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This Cheesy Chicken and Rice is made in the slow cooker and makes fantastic leftovers for lunch the next day!
OK, so this tasty chicken and rice may not be the most healthy and low-calorie thing you’ve ever eaten, but I guarantee it’s still better than hitting the drive-thru on the way home.
I put this in the slow cooker on Sunday morning and came home to a delicious, stick-to-your-ribs lunch. I originally read this recipe in an old Taste of Home magazine, but in the years since then I’ve seen it on Southern Plate. I’m not sure who originally created this wonderful conglomeration, but our family loves it!
Ingredients needed for making Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice:
- chicken breast-2 large breasts is usually plenty for our family
- white onion-diced as small as you need them to be to hide them from the kids 😉
- cream of chicken soup-I’ve also used cream of mushroom soup for this recipe
- yellow rice-there are several brands available but I prefer Zatarain’s
- corn-canned or frozen
- cheese-sharp cheddar and Colby Jack are my favorites
Instructions
For easy cleanup, spray the slow cooker with nonstick spray first, and then add the chicken breast to the bottom.
Top with the diced onion and then add the cream of chicken soup. Cook on Low for 4-5 hours.
30 minutes before you’re ready to eat dinner, cook the rice on the stove according to the package directions. Add the cooked rice, cheese and corn to the pot with the cooked chicken.
If we are going to be gone, I just make the rice ahead of time and then pull it out of the fridge and tossed it in with the cheese and corn when we get home.
It will be ready to go in just about 10 minutes. When I’m making this on a day that I’m home, I just cook the rice 30 minutes before we’re ready to eat and stir it in just before serving.
Because it’s such a heavy meal, you’ll want to lighten it up by serving a nice crunchy salad on the side. I used Romaine lettuce for mine and it was a tasty combo.
Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 4 small or 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 8 oz box Zatarain’s Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions
- 1 cup cheddar or colby jack cheese
- 1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
- 1 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
Instructions
- Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.
- Scatter chopped onion over top.
- Spoon cream soup over top of that.
- Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.
Click here for more Crockpot recipes like this Cheesy Chicken and Rice!
Post updated with new photos 3/2017 and 5/2024
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Lauren says
Cook I do this in the instapot?
Nicole Burkholder says
Yes! You can either cook it on the slow cooker setting and follow the instructions as written, or you can adjust it to be cooked on a pressure setting. Layer chicken, onion and cream soup and then rice. Add water for the rice. I do 1:1.5 for rice so if there’s a cup of dry rice/seasoning in the box, then normally you’d add 1.5 cups of water. However, since you’re also cooking with the chicken, the juice from the chicken will add a lot of liquid. So for this, 1:1 ratio should be fine. Then press the Rice setting and Start! (For my pot, that’s 12 minutes on low pressure.) Then be sure to leave it for at least 10 minutes of natural pressure release. I haven’t tested this myself, but if I was going to try it, this is how I would do it. 🙂
Aubrey says
How many servings does this yield? And on another note I am really excited to make this, it looks so good!
Nicole Burkholder says
I would say 6-8 large servings. It serves our family of 5, with enough for seconds and then some leftovers. It would also be an easy recipe to double if you’re hoping to feed a larger crowd. If you don’t have a bunch of hungry mouths to feed, it makes GREAT leftovers for lunch! 🙂
Tasha says
Do you thaw the chicken or can it be put in frozen? Thanks!
Nicole Burkholder says
You can do it either way. It just takes about 50% longer to reach a safe temperature if you are starting with frozen breasts. My crockpot is starting to cook really hot (I think it’s wearing out) and I find I keep having to adjust my cook times. You may have to play around with it a little for yours. 🙂
Cassie says
This looks so good! Quick question: do you place chicken in cooked or raw?
Nicole Burkholder says
Raw 🙂
Christy says
This was so good!!! My whole family loved it! I had to double the recipe for my family of 7, but everyone loved it.
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s such a hearty dish- perfect for Fall and Winter!
Lori says
This looks delicious! I want to try this one out soon.
Nicole Burkholder says
Perfect Sunday dish 🙂