Looking for more easy dinners? Try my Slow Cooker Macaroni Hamburger Soup or my Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs.
Why This Isn’t an All-Day Slow Cooker Recipe
Chicken breasts are lean, and with almost no fat, they dry out if they cook too long. To be honest, chicken breasts are just not good slow cooked all day. This recipe is designed for a shorter cook on HIGH. Put it on before church or an afternoon of errands, and it’s ready within three to four hours.
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Chicken Breasts: We developed this recipe with frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts so they don’t overcook and dry out before the rice is done. Karlynn’s Tip: Food safety agencies like the USDA recommend thawing meat before slow cooking. If you use frozen breasts as we do, cook on HIGH only, and always confirm with an instant-read thermometer that the thickest part of every breast has reached at least 165°F.
Converted Rice: We use converted (parboiled) rice because it holds its shape and doesn’t turn to mush. Any long-grain white rice will work, but don’t use instant rice!
Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup and Chicken Broth: Whisked together, these make the creamy, cheesy sauce the rice cooks in.
Garlic Powder, Onion Powder and Cheddar: Simple seasonings keep it family-friendly, and a cup of shredded cheddar melted on top at the end makes it extra cheesy.
How To Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice in the Slow Cooker
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Whisk the rice, cheddar cheese soup, chicken broth, garlic powder and onion powder together until the lumps are gone.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken, then spoon some of the liquid (not the rice) over the top of each breast so no rice is sitting on top.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the rice is tender and the chicken reaches at least 165°F.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheddar on top, put the lid back on until it melts, and garnish with parsley.
Make It Fast or Make It Slow
In the Instant Pot: We don’t recommend the Instant Pot for this one. Thick condensed cheese soup and rice on the bottom of the pot are a recipe for the burn warning, and the rice and chicken need very different cooking times under pressure. Stick with the slow cooker!
Low or High? Cook this on HIGH only. On low, the rice sits in the liquid too long before it cooks and turns mushy, and the chicken takes too long to get up to a safe temperature.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Add a splash of chicken broth before reheating in the microwave, because the rice soaks up the sauce as it sits.
Freezer: You can freeze this for up to 3 months, following USDA food safety guidelines, though the rice will be a little softer when reheated. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat until it’s 165°F all the way through.
More Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
If you love easy chicken dinners, try one of these next:
- My Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken tastes just like the grocery store version.
- This Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken is sweet, tangy and so easy.
- My Crockpot Chicken Honey Garlic is always a hit with the kids.
That’s all, folks! Creamy, cheesy chicken and rice from one crock is about as easy as dinner gets.
If you make this recipe, leave a comment below and let me know how it went! Did you add any vegetables? I always love hearing about your kitchen adventures.
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Ingredients
Instructions
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Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker.
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Whisk together the rice, soup, broth, garlic powder and onion powder until the lumps are smoothed out and mixed in.
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Pour over the chicken breasts.
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Spoon soup ( not rice) over top of the chicken breasts to remove any rice on top of the chicken.
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Place the lid on top and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until the rice has cooked and the chicken has reached at least 165°F.
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Sprinkle the cheese on top and place the lid back on to let the cheese melt.
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Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and serve!
Notes
- This works well for 2 chicken breasts as you can see, my husband and I made it for OUR lunch one day!
Nutrition per serving: 418 calories
- Calories
- 418 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 38 g
- Protein
- 35 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Saturated fat
- 7 g
- Polyunsaturated fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated fat
- 4 g
- Trans fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 102 mg
- Sodium
- 632 mg
- Potassium
- 576 mg
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Vitamin A
- 319 IU
- Vitamin C
- 8 mg
- Calcium
- 229 mg
- Iron
- 1 mg
Nutrition is an automatic estimate and will vary with the brands you use.
Yummy it was reallly good!
I added 1/3 cup of heavy cream, used cream of chicken instead, and used Monterey Jack cheese. Since I didn’t have cheddar.
Loved it!
Glad you liked it!
Can you use brown rice
can this be done for 6-8 hrs on low??
If I double the amount of chicken breasts, use for breasts instead of two, should I double everything else? I am cooking for four adults. Thanks so much!
What is converted rice?
Can you use instant rice with this recipe?
Can you explain step 2 and 3? Step 2 says to whisk together rice, soup, broth and spices. Step 3 says to spoon soup on chicken and make sure rice isn’t on chicken. Wouldn’t it be easier to not add the rice to the soup and broth and add it in step 3? I might just be obtuse today, but I’m having a hard time making it make sense.
I have the same question. I’m going to try adding the rice after the chicken, followed by the soup mixture. Fingers crossed!
You definitely don’t want to add the rice after. We simply mean not to let the rice sit on top of the chicken
Made this last night and it was Perfect! My kids and Hubby loved it!
To all the questions above that were asked. If you read the whole article it will answer all those questions. or at least i thought they did!
Thanks and again for an easy awesome meal!