Creamy & Cheesy Crockpot Chicken and Rice

62 Comments

1. I was looking for something to put in the crock pot for tonight since my hubby has a surprise day off and is going to let me escape and write this afternoon and I thought I would make it easy on him and have dinner already started so he just has to concentrate on teaching History and marking books. This looks like just the right recipe! Thanks for posting.

   1. Let me know how you liked it!! We had leftovers when I made it a few weeks ago, and I reheated it for dinner tonight – might have even been better the second time!

2. I cannot wait to try this recipe! I am not a huge fan of sour cream, so I’m hoping it’s flavor isn’t overpowering…worth a try, though, for sure!

   1. You really don’t taste the sour cream (at least in my opinion), and you could probably even make it without!

3. Did you use frozen or thawed chicken?? This looks so yummy!

   1. I used frozen chicken when I made it – but I’m sure you could use thawed if that’s what you have on hand. Just lessen your cook time if using thawed chicken.

4. I found that even though I completely covered the rice in water, some of it turned out mushy and some of it was still hard. I would live to enjoy this recipe but I have had it turn out the same way twice

   1. I’ve always had issues with getting rice to turn out “right” when cooked in a slow cooker. With this particular recipe, I found that “sealing” the rice in with the cream of mushroom soup helped to get it cooked evenly (not too crunchy/mushy). I wish I had a better answer for you!

      1. Your above response mentions cream of mushroom soup, which is not included in the ingredients. Is cream of mushroom soup mistakenly left out, or did tug mean sour cream? Thanks!

         1. Good catch – sorry about that. Sour cream is the ingredient I was trying to reference.

            1. Thank you! I’m making this for dinner tonight.

      2. I am cooking this right now & after just 3 hours the rice is complete mush??? hmmmm

         1. You may need to adjust the amount of water you used… from what I’ve read, you are supposed to double the amount of liquid called for when cooking rice in a slow cooker, but due to variations in the actual temperatures of slow cookers, there’s a bit of trial and error involved in finding the right combination of rice, water, and time.

            P.S. I’m sorry for any issues you’re having with this recipe… I’m honestly not an expert – this is just a recipe I threw together (and that worked for me in my slow cooker) and then shared with my readers.

   2. Why not pour the rice into the water (or water into the rice) and add it all at once? Seems as though the water coverage would be much more even that way.

      1. That could definitely work. Thanks for the suggestion!

5. Do you think you could leave the rice out and cook seperately and just put over cooked rice?

   1. Definitely – just adjust your liquid accordingly!

6. This is probably stupid but…do you stir it at all during the cooking time? Or just leave it as it is and them mix it all up after the 4-6 hours?

   1. Not a stupid question. :)

      I did not stir it at all while it was cooking. When I served it, I just “cut down” into it and brought up spoonfuls with each layer still “intact.”

   2. I am cooking this and I thought the same thing. I’m going to wait until it’s done to stir. It’s looking good. Don’t wanna mess with perfection. Lol

7. If I cook the rice separately, how much water should I use in the crock pot??

   1. I probably wouldn’t add any water if cooking the rice separately.

      1. No water would be needed? I thought a little water was always needed with meats (I’m new to crock pot cooking!)

         I’ve read that chicken should cook for a minimum of 7 to 7.5 hours on low if it is frozen…what is your experience with this, and if I buy chicken tonight and use it thawed tomorrow, how would I adjust the cooking time?

         1. When cooking in the crockpot, the juices from the meat will generally provide enough moisture (since the moisture can’t escape and evaporate). The length of time with the chicken depends on the size of the pieces. With boneless-skinless tenders, I usually cook them 3-4 hours on low if frozen. With boneless-skinless breasts, I usually cook them 5-6 hours on low if frozen. If you’re using thawed meat, you will probably be safe at around 3-4 hours on low. Just be sure to cut into the middle of your largest (thickest) piece to be sure it’s cook through before serving. Crockpot temperatures tend to vary between appliances, so be sure to always check your meat!

8. This was absolutely horrible and a waste if money and groceries. :/

   1. I’m sorry you didn’t like it, Haley.

   2. Could have given your opinion just a little more respectfully, js.

9. Thanks for the recipe but this did not turn out for me. We had to throw it out. Nor sure where I went wrong.

   1. I’m so sorry this didn’t turn out for you, Brittney. I’ve found it can be a “hit or miss” recipe. I think that the difference in slow cooker temperatures and/or local altitude may be a factor.

10. I changed up this recipe just a little to avoid the “mushy” rice and it turned out great! What I changed was:

    Omit the rice from the crockpot & use only 1 cup water.

    With 20-30 minutes left, make 3 cups of INSTANT rice (because thats all I had on hand). While the rice is cooking, take the chicken out & shred it. Add it back to the crockpot along with the cooked rice and stir well. Let it sit for the remaining time to soak up the soupy cheese & sour cream. It will look really soupy when you pour the rice in but while it sits for awhile it gets thicker.

    It was very delicious and I will for sure be making it again!

    1. Thanks so much for sharing that modification, Kylie!

11. I want to do this but with no rice. How should I go about it? Maybe only 1 cup water?

    1. Another reader suggested that “fix” and found it to work well. :)

12. I tried this recipe last night, and it was a major hit! Everyone loved how it was so cheesy and tender! I did make a few changes though, instead of cheddar cheese I used pepper jack, and instead of broccoli I used corn. It came out like a southwest dish with just the right amount of spiciness. I also had to tweek the cooking time since hungry guests arrived early. I cooked it on low for one hour and then on high for an hour. All the ingredients came out just perfect in that amount of time! Im so glad I tried this, and will definitely make this again! Thank you so much for the recipe!!!

    1. Ooohh… that sounds like a delicious “twist” on this dish, Annette Marie. Thanks for sharing!

13. I just tried it and found it to be bland. The rice was mushy with a few areas where it was hard.

    1. I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out well for you! I’ve had several people suggest adding the rice at the end to avoid it becoming mushy/overcooked.

14. This looks good and easy, too! I want to try this. I’m not a fan of sour cream, though. I wonder if cream of chicken would work? From the comments, I guess the chicken needs to be “sealed”? How long to cook with frozen chicken or with fresh? I really don’t like over cooked chicken! I like it moist.

    1. I generally cook frozen chicken (breasts) 5-6 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. I would guess you can cut the time in about half for fresh. That said, I’ve not had an issue with the chicken drying out if cooked longer due to the moisture in the dish.

       I’ve not tried to make this with cream of chicken soup, but that sounds like it would be a good alternative to the sour cream.

15. This did not work for me. As many other commenters, the rice did not cook well for me. Still hard in some spots, much in others. I did want to take the time to comment though because your post was well written out and very easy to follow – not everyone has that skill. Thank you!

    1. Thank you for taking the time to comment, Michele. I’m sorry the rice did not turn out for you!

16. Could I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?

    1. I’ve never used Greek yogurt, so I wouldn’t be able to advise you on that. Sorry!

17. A variation that I make is to omit the rice, layer everything the way you have it (sub in other veggies or cheese if you like) and then put a layer of Stove Top on top. Pour the 2 cups of water verrrrrrrrry slowly to let the Stove Top soak up the water. We call it Stove Top Surprise, and it’s a big hit in my house.

    1. That sounds delicious, Jen! Thanks for sharing the variation.

18. Mine turned out as well to have issues with mushy/hard rice. It also was very runny and my chicken (put in thawed) took much longer to cook. Other than those issues it still had a great flavor and I want to make an “oven” version soon!

    1. I’m glad the flavor turned out well… let me know if your oven version turns out better in terms of consistency!

19. Ashley I tried this recipe tonight and its been tweo hours already in the crock pot and its watery
    what should I do? are you suppose to stir it at all?

    1. I generally cook this dish for several hours – if the rice/water ratio is correct, the rice should absorb all the water when it’s cooked through. I do not stir this dish at all.

20. If you wait until the dish has two hours left, do you still add water when first putting the ingredients into the crock pot?

    1. I would wait to add the water with the rice – there should be enough moisture in the remainder of the ingredients to cook them without the need for extra water.

21. Y U M! This was so good. I added the rice in 2 hours before (hours 3.5-5.5, cooking it on low) and it was perfect! I think next time I’ll cut the raw chicken breasts or tenderloins up and cube them before freezing them, for use in this recipe. That way it’ll be trimmed of fat and pieced just right for this amazing dish. Thanks for sharing this recipe! – Erin Gentry

    1. Yeah – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!

22. I didn’t have luck adding rice to the crockpot so I omitted the rice, and added 1/2 cup of water instead of 3 cups and holy moly! SO GOOD! With or without rice. Love this recipe! So rich and yummy! Thanks

23. Thanks for the recipe! I had no idea you could add rice to the crockpot! I always thought you had to cook it separately. It looked a little soupy so I dipped out some of the water about an hour into cooking and it turned out perfect. I hate when people change recipes and then review them; but Hubby doesn’t like sour cream so I cut most of it out and used cream of chicken soup. I doubt it makes that big of a difference but he ate two big helpings so I’ll call it a win. ;-)

    1. I’m forever modifying recipes to fit my family’s preferences, so I totally understand. I’m so glad you liked it!

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