, too. I sauteed 16 oz sliced portabella mushrooms in butter adding 5 cloves fresh garlic. Then added 1/2 cup chardonnay. This was all added to the ingredients in the bowl before combining. At the 3 hour mark, I added 1 cup heated chicken stock. Cooking time was very close to 4 hours. Having used Jasmine rice, I knew it would be somewhat sticky so I was prepared for that. (Will try a different rice next time.) On serving I sprinkled 2 T finely grated fresh parmesan on each plate instead of adding cheddar to the pot. Family loved the meal. My only dislike is the overall color of this dish; looks a little like breakfast porridge. Thinking of adding some fresh chopped parsley and a cup of petite peas to the pot just before serving.
The recipe does not allow for enough liquid for the rice to cook so it was crunchy and undercooked even though I followed the instructions exactly. I added more liquid to try to course correct, but there was no correcting it. If I were to somehow want to make this again, I would make the rice separately. But honestly, the dish was so bland and under seasoned, even though I precisely followed the instructions, that even more seasoning couldn’t save it.
I have read the recipe several times and it appears that the soups and the rice are listed in different amounts in the recipe itself and the “mix the liquid and rice” section. In the recipe section, the soup quantity is 21.5 oz cans and the rice is listed as 3 cups. In the mix section, the soups are 10.75 oz and the rice is 1.5 cups. Maybe I missed something, but I used the 3 cups listed and mine was very thick. I did use the smaller cans but only because that’s all I had. I did have to add more liquid because of the extra rice.
Hi Shirley, it sounds like you may have clicked the “2x” button above the ingredients, which doubles everything in the ingredients list to make a double batch. While that changes the amounts in the recipe cards, it will not automatically change the amounts in the “How To Make” section, as that section is written out by hand with the original “1x” ingredient amounts.
The recipie flavor wise was good but my chicken was done in 2 hours and the rice was still crunchy !! Would make again but probably pre cook my rice and add it in at the end or something else.
Disappointed, it took forever for the rice to cook and it did not hold its texture. Turned to mush and some rice was still barely cooked.
Hi Lorrie, what kind of rice did you use? It sounds like it may not have been fully submerged for the entire cook time if some of it was uncooked.
This has good flavor but I couldn’t get the rice texture right. Maybe better to cook rice separately.
We’re sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out as expected, Jessica!
Made this for dinner tonight and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Elizabeth!
When do you add the rice? Same time as the chicken?
Hi Ken, add in step 2!
I was worried about the reviews saying the rice didn’t cook so I added a little extra stock at the 3 hr mark, mine cooked to perfection. I only added pre-cooked shredded chicken that I had in the fridge at the 4 hr mark. Along with frozen mixed veggies, cheese and another bit of the chicken stock to make it more saucy. Delicious!.