Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Crockpot cheesy chicken and rice casserole with chicken thighs is a family favorite meal with broccoli too smothered with cheese of course. If you loved our creamy Crockpot chicken dish this will be a hit too.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Crockpot Recipe

We love this dish so much we’ve made pressure cooker chicken and rice too! This is super inexpensive using chicken thighs, and cooks by itself so it’s ready when you are. You could use white meat with breasts if you would rather but the other has more flavor and moisture. I guarantee this will become a new family favorite and you’ll add it to your monthly meal planning.

You may have had this growing up, it’s a Campbells staple a lot of our mothers used to make. Typically it was done on the stovetop or oven though, but slow cooking is so much better. You can do a dump it and go method in the morning and enjoy after a long day together.

Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
2. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

Slow cooker chicken and rice with cream of mushroom

But for those of you who LOVE your slow cooker, we will show you how easy crockpot chicken and rice is to make too. 😉 “Old fashioned” sometimes is just your go to, I get it. My mom did get an Instant Pot last year and does like it but she still goes back to her classic favorite meals made low and slow cooked all day long.

I guess it is what you are used to. Since I grew up with Crockpot everything that was what I did for many years when I first had kids. Then came other methods and although I do love them it took me years and years to train my brain to think and cook differently. Now I use all of them, all the time.

Ingredients

1. Chicken thighs – with skin on and bone in chicken thighs is great
2. White rice – uncooked, Jasmine is preferred
3. 10 oz. cream of mushroom soup – or make your own cream of chicken soup
4. Chicken broth boxed or make this homemade chicken broth
5. Onions diced are optional
6. Broccoli florets are optional
7. Garlic powder for seasonings
8. Parsley for color
9. Salt and pepper are basic seasons

Equipment Needed

You of course need the slow cooker pot itself to make this. You’ll want a pan or skillet too to brown the meat initially though. This is for a good reason; it keeps the protein moist trapping the moisture inside and giving it a bit of needed texture on the outside too.

Variations

We like a lot of cheese – shredded sharp cheddar is probably our favorite but a mix of this and pepper jack is pretty awesome too. Often times if I find a Mexican or taco blend with some seasonings in there I will buy that. As for the seasonings use your faves.

Of course you can omit the vegetables entirely but really it is a great add in, and I bet your kids will love it too. If you prefer fresh green beans you could substitute those instead. Just cut the ends off and cut them into thirds so they are bite size.

I love ways to incorporate frozen or fresh vegetables into every meal. We started this when the girls were little and now they’d actually prefer them than a plate full of meat.

• Really, it took some time but it is totally true.
• Do it early, you’ll have a lot more luck that way for sure.
• “Just one bite” was always required, and they gained an appreciation for the tastes that way.

Can you cook raw chicken and rice at the same time?

Yes, when I find chicken on sale I make this every time. I have used it all too. From thighs to breasts and even chicken quarters work but take a bit longer. Easier with those to cut the two pieces apart and add them. Negative is they both have bone in which means more work once it is done at the end.

Can you use cream of chicken instead of cream of mushroom?

For the condensed soup you really could use any variety you prefer. Chicken is the most popular of course but I have used mushroom when that was all I had on hand and it was amazing too. I imagine potato and/or celery would offer different flavors but still great ones.

Should you brown chicken before putting it into your slow cooker?

You’ll need a pan like you see here and a slow cooker of course. Sauteeing or searing the meat at the beginning will make it more moist in the end. Think about it, if you cook just the outsides, as it cooks the drippings will not be able to escape vs. skipping this step.

How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice

1. Brown outsides of chicken beforehand just to get some browning on the skin. Use a skillet on your stovetop for this.
2. Inside your slow cooker add in your broth, cream of celery or chicken soup and garlic powder. Whisk this together.
3. Sprinkle in your uncooked rice on the bottom. I haven’t used brown rice yet for this but imagine it would be fine, just may take a bit longer to get tender.
4. Broccoli and cheese are added in next in layers, followed by your chicken thighs.
5. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours or until rice in slow cooker is tender and chicken is done all the way through. Cooking times will vary slightly depending on how thick your meat pcs. are.

Can I cook chicken and rice on high?

I never recommend that you use the high setting, except it would work with this. Rice itself cooked this way takes 2.5 hours to become tender. You could set browned meat on top of that but in this case I would use boneless skinless so the heat can ensure the middle is done and hits a safe 165F in the center.

What can I add to chicken and rice for flavor?

Could add more cheese on top the last 30 minutes if you wanted it to. In our house you just can’t have too much dairy in your diet so we go all out. 😉 Other seasonings are always welcome, red pepper flakes would make it spicy if you like.

Serve with 1 piece of chicken add in cooked rice or on the side of your plate. I do like to pair it with a side of some sort of veggie too if I have something. Freshly steamed is best but many times all I have is canned or frozen. Whatever is better than nothing.

Of course you could make this like Campbell’s chicken, broccoli and rice recipe without the cheese but who would?? Ok when my husband was testing out a dairy free diet I did do this once or twice. BUT luckily he didn’t stick to it because it’s so much better with a wallop of sharp shredded cheddar cheese.

How much chicken can you put in a Crockpot?

Well it depends on what you’re making I guess. We used 4 but you could easily add 6 chicken thighs to make chicken and rice casserole too.  If you’re making a whole chicken crockpot recipe then of course you’d just use one whole bird.

How to save leftovers

You want to keep this moist. Your best bet is to allow it to cool completely, always. Then transfer everything together with as much sauce in the pot as you can into containers that can be sealed tight. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. When reheating wrap a paper towel around it to create a bit of steam so it doesn’t dry out. Microwave for 1 minute until warmed.

Other easy crockpot recipes you will love

• Our slow cooker chicken cacciatore is simple and healthy.
  • This Crockpot sesame chicken
• Crockpot crack chicken is always a huge win
• If you have a pressure cooker you can try our Instant Pot Mexican chicken and rice dish.

Other cheesy slow cooker recipes you’ll love

Yes, we love all things CHEESY!! Like our slow cooker cheesy potatoes and crockpot hamburger casserole dishes, cheese is just something nobody can resist right??!! Now that my husband needs dairy free recipes I have found great shredded selections at the store as well. (and my kids can’t tell the difference)

We have a lot of easy slow cooker recipes but this one has been on constant rotation the last few years because it is so popular. Served at least every other week we just never seem to get tired of it!