This is the creamiest Healthy Crockpot Chicken and Rice Recipe. It’s so easy to make in the slow cooker with no canned soup required!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Cooking spray – feel free to use butter or a neutral oil to grease your crockpot instead.
- Yellow onion – shallots or red onion will also work.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – chicken thighs can be used if you prefer them.
- Frozen vegetables – use a frozen blend of peas, corn, peppers, etc. Fresh veggies would also work.
- Basmati rice – jasmine rice would work too. If you want to use brown rice, you may need to add another cup of broth.
- Dried thyme – you can leave this out, or use fresh thyme or Italian seasoning instead.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Garlic – the fresh stuff is best, but the jarred kind will work. 1 tsp garlic powder will also work in a pinch.
- Dijon mustard – there isn't a great substitute for this. You can try leaving it out or using 2 tsp dry mustard instead.
- Chicken broth – add cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup instead of or in addition to the broth.
- Sour cream – Greek yogurt will work here but the flavor will be different.
- Cheddar cheese – any type of cheese can be used, but I find cheddar gives the most kick.
- Parsley – cilantro or lemon zest would also be good.
How to make chicken and rice in the crockpot
Step 1: Prep your ingredients.
Step 2: Spray the crockpot with cooking spray.
Step 3: Add ingredients to the crockpot.
Add all ingredients except for sour cream, cheese and parsley in the order in which they are listed. Make sure to push rice down underneath liquid as much as possible.
Step 4: Cook on high or low.
Cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4 hours, stirring 2-3 times midway through cooking time.
Step 5: Stir in the remaining ingredients.
Stir in sour cream and cheese at the end of cook time, stirring well to combine.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Serve garnished with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
Tips & variations
There are a few different tips and variations you can try for this slow cooker chicken recipe:
- Instant Pot method: Add 1-2 tbsp canola oil to the bottom of the pot, then add the onions, frozen veggies, chicken, rice and broth in order. Push the rice underneath the liquid, cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure. Stir in the sour cream and cheese, garnish with parsley and serve!
- Ingredient prep: If you want to cut down on prep time, dice up the chicken breasts, mince the garlic and grate the cheddar cheese in advance. Store everything in glass containers in the fridge until you're ready to use. Trust me, ingredient prep is a lifesaver on busy weeknights.
- Different toppings: Try out different toppings and different cheeses, or mix in some additional spices for different flavours!
- More veggies: Add in extra veggies like bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, green beans, jalapenos, carrots and peas.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can cook the chicken and rice either on high or low, depending on your preference and how much time you have. You can cook this recipe on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
For this healthy crockpot recipe, you don’t have to be too concerned about the chicken being covered in liquid, but you should try and push the rice down below the liquid as much as possible. You want to make sure the rice is covered by the broth so it soaks up the liquid and cooks properly.
This is an entire meal on its own, but if you want to serve a little something extra on the side, I'd recommend some crusty bread, brussels sprouts salad or garlic parm asparagus.
I'd recommend using basmati or jasmine for this recipe, as that's the kind of rice I tested with this recipe and it cooks in the proper amount of time. If you use another kind, it may take longer to cook and might turn out a bit mushy, so you'll need to test it out and increase the cooking time as needed.
You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts for this recipe, just make sure you dice them up into pieces.
Storing and reheating
Like most healthy crockpot chicken recipes, this dish is great for meal prep! It will last in the fridge for up to 5 days in airtight glass containers or meal prep bowls and makes great lunch leftovers. To reheat the dish, sprinkle some water over top to keep the rice from drying out then stick it in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.
Freezing this recipe
This healthy chicken and rice crockpot recipe can be stored in the freezer for about a month, but it will likely lose some of its texture due to the sour cream in the sauce. If you do freeze it, you can reheat is straight from frozen for 6 to 7 minutes in the microwave, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Don’t forget to sprinkle some water over top before reheating!
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Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing individual portions of the leftovers.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
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Healthy Crockpot Chicken and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb chicken breasts, diced
- 2 cups frozen vegetables
- 1 cup basmati rice dry, not cooked
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
- Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Spray crockpot with cooking spray, then add all ingredients except for sour cream, cheese and parsley in the order in which they are listed. Make sure to push rice down underneath liquid as much as possible.
- Cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 6 hours, stirring 2-3 times midway through cooking time.
- Stir in sour cream and cheese at the end of cook time, stirring well to combine.
- Serve garnished with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Samantha says
I thought this would be a little bland, but it absolutely was NOT! I will be saving this recipe! It was fantastic!!! Thank you!!!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!
Pat N says
Hi Taylor – Thank you for the yummy recipe! It turned out great. I was wondering if the 480 calories was for 1/4 (Since there are four servings) or 480 for the entire recipe? I’m trying to calculate the weight watcher points per serving.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Pat, I’m happy you enjoyed! It’s 480 calories per serving 🙂
Allison says
I’m sad to say that I wish I had read the other comments before making it. I am an experienced cook and this did not turn out. I used fresh veggies from the recommended selection, though did not add garlic for allergy reasons. This turned out bland, with a strange flavour and extremely mushy. It looks like overcooked veggie oatmeal. The slightly saving grace was the cheese though I still may throw the rest out 😕
I’m not a fan of leaving less than stellar comments but I appreciate when others leave an honest review when a recipe doesn’t work out.
Taylor Stinson says
I have tested this recipe 3 times with good results each time and I really am not sure what is causing issues for some. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you. I’ll have to put this on my list to test again :/ I’m thinking the problem may be inconsistencies in different brands of rice.
Matt says
Followed the recipe to a T & was great. Now i use Farro instead of rice also Turned out great, soft texture when cooked this way, but not mush. 10/10 recommend.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed! Good to know about the farro, I have a ton in need of using up hahah