This all-in-one crockpot chicken and rice recipe is easy to put in the slow cooker and let it all cook together for you! One pot dishes are the easiest to make.
Easy Crockpot Chicken And Rice Recipe
This slow-cooked crockpot dinner was totally awesome!
My idea was to cook rice underneath chicken and vegetable so that the whole dinner was in one pot. It worked well, but we had to add more liquid during the cooking process, hence the imperfect recipe.
1 cup of rice + 3.5 cups of liquid + 1 more cup halfway through cooking
Herby Chicken
We buy the herbed chicken from The Organic Butcher here in town. LOVE it. To make this yourself, you could rub rosemary, thyme, olive oil and salt on some bone-in chicken breasts. I wonder if there is an extra secret ingredient to their rub – it’s always better than anything I do myself.
Brussels sprouts snuggled up to the chicken
4 hours on high [plus that pause to add more water] and the rice was cooked, the chicken fall-off-the-bone and the Brussels tender.
How To Make All-In-One Crockpot Chicken + Rice
- 1 cup long grain brown rice
- 4.5 cups water
- 2 large chicken breasts, herbed to your liking with rosemary, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper
- 1 pound of Brussels sprouts, halved (or any vegetables you like!)
Layer as seen above and cook on high for 4 hours.
I enjoyed mine with a dollop of Greek yogurt on the side. We ate all of the chicken but had plenty of rice + sprouts to save for a side dish the next night.
Lynn @ the actor's diet says
Perfection! I hate having to precook any crockpot stuff. I feel it defeats the purpose sometimes of being convenient!
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme) says
This sounds great. I wonder if they brine the chicken or simply just season it more heavily with salt and that is the difference your noticing? Interesting!
sara @ fitcupcaker says
I love crockpot meals, and chicken with rice is a perfect combo. IM wonderinf if I could use bone in or boneless chicken.
KathEats says
I think either
Kayla says
Love this idea! Only having to clean one crockpot is so much easier than multiple dishes. I wish we had more local butchers around where I live. You always seem to have the freshest ingredients to cook with and I’m a little jealous 🙂
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
This came at the perfect time! I need good crockpot recipes for my grandparents when they come home because Grandma can’t cook anymore. I know they’d love this! (Me too!)
Annie @ eatcleaneatreal says
This looks awesome. I have never thought to cook brussel sprouts in the crockpot! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Amanda, RD- The Nutritionist Reviews says
I love brussel sprouts! This recipe looks great.
Carly @ Snack Therapy says
I love one-pot meals because I HATE doing dishes. Easy clean up = Happiness! I’d love to experiment with different veggies and different grains (maybe quinoa)!
Nicole says
That herb rub always looks so flavorful! I will have to try to recreate it sometime. It’s inspiring that you have found ways to get quick healthy meals on the table, even though I’m sure it’s not easy with a little one. I have been reading since almost the beginning, and just wanted to say that I love your new blogging style, mostly because I can tell it works great for your family!
NorskAmerican says
LOVE all-in-one recipes!! Such a great time-saver.
Question, though: How did the Brussels sprouts turn out? Whenever I try all-in-oners in the crockpot, my veggies take on this poignant bitter flavor. I’ve had several bad experiences with carrots and cauliflower, so I’ve shied away from these types of recipes. What’s the secret? Or am I the only one who experiences this?
KathEats says
Hmm…they weren’t bitter but they were reallllly cooked = sort of mushy. I prefer them roasted, but this way wasn’t bad – just a change.
Connie says
Crock pot meals are so awesome, but I must admit, the thought of mushy, overcooked Brussels sprouts just does nothing for me. I’m curious if the rice was mushy too? I’ve never cooked rice in my crock pot, except in soup, where I don’t mind if it’s mushy. Also, did the chicken have enough seasoning on it to flavour the rice and veg, or did you add salt and pepper?
KathEats says
The chicken was pre-seasoned, so there was lots of flavor in it that also came off into the rest. Mushy veggies don’t bother me in a recipe like this – or a soup. I expect them.
Halley says
Do you think this would work with couscous? it’s what is in my pantry, that’s why i’m wondering
KathEats says
I think it would work with anything that has to be cooked in liquid – use the recommended amount plus extra that might evap through the edges of the top
Katie says
Hi Halley & Kath,
I have to jump in re: couscous in the crockpot versus rice – couscous only takes five minutes to cook in boiling water usually, so I think that cooking it for 4 hours in the crockpot would just turn it into mush. I googled some other recipes that use couscous with a crockpot dish & they said to cook the couscous separately.
Halley, if you’re looking to use the couscous, you could do the chicken in the crockpot with some extra veggies as a base, such as carrots & onions, since the “base” of rice won’t be there to keep the chicken from burning or sticking to bottom of the crockpot. Then just cook the couscous separately. 🙂
KathEats says
Good point! I wasn’t thinking about it being quick cooking!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
That rice looks ridiculously good, I should suggest this to my mom, she has a similar (maybe the same?) slow cooker!
Christine says
Looks yummy! Anytime I try to cook rice in my slow cooker it turns out really mushy. Any tips?
Jane @ Not Plain So Jane says
I love Brussels sprouts! Never though to put them in the crockpot!
Maria says
That looks so delicious and healthy!
I know what you mean with seasoned butcher meat always being tastier than home-seasoned. What on earth could the secret ingredient be? Garlic and onions, maybe?
Paula says
Salt, I imagine. Anytime something tastes really good it has lots of salt or butter in it. I haven’t ever purchased pre-seasoned meats so I don’t know that for a fact. Just going on the ingredient list of most processed foods. I love to read label.
KathEats says
I wouldn’t call this a processed food… It’s from a local butcher and made from fresh ingredients. But a brine might be the secret
Paula says
That may be true. We all have our levels of what we allow others to do to our food. It is processed to me simply because someone else added something to it. But it may not be a problem for others. I have some issues with a few herbs and need to know what is in or on my food.
Maria says
Yum. Thank for you for this recipe! I am always looking for healthy crockpot recipes and this fits the bill.
a farmer in the dell says
I need to dust off my crock pot and make this stat!
kristen @ verbs and vignettes says
i definitely think it’s worth a little tweaking to get a one dish recipe! i am over washing dishes. i’ve been feasting on smoothies all week and i’ve fallen in love with only having to wash the blender.
dinner looks delicious. i wonder if you could redo this veg-style with tofu… i bet tempeh would work.
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning says
How simple and delicious! (But I think I’d have to try it with freekeh!) And bone-in chicken breasts are definitely the way to go. 🙂
I am in love with my slow cooker lately. It took me until the end of winter to finally break it out, but now it gets used at least twice a week! There’s nothing better than walking into the house and being greeted by the delicious smell of what’s been cooking away all day!
kim craig says
I cannot believe your brussel sprouts didn’t stink to high heaven
after being in the crock pot! Kudos!! I made some, or overcooked some once
and a stinky diaper had nothing on those things! Haha
Love your blog BTW!!
Meagan says
Thanks for this 🙂 I’m gonna do this with quinoa perhaps 😀
Amanda M says
This is how we always made chicken and rice growing up. We’d just pick the chicken off the bone and stir it back in. Very similar recipe to yours. We’d start out with a 1:4 ratio of rice to water and add a bit more if needed. Sometimes we would, sometimes not. I think it depends on the moisture that comes out of the chicken and veggies mostly.
Jessica says
This is the healthiest and simplest recipe of yours, Kath. I am going to buy the ingedients this weekend to cook it for my family. Thank you for the post.
Bruna @ morgbu.com says
I don’t eat chicken but this does look good. I may try my crockpot more often!
Sara @ sarasmiles says
Wow, I’ve never made anything like this in my crock-pot but I’m going to keep this in mind. Could you use boneless chicken breasts (and add the rub)?
Alyssa says
I never even thought to try that! Rice in a crock pot=Great idea 🙂
Susan H @ The Food Allergy Chronicles says
So simple…filled with yummy ingredients…thanks for sharing! 🙂
Ellie@Fit for the Soul says
I’m [almost]drooling over here! This sounds and looks so tasty and wholesome~did the rice end up with enough flavor though? I’m BIG on lots of bold flavors.
KathEats says
I thought so
Caitlin says
great and simple recipe!
Jenny Michelle says
This looks amazing! I love chicken and rice, but I’ve never tried it with brussels sprouts before, sounds great 🙂 Now I just have to convince my mom to buy that crock pot we’ve all been wanting so much…
Diana @ Eating Made Easy says
Gotta get the crock pot out now! Never thought to try brussel sprouts in it, great idea!
Kathy W. says
yum!
btw, saw this & thought Matt would enjoy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/opinion/sunday/how-beer-gave-us-civilization.html
KathEats says
fun, thanks!
Kelly Williams says
Gonna try this at home. The brussel sprouts are just too adorable!
Crystal says
This looks like a great recipe, and I love herbed chicken. The convenience of the crock pot is so wonderful!
Kelly says
Did the chicken you used have skin on it? I’m looking forward to trying this for dinner this week. Most of the bone in chicken I’ve seen seems to have skin. Thanks!
KathEats says
Yes it did
HTC says
It was hovering at 98 degrees F in my kitchen today (I live in Asia) so trying out a crockpot recipe made sense. I put 1.5 cups brown rice mixed with a sliced onion in my very basic crockpot– then poured 3 cups of water over the rice, then I tossed 7 chicken legs (with bone and skin) with olive oil, fresh oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, minced garlic, paprika, a cup of sliced carrots and some shitake mushrooms plus some salt and pepper in a bowl and then put it on top of the rice/water mix. Cooked it in the crockpot for about 3 hours… served it with steamed asparagus –delicious! Thanks for the idea, Kath.
Jessie says
I made this with short grain brown rice, 6 boneless skinless thighs, and carrots. I put in 4 C of water and it was too much–the result was still yummy, but the rice was mushier and more of a stew consistency than I wanted. Thanks for the idea! Next time I’ll use less water and add as needed. I also stirred in lemon juice and fresh parsley at the end, which made it nice and fresh.
Leah says
Any idea how long to cook if I want to cook on low? I am gone for more than 4 hours and would love to dump it and come home to it if I could cook it for say 8 hours on low?
KathEats says
I think the general rule is to double the high to get to the low? I’m not all that sure though.
Pam Becker says
After reading all of the comments I’m going to try adding the brussels sprouts half way through the cooking so that they won’t be mushy. I love them and can’t bear to eat them mushy. I’ll play around with this and let you know.
Pam Becker says
mush. don’t do it by the recipe. flavors are good but, rice and brussels are much…not what I consider refreshing. flavors good because I used herbes de provence on chicken with salt and pepper…chicken was great. brusssels sprouts put in 45 mins on low at end. rice was mush…..bad recipe……needs major tweeking.
hannah says
I’m making this today for dinner, and just put the rice, broth and chicken in the pot. I’m using 3 boneless/skinless breasts, short grain brown rice and will be adding fresh green beans about half way through cooking time.
Short grain brown rice thickens a bit (don’t know the word I want, more gluten?) and started off with 2 cups of vegetable broth. I’ll check the liquid in a couple hours and see what I see!
hannah says
Checking back in while eating leftovers.
1. Should have used long grain rice. Short has a bit too much starch. Jasmine rice would be great I think.
2. I started off with 2 cups of veg broth. Ended up adding a cup over time.
3. I used fresh green beans, added two hours in. The next day they are still great and not soggy.
I think this recipe has great possibilities. If you like pork, pork chops! Mushrooms would be a great addition too.
Morgan says
Wow, just wow. This looks too good! That chicken looks so tender!
Helen says
This looks really good. Can it be done longer on low? And have you tried it again and made any changes to your method?
Trish says
I know I am late to the party, but my goal has been to make brussel sprouts taste good. I love how simple this recipe is. I add mushrooms as they go in everything I make. It’s my go to for something easy and delicious. Thanks for posting it.
Alicia says
Pure mush of the rice. Will not try again. I hesitated to add rice and should have listened to my gut.