Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Crockpot cheesy chicken and rice casserole is a family favorite! Tender chicken thighs, broccoli and perfectly cooked rice smothered with cheese of course. 

If you loved Campbell’s chicken and rice casserole you’ll love our crockpot cheesy chicken and rice dinner! It is inexpensive using chicken thighs and cooks by itself so it’s ready when you are. Here’s one of our favorite chicken crockpot recipes here on The Typical Mom blog. (originally published 9/19, affiliate links present)

• We love this dish so much we’ve made pressure cooker chicken and rice too!

But for those of you who LOVE your slow cooker, we will show you how easy crockpot chicken and rice is to make too. 😉

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 veggies 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.

When I find chicken on sale I make this every time.

Ingredients needed for crockpot cheesy chicken and rice casserole:

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 chicken soup – or make your own
4. Chicken broth
   1. boxed or make this homemade chicken broth Instant Pot recipe
5. Cheese – we love shredded sharp cheddar
6. Onion
7. Broccoli florets
8. Garlic powder
9. Parsley
10. Salt and pepper

You’ll need a pan like you see here and a slow cooker of course.

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??!!

Here are the basic steps to follow:

1. Outsides of chicken is cooked beforehand just to get some browning on the skin. Use a skillet for this.
2. Then add in your broth, cream of celery or chicken soup and garlic powder. Whisk this together inside your crock pot.
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 low 6-8 hours or high for 3-4. Cooking times will vary slightly depending on how tender you like your rice.
6. Could add more cheese on top the last 30 minutes if you wanted it over the top.

This is a great recipe for families, slow cooked all day and ready when your busy day slows down to eat!

Serve with 1 piece of chicken add in cooked rice or on the side of your plate.

• We have a lot of easy slow cooker recipes but this crockpot chicken and rice is on constant rotation here. Served at least every other week we just never seem to get tired of it!

Can you put raw chicken in a slow cooker?

Yes! We have browned or seared the outsides of our thighs here, but the insides are still quite raw when we put them inside the pot. That is okay! With this many hours in your crockpot your chicken will surely become fall apart tender when the cook time is up.

Sometimes you may ask why is my chicken tough?

• When chickens have been bred to get as big as possible as quickly as possible they tend to remain tough no matter how you cook them.
• To avoid this I always buy organic chicken. There is a HUGE difference between the two and I’m willing to spend a bit more to get tender chicken every time.

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.

Can you overcook in a slow cooker?

On high, it will reach the overcook point sooner. After it reaches this simmer point, the remaining time your needs to depend on the weight and cut of meat. For large cuts of meat cooked on their own this is more likely vs. a casserole such as this one.

• I always recommend setting the time for the minimum listed and then check at that point to avoid overcooking.

Should you stir a slow cooker?

There is really no need to stir the food unless it specifically says to in your recipe. In fact, taking the lid off to stir food causes the crockpot to lose a significant amount of heat. This may extend the cooking time required. I would recommend not doing this.

Other easy crockpot recipes you might enjoy:

• Easy crockpot spaghetti and meatballs with NO boiling noodles required.
• Our slow cooker chicken cacciatore is simple and healthy.
  • This Crockpot sesame chicken
• This spicy Crockpot buffalo chicken sliders recipe is great.
• Crockpot crack chicken is always a huge win, or creamy Crockpot chicken with rice

If you have a pressure cooker you can try our Instant Pot chicken broccoli rice dish or a few of our easy Instant Pot chicken recipes too!

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5 from 3 votes

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Crockpot cheesy chicken and rice casserole is a family favorite! Tender chicken thighs, broccoli and perfectly cooked rice smothered with cheese of course.

Course Entree, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword broccoli, campbells, casserole, chicken, chicken thighs, crockpot, rice, slow cooker

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours

Servings 6

Calories 417kcal

Author The Typical Mom

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs used with skin and bones in
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1.5 c chicken broth
• 1 can cream of chicken soup 10 oz
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 onion diced
• 1 c broccoli florets
• 1 c cheese sharp cheddar is best
• 1 c rice uncooked, Jasmine

Instructions

• Season chicken thighs with salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and parsley flakes. Brown the outsides in a pan on the stovetop. Insides don't need to be cooked, that will occur in your slow cooker, just brown skins.
• Pour chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, garlic powder, and remaining pepper into your crockpot. Whisk together.
• Pour in uncooked white rice so it is evenly spread out on to the bottom of your pot.
• Then pour in your diced onions, then broccoli florets, and cheese on top of that so it is spread out evenly in layers.
• Lay browned chicken thighs on the very top and close lid.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4, or until rice is as tender as you'd like it to be and chicken is cooked through.
• Remove chicken thighs and plate, stir rice mixture and add to plate. Can sprinkle more cheese on top of everything if desired too.

Nutrition Facts

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Amount Per Serving (3 oz)

Calories 417 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 98mg33%

Sodium 1142mg50%

Potassium 361mg10%

Carbohydrates 32g11%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 488IU10%

Vitamin C 20mg24%

Calcium 172mg17%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.