The Best Crockpot Chicken and Rice Recipe! Made with no condensed cream of chicken soup, this is an easy, healthy dinner everyone will love!
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When you want a healthy dinner that actually tastes good, but don’t feel like being stuck by the stove – this Crockpot Chicken and Rice Recipe is the solution!
Unlike other chicken and rice recipes that are usually super high in fat and filled with condensed cream of soups, this Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice uses fresh, healthy ingredients and has no canned soup!
This healthy chicken and rice dish is packed with protein and tastes just like the classic dish you probably grew up eating!
This creamy chicken and rice recipe is a cozy, handsoff make ahead meal.
Tender chunks of chicken are cooked with long grain rice, onion, garlic, veggies, chicken broth and fresh thyme, then finished with a creamy swirl of greek yogurt and salty parmesan cheese.
An updated classic the whole family will love!
why you’ll love this chicken and rice dinner
- No processed ingredients – Condensed soups are full of unnecessary sugar, fat, and preservatives. There is no cream of chicken soup in this comfort food!
- Easy to make – This is a totally hands off, dump and go crockpot recipe. Let the slow cooker do the work for you!
- It’s a fantastic freezer meal for busy families. Creamy chicken and rice is freezer friendly, and after thawing in the fridge, it’s ready to heat and eat.
Ingredients
For this best chicken and rice recipe you’ll need:
- long grain white rice – this is the only rice we tested this recipe with. If you swap the rice, it might affect the recipe
- chicken breast – chicken thighs also work.
- salt, pepper
- onion, garlic, celery
- frozen peas & carrots mix – you could also use a mix with frozen corn & green beans!
- fresh thyme – using fresh really makes a difference here!
- chicken broth– I like to use low/no salt chicken broth
- greek yogurt- this is what makes the dish creamy, without being super high in fat or using condensed soup!
- parmesan cheese – freshly grated parmesan cheese is SO much better than preshredded!
- milk – use regular or non dairy milk!
Substitutions
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil, butter, or ghee.
Chicken Breasts: You can substitute chicken breasts with boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenders. I haven’t tried this with turkey but it might work! Checkout this Crockpot Turkey Breast recipe if you have turkey you’d like to cook in the crockpot.
Other Veggies: Broccoli or asparagus would be great additions or substitutions to this recipe. You could also use frozen peas/corn/carrot/green bean mix.
Broth: Broth and stock are the same thing! You can use any broth or stock interchangeably: Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work. I always use low or no salt broth.
Rice: This recipe was developed using long grain white rice. Brown rice will require different liquid amounts and cooking time. We haven’t tested brown rice, but I think it would need another hour of cooking time and 1 cup more broth. Try it at your own risk!
Yogurt: Yogurt can be substituted for low fat sour cream. We have not tried dairy free yogurt.
Creamier: If you’d like it more creamy, add another splash of milk and a dollop of yogurt.
Instant Pot: I have not tried making this in the instant pot, but I think the cooking times would vary greatly.
White or Dark Meat – Choosing the Healthiest Chicken
You can use many different cuts of chicken with this recipe. We like breast meat because it’s lean and high in protein, but chicken thighs and tenderloins will also work.
How to make Crockpot Chicken and Rice
- Layer rinsed rice in the bottom of a greased slow cooker pot.
- Add the cubed chicken on top.
- Place the onion, celery, peas and carrots, garlic, and thyme on top of the chicken.
- Add the broth and push the veggies down into the broth. Cover and place the slow cooker on low for 3-3.5 hours.
- Start checking at 2.5 hours, and continue to cook until the rice is cooked through and the broth has been soaked up. Try not to check too much. Once the rice is cooked, stir together the yogurt, parmesan cheese, and milk in a small bowl.
- Stir the yogurt/milk/cheese mixture into the rice and chicken gently with a large fork to fluff the rice.
Do you need to add liquid to make crockpot chicken and rice?
Yes, this recipe calls for liquid (chicken broth and milk). I recommend adding a little bit of liquid whenever using your crockpot.
Slow cookers will generate steam when cooking, but it is helpful for most dishes to have a little bit of liquid. Most crockpot recipes do call for liquid in the recipe.
Why is my rice still hard, or too mushy?
Slow cooker models are all different and you may need to adjust the time or liquid measurements slightly to suit your slow cooker. If your rice is cooked through, but there’s still excess broth in the slow cooker, simply ladle some out. Keep in mind that more liquid will be absorbed as it cools.
serving suggestions
This healthy chicken and rice is a complete meal in itself! If you want other things to serve it with, try:
- Broccoli or Roasted Asparagus
- A fresh salad like this Italian chopped salad, or some fruit salad.
- Try adding a little buffalo sauce to spice up this dish!
Liz’s Tips
- Layer the ingredients exactly as listed in the recipe. It’s important that the rice be placed on the bottom so that it can absorb the liquids properly.
- Avoid cooking on high power. Set the slow cooker to low power for 3 to 3.5 hours. Using high power will overcook the rice, turning it to a mushy mess.
- Start checking for doneness at 2.5 hours. If additional time is needed, continue to cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. Try not to check too much, because every time you remove the lid, heat will escape from the slow cooker.
Crock Pot Chicken and Rice FAQs
Yes, you can put raw chicken in a slow cooker. Chicken usually needs to cook for at least 4 hours on low in the slow cooker. You can use a meat thermometer to check to make sure it’s at least 165 internal temperature. Never put frozen raw chicken in the crockpot.
Yes, you can make chicken and brown rice in a crock pot. Brown rice typically needs more liquid than white rice. We haven’t tested brown rice, but I think it would need another hour of cooking time and 1 cup more broth. Try it at your own risk!
How to Store Crockpot Chicken and Rice
Storing: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container
Freezing: You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. We like these containers for freezing!
If you need more freezer friendly recipes check out our Fill Your Freezer Ebook with 22 easy freezer meals!
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave, toaster oven, oven or on the stove.
Other healthy dinner recipes:
Looking for other easy meals like this chicken peas and rice? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Ideas. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Crockpot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup long grain white rice
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast trimmed and cubed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup white onion diced small – 1/2 a large onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup celery chopped – 3 large celery ribs
- 2 cups frozen peas & carrots mix 16 oz
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 cups chicken broth low/no salt
- ½ cup non fat greek yogurt
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup milk any type
Instructions
- Rinse rice in a fine mesh strainer under hot running water until water runs clear.
- Spray the slow cooker with olive oil.
- Layer the rice in the bottom of the pot, followed by the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the onion, celery, peas and carrots, garlic and thyme on top of the chicken. Add the broth and push the veggies down into the broth to make sure they are covered.
- Cover and place the slow cooker on low for 3-3.5 hours.
- Start checking at 2.5 hours, and continue to cook until rice is cooked through and broth has been soaked up. Keep in mind that every time you lift the lid, you add about 15 minutes to the cook time.
- Once the rice is cooked to your liking, in a small bowl stir together the greek yogurt, parmesan cheese, and milk.
- Stir the yogurt/milk/cheese mixture into rice and chicken gently with a large fork to fluff the rice. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste, serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- Layer the ingredients exactly as listed in the recipe. It’s important that the rice be placed on the bottom so that it can absorb the liquids properly.
- Avoid cooking on high power. Set the slow cooker to low power for 3 to 3.5 hours. Using high power will overcook the rice, turning it to a mushy mess.
- Start checking for doneness at 2.5 hours. If additional time is needed, continue to cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. Try not to check too much, because every time you remove the lid, heat will escape from the slow cooker.
- Why is my rice still hard, or too mushy? Slow cooker models are all different and you may need to adjust the time or liquid measurements slightly to suit your slow cooker. If your rice is cooked through, but there’s still excess broth in the slow cooker, simply ladle some out. Keep in mind that more liquid will be absorbed as it cools.
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Amanda Watson says
I have had this in my crockpot on low for five hours now and the rice is still crunchy. Maybe this should be cooked on high? I cranked up my crockpot to high just now – hoping it will finish the cook.
Liz Marino says
I’m sorry to hear this. After 5 hours it should be cooked. Did you adjust it to higher?
Marie gallagher says
Followed recipe, measured all correctly. It’s been in slow cooker for 4 1/2 hours and rice is still not cooked!!
Liz Marino says
Are you sure you measured correctly, and used this type of rice? There is simply no way that this cooked for 4.5 hours and the rice was uncooked unless there is something wrong with your crockpot.
Rachel says
I can’t wait to try this! Do you think I could also add cauliflower rice along with the white rice? Or would it get too mushy? And do you think it would freeze well?
The Clean Eating Couple says
If you want to add cauliflower rice, I would add it at the very end just to warm it through. I wouldn’t cook it for more than an hour total and I probably wouldn’t add more than 2 cups. I haven’t tried it but I think it will work! As for freezing we have a note about that in the storage section. Pasting it here – You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months.
Liz says
This was so easy and absolutely delicious! It’s a perfect easy meal for weekday cooking!!
De says
Wow! Wow! Wow! Here is another keeper!
Have you ever had frozen Stouffers frozen Grandmas Chicken & Rice Bake? Hubby calls it comfort food. This new dish we made tonight tastes very very much the same only it’s yummier & healthier! Let’s compare ingredients and nutrition! Ours tonight has real trimmed chicken breast with no fat or skin, rice, real veggies, some spices & herbs, chicken broth and a little milk with half the fat and sugar, lots less sodium, more potassium, fiber, and a ton more protein. Plus it’s YUMMY!
FYI we cooked it on High and it was a little gloopy, not fluffy like the picture, but turned out very yummy! Also I had frozen peas but the store did not have frozen peas and carrots so we chopped up bite size carrots and they cooked just fine.
Anna Farthing says
Can you cook it on high for a quicker cook time? :/ I started it too late haha
The Clean Eating Couple says
I haven’t tried that so I can’t be sure – sorry!
Hillary Strawbridge says
Could this work in an insta pot??
The Clean Eating Couple says
No, this is a slow cooker only recipe! Sorry!
Lise says
I prefer brown rice. Can I replace the white rice with brown?
The Clean Eating Couple says
All of our blog posts have a green substitutions box where we list the answer to questions like this 🙂 Pasting what we wrote there! Rice: This recipe was developed using long grain white rice. Brown rice will require different liquid amounts and cooking time. We haven’t tested brown rice, but I think it would need another hour of cooking time and 1 cup more broth. Try it at your own risk!