Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice is the ultimate 5-minute prep comfort food. Chicken, creamy soup, and our secret trick for perfect rice make this a foolproof crockpot dinner recipe and a family favorite.
My Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken and Rice recipe has been a reader favorite for YEARS!!! I’ve made this so many times for my family, this recipe is nailed down! Even my husband makes it for us when I’m too busy to cook!
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
This is the kind of recipe that you’ll make on repeat. The chicken cooks in the slow cooker low and slow, making it so tender. It’s cooked in both classic cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup so it will be delicious and tender when it’s done. Just before it’s finished you stir in leftover cooked rice and shredded or cubed cheese. By adding the rice in at the end you don’t end up with a gloopy, gluey mess.
Ingredients and Subsitions
This is an easy recipe to customize to your family’s tastes. Don’t like cheddar pick a different cheese, not a mushroom fan, drop them. You can even add veggies to the mix. We’ve added broccoli to this recipe for a crock pot version of broccoli chicken and rice casserole. You could even add in some spinach, the sky is the limit!
Chicken
You’re going to use thin-sliced chicken breast, so that they cook faster. If you’re short on time you can skip slicing the chicken but you’ll want to cook for a bit longer. Check the internal temperature of the chicken to make sure it’s done, at 165 degrees F.
You can also substitute chicken boneless, skinless chicken thighs if that’s all you have on hand. Make sure to remove any large fatty bits before cooking. The fat won’t have a place to drain away in the crock pot.
Rice
The key to getting the best out of this meal is using pre-cooked rice. I love to make extra rice the before for dinner. It takes the same amount of time to cook and pulls double duty. By adding the cooked rice at the end you make sure that you don’t end up with mush.
Creamy Base
This recipe uses both cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup. You’ll also add in chicken stock. If you find yourself missing the chicken stock just add water. The flavor won’t be as rich but it’ll work in a pinch.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms can be controversial. I have a family of half mushroom lovers and half mushroom haters. I like to use sliced mushrooms, instead of diced because anyone that doesn’t want them can easily pick them out. I wouldn’t skip the cream of mushroom soup though. I’ve found that most people don’t notice a mushroom flavor. If you can’t get away with this, just use all cream of chicken soup.
Cheese
We like to use shredded cheddar in this at home but I’ve used swiss as well. The flavor is a bit different but just as good. Just make sure that whatever cheese you use, melts well. Not all cheeses melt the same.
How do you make Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken and Rice?
This recipe cooks the chicken in the crock pot right in the sauce, than you’re going to add that rice in at the end already cooked. The finished dinner is creamy and spoonable. Make sure to serve up right away or keep on warm until you’re ready to eat.
Tips From Aubrey
- Cook the rice seperately. This is a small step but ablsolutely worth it. I learned from experience, you don’t want mushy rice.
- Check your chicken early. If you’re using the thin-sliced chicken it will cook faster than a full chicken breast. Start to check the chicken for doneness on the early side of done.
- Adjust the consistency. If you find that it’s too thick add some chicken stock until you get the texture you want. If it’s too soupy just add more rice. You can tweak it to your taste so easily.
- Season to taste before you serve. Different brands of soup can result in different levels of seasoning. Add a little salt and pepper to taste if needed. You could even add a little garlic powder if you think it could use a boost. Make this your own.
What to Serve Up with Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken and Rice
Keep the side dishes easy with this dinner. I like to serve roasted broccoli or whatever vegetable I have on hand for roasting. I also like sauted green beans, with a bit of butter and garic. If I don’t have the time or mental capacity for that I will just do a quick side salad. it’s nice because it does add a bit of freshness to the meal that’s been slow cooking all day.
Storage, Rehating and Freezing
The leftovers of this dinner make a great lunch durning the week.
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Make sure to cool them completely before you add the fridge. They will last up to 4 days.
- Reheating: You can warm the leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop. Just be sure to stir frequently. If it seems to be too thick add a splash of chicken stock or water to thin it out.
- Freezing: Portion out the leftovers into serving sizes and place in freezer safe containers. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw them overnight in the fridge and then warm in either the microwave or stovetop.
Tools used to make this Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken and Rice recipe
Medium Saucepan: I don’t what I’d do without this saucepan. It gets used in my kitchen every day. The glass lid even has strainer sides so I even have a colander for pasta!
Slow Cooker: I love this crock pot! The lid is very secure and I can pack it up and take it on the go if I’m heading to a potluck. This slow cooker is a workhorse in my kitchen and has worked great for years!
Wooden Spoon: Wooden spoons are a kitchen essential. I keep a bunch of them on hand for every meal from breakfast to dinner.
CHEESY CROCK POT CHICKEN AND RICE
Like this recipe? Pin it to your SLOW COOKER pinboard!
Follow Real Housemoms on Pinterest
Ingredients
- 5 chicken breasts thin sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoons garlic minced
- 2-1/2 cups white rice cooked
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 8 ounce container sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups cheese cut into 1-inch cubes (you can also use shredded cheese)
- parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Cook white rice and set aside.
- Spray a 6qt crock pot lightly with non stick cooking spray. Add chicken breast and season with garlic salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika.
- Add diced onion and minced garlic on top of chicken and pour in chicken stock, cream of mushroom soup, and cream of chicken soup. Cover and cook on LOW 5-6 hours, or HIGH 3-4 hours.
- 30 minutes before done, add in sliced mushrooms and finish cooking. Once done add in cooked rice and cheese. Cover and let sit 5 minutes for cheese to melt, stir and garnish with parsley. Serve warm.
Video
Nutrition
Yes! This recipe starts with raw chicken and it cooks fully and safely in the slow cooker. No pre-cooking needed.
For this specific recipe, no. Cooked rice is stirred in at the very end. That is the secret to getting a creamy, casserole-like texture rather than mushy, overcooked rice.
Cooked brown rice can absolutely be swapped in at the end. It adds a little extra nuttiness and fiber to the dish.
Simply stir in a splash of chicken stock or broth until it loosens up to your preferred consistency.
Add a little more cooked rice and let the slow cooker sit on warm for a few minutes to absorb the extra liquid.
Want more easy crockpot meals?
- Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
- Slow Cooker Mushroom Round Steaks with Gravy
- Crock Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
- Crock Pot Pizza
- More dinner recipes…
Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
Megan says
What are your thoughts on adding cottage cheese to it for more protein?
Jean says
Chicken was very tough even though it fell apart easily. Very soupy. Not much flavor. Won’t try again.
Katie says
This wasn’t horrible but I wouldn’t make it again. Followed all directions as far as the chicken in the crockpot… but I made cheddar biscuits to pour this over instead. Added some shredded cheese on top of each serving. It needed the biscuit for texture. Otherwise it’s more of a thick soup. Or slop, as others are mentuoning. But it wasn’t terrible tasting. Like a bland chicken and noodle with onions almost. Thick style. Without the noddles. It might do well over some wide egg noodles or a thick noodle.
Tina inglis says
I love this as a winter warmer comfort meal & it’s super easy to prepare.
I used my favourite high protein, low fat cheese & added mushrooms towards the end to make it even healthier & macro friendly.
Kimberly Johnson says
Great recipe, thank you for sharing! I did end up adjusting a little, added more rice (4 cups total) because mine was pretty soupy, then I added a packet of ranch dressing because it was rather bland after adding the extra rice. My family loved it and it will definitely go into rotation!
Gina says
Good recipe except we had to add a 16 Oz. bottle of water during cooking. Otherwise the rice would have been too dry. Also, next time I will reduce the amount of rice to 1-1.5 cups uncooked. 2 cups made an extreme amount.
Alice says
I wish there wasn’t onions listed. That’s all I taste and smell is onions and I didn’t even use a full one. The whole recipe would be wayyyy better without it!
Ashley says
My family loves this recipe! We’ve been making this for nearly five years. We don’t add mushrooms to it because I don’t like them and my young kids don’t like them. My kids are so picky about food and they’ll actually eat this one! I’ve served this to company before too and they’ve liked it as well.
Claudia Price says
What kind of cheese did you use?
Mallory says
This was very easy to make and came out pretty yummy! I shredded the chicken a little. It did come out more liquidy like a chicken and rice stew/soup, so that’s how we ate it, with some saltines! Next time I will probably as more rice so my baby can have some, but my husband and I both liked it!
Hannah says
I don’t like mushrooms normally but I really loved this recipe! My husband really loves it too! Great flavor! I’ve already made this recipe a few times and it is definitely a keeper. Thank so much for sharing it with us! I made it in the crock pot a few times but this time I made it in my instant pot! I just put all the chicken, seasons, chicken broth, cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup all together. Push manual cooked it all for 6 minutes. Meanwhile made the rice and cut up the mushrooms. When the timer went off I put the mushrooms in the instant pot and press manual for 0 minutes. After that went off I stored in the rice and cheese! Delicious and so easy!
Becky says
Just 1 C chicken broth with 4 cups cooked rice was perfect. I also used broccoli instead of mushrooms. It turned out great!
Wendy says
What if I accidentally put the whole chicken stock in what can I do to take some water out or will the rice soak it up?
Cindy says
This recipe is delicious..one if the best I’ve made..my husband and I loved it..thank you for sharing it! Will make it again!!
Laurie M McHenry says
I thought this was delish! What I did was serve the crockpot contents OVER top of the rice…
Lynda says
Thank you and great start! Looked good, but not. Made this tonight and it was soooo sooooo bland with no flavor. Cardboard. I suggest adding in smoked paprika instead of plain, and kick it up with your favorite spices. We added TONS of spices just to make it eatable. I hate wasting food. It was just okay until you added the rice and cheese, then no flavor whatsoever. As the other reviewers, I did add broccoli. Again, absolutely no flavor. It can be a great beginning and a great start if you are willing to flavor it up. I mean FLAVOR! VERY BLAND RECIPE. Thank you so much for the basics of this! I’m sure you’ll figure it out.
Josh says
I agree, it was not good at all. Followed the recipe and it wasn’t good at all. I don’t know if the other reviewers have taste buds but this was like eating a pile of slop.
Josh says
I guess everyone that liked it just likes slop. It wasn’t good at all, pretty bland and just gross.
Sam says
Horrible! What a complete waste of food, money and time! I followed the recipe exactly. It should taste good; it just doesn’t. No one in my family liked it; some not even finishing their serving. A lot of food to throw out but that’s what I’m going to do.
Tiffany says
This recipe was pretty easy. I used frozen chicken breast and when it was time to add the rice and mushrooms I removed them and cut them up then added them back. I also like others noticed it was too soupy. So I did a last minute course correction and added 2 cups of instant rice and it came out perfect!