Cheesy Chicken and Rice (Crock Pot Version)

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This crockpot cheesy chicken and rice recipe is one of the most popular recipes of all time on Southern Plate and with good reason. The combination of the flavorful Zatarain rice, cream of chicken soup, and gooey cheese make for a delicious (and easy) weeknight supper.

Bowl of slow cooker cheesy chicken and rice.

You talk, I listen. Well, I listen whenever I can, of course! Folks have been asking for more slow cooker recipes for a multitude of reasons. Who doesn’t like to come home and have supper all cooked and waiting for them? I know I sure do! This is a recipe I modified for the slow cooker and some of you will be happy to know I also removed the entire stick of margarine it called for. 

This easy cheesy chicken and rice recipe in the crockpot uses simple ingredients like cheese, cream of chicken, yellow rice, and sweet corn that pack a punch when combined. It’s creamy, it’s flavorful, and it’s so easy to make, as your slow cooker does most of the work for you (don’t we just love that?). But if you want to speed things up, check out my oven version (cheesy chicken and rice casserole) of this crockpot recipe.

Speaking of the slow cooker, here are some recipes to try in your crockpot this week: crockpot lasagna, chicken fajitas in the crockpotcrockpot cashew chicken, and crockpot chili.

Alright, let’s get cooking!

Ingredients for crockpot cheesy chicken and rice.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Yellow rice
  • Cream of chicken soup (homemade cream of chicken soup recipe here)
  • Whole kernel corn
  • Yellow onion
  • Boneless skinless chicken breast
  • Shredded cheddar cheese

Helpful Kitchen Tools

How to Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice in the Crockpot

Place chicken and onion in slow cooker.

Place your chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker (spray with cooking spray first if needed).

Chop up the onion and toss it on top as well.

Add cream of chicken soup to slow cooker.

Spoon or glob your cream soup over that.

Now cover this and cook it according to the following:

Low: 7-8 hours

High: 3-4 hours

This is great to put on in the morning on the weekends if you cook it on high and then have a nice meal at lunchtime.

Cheesy chicken and rice in slow cooker.

When it is done cooking, it’ll look a little like this.

Now… it’s not cheesy chicken and rice without cheese and rice!

Add cheese, rice, and corn to slow cooker.

So your next step is to add the drained corn kernels, cheddar cheese, and cooked rice.

You’ll need to cook your rice before this step. What I like to do is cook my rice the night before and just stick it in the fridge. Then you can dump it in and stir it up and give it a minute or two to get heated. You can also cook your rice as soon as you get home, though. It’s still an easy and delicious supper!

Mix ingredients in slow cooker together.

Stir all of that up and give it a few minutes to get all heated and warm (this won’t take long).

Bowl of cheesy chicken and rice.

This stuff is to die for. Prepare for a happy landing in your stomach!

Storage

Store your cheesy chicken and rice leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months. When it’s time, simply reheat it in the microwave.

Recipe Notes

  • You can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. You can also use leftover rotisserie chicken. 
  • Want more veggies? You can also add a selection of frozen vegetables to the slow cooker when you add the onion, like carrots, frozen broccoli florets, and peas. Other options? Cauliflower florets, green beans, chopped celery, and chopped bell peppers. Add two to three cups overall.
  • It is a-okay if you want to use cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup instead of this creamy chicken version. For even more mushroom flavor, add some sliced mushrooms to the slow cooker.
  • Another easy way to add flavor is to add a teaspoon of both garlic powder (or fresh minced garlic) and onion powder.
  • One more option… add a cup of chicken broth to the slow cooker in the beginning. This will make the chicken even more tender, if that’s even possible!
  • Instead of cheddar cheese, swap it out for your favorite type of shredded cheese.
  • I love Zatarain’s yellow rice mix, one of my favorite meal helpers. But you can use any rice you like, such as long-grain white rice, quinoa, wild rice, or brown rice.
  • If you want to use the lower-fat cream soup that’s fine in this too. A lot of folks have been making my slow cooker chicken and wild rice with cream of chicken soup because they don’t care for the cream of mushroom soup and that is great, too! Make it your own and tweak these recipes however they work best for your family.
  • Feel free to garnish with sliced green onions or chopped fresh parsley. Some freshly cracked black pepper ain’t so bad either!

Recipe FAQs

How do you chop the chicken for chicken and rice?

Now, a lot of folks have asked if or when they need to chop the chicken so the dish appears as it does in the photo. The great thing about this recipe is that by the time you add the rice, the chicken pieces are so tender from being slow-cooked that stirring in the rice will cause it to break up and become shredded chicken as pictured. Hope you enjoy it!

Can you freeze cheesy chicken and rice?

Absolutely! You can freeze leftovers for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating them for a couple of minutes in the microwave.

What side goes with cheesy chicken and rice?

I recommend serving this slow cooker chicken and rice recipe as a main dish with a side salad or vegetables. Here are some suggestions:

You may also enjoy serving the chicken and rice with cornbread, biscuits, or homemade dinner rolls.

Here are more of my favorite chicken dinner recipes:

Instant Pot Butter Chicken Recipe

North Alabama Style Pulled Chicken BBQ

How To Make Chicken Fajitas

Dutch Oven Smokehouse Chicken

Chicken Kabobs Recipe In The Oven

Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

Bowl of cheesy chicken and rice.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Cheesy chicken and rice in the crockpot is the dish even picky eaters LOVE! In fact, this recipe has been shared and pinned over 50 BILLION TIMES!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheese, chicken, crockpot, rice, slowcooker
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 large chopped onion
  • 1 8-ounce box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 10.5-ounce can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

Instructions

  • Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crockpot. Scatter chopped onion over the top. Spoon cream soup over the top of that.
    4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 large chopped onion, 1 10.5-ounce can cream of chicken soup
  • Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
  • A few minutes before serving, add the cooked rice, corn, and shredded cheese to the crockpot. Stir to combine, until the cheese melts. Serve hot.
    1 8-ounce box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today.

It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”

~Charles Schultz.

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1,339 Comments

  1. Christy, the recipe looks as wonderful as everything else you post. But I have to tell you, girl . . . . your story about Katy Rose and the down side of being the Swan Princess . . . . that’s the best I’ve seen from you. I don’t know – but maybe it’s a couple of struggles I’m going through right now that made it touch me the way it did. But you’re right, these issues – whether they are worked out or not – I’ve got my two wonderful children, my loving parents, and a man who adores me (we’re getting married next year!) who are here for me when the issues are gone. My family is constant! Thanks for the reminder! I can’t wait to meet you in Jackson, MS!!

  2. I saw your picture of the food on Facebook and just had to come get the recipe it looks so yummy!! As usual, I loved your writing! I try to remember my blessings everyday, it makes life so much easier! When I just think how blessed I am to have my 4 amazing boys’ and my wonderful sweet husband and we all have our health, nothing could be more important! Sure we could use more money, but money can’t buy you a hug from out of the blue little arms wraps them around you, or a chubby little hand brings you a flower, those are priceless!!

  3. Not only does this look wonderful, but it reminds me why I am living the “dream”. My husband is in the military and was deployed to Iraq and then to Afghanistan (only home for 5 months in between) for the past 2-3 years. So this has been the first whole year I’ve been able to have him come home to me and a nice home cooked meal everyday! Like you, I may not be living in a five star world, but it is 10 stars in my book.
    Thanks for the yummy recipes!

    1. Danielle, tell your husband we thank him for his service to our country and thank you for the sacrifices you have made

  4. Christy,
    I was wondering if when you post a recipe if you could tell us somehow (maybe some kind of sign), if that recipe is in your cookbook or not. I’d sure appreciate it. Can’t wait to see you at UNA tomorrow night!

    1. Hey Angela! I have a lot of exclusive recipes in the cookbook that will never be posted on Southern Plate, to make the cookbook more of a value :). A lot of the standard classics from Southern Plate are in there though.
      So if you see a brand new recipe that has never been on Southern Plate before, then it isn’t in the cookbook because the ones in the book that aren’t on here are ones I am intentionally keeping off to make the cookbook more special.
      I wonder if I just made sense..going on very little sleep so please forgive if I didn’t!

      I keep having to check myself to see which ones are in it or not! lol

      I need to grow one of those organization bones (I’m completely lacking them in my skeletal structure).

    2. Can I use white rice? Also if I use uncooked rice when shall I add it in? Or is it best to use precooked rice.

      1. Hey Janet! The type of rice I use in this is really a key ingredient because it has all of the wonderful seasonings. If you use white rice, you’ll need to experiment with different spices and flavorings until you can get it where you want it to be taste wise. If at all possible, I really suggest the yellow rice mix. 😀 I do add it in uncooked at times an hour or two before the end but I don’t recommend it because unless you stir it from time to time, there will be dry uncooked spots.

  5. I am completely content with life right now, but I do dream of having a husband and family one day – it just all depends on God’s timing :). Thank you for another great recipe! And another great story!

    1. So clear to see you are on the right path, Lauren! Love you and you keep us posted on your dreams coming to fruition! The cool thing is all of the dreams ahead of you that you never even thought to dream about,
      Life is so much fun!
      Gratefully,
      Christy

      1. Awww – thank you Christy! I have to admit I’m a little envious of you at times – you have so many great things going on and two utterly adorable children! Your life is so blessed and you bring joy to others when you share it! Thanks again!

        Lauren from Alabama 😀

    1. I love broccoli! If you sub white rice you might want to season it up a bit, the Zatarain’s yellow rice has a good bit of seasoning in it that gives a lot of flavor to this.
      Let me know how it turns out, sounds delicious!

      1. I’ve been making this for years with Cream of Mushroom Soup BUT I also use just about a can full of ( fruity ) Red Wine, it’s the boom.

      2. Just wondering why so many recipes like this one have 8 oz box of rice when there is no such thing in stores. It’s either 6.9 oz or 12 oz. sorry, it drives me crazy and happens a lot when stating product sizes.

        1. If that is what drives you crazy these days I’d stick with it! Boxes used to be uniform sizes but in the past several years as costs of groceries have more than tripled on some things, manufacturers have decreased the amount they put in boxes to help keep from having to raise their prices as much. Fortunately, in most recipes there is no noticeable difference, by design. 🙂

          1. I just made this for the first time. I used two standard boxes of Rice-a-Roni ( instead ofyellow rice) and added a standard can of diced tomatoes w/ chilis. My family loved it.

    1. 5 stars
      My fam and I love this! Thanks, Christy.

      P.S. I need a new 6 quart crockpot. Any suggestion? I ‘d like a programmable one

    2. I have a thing about canned corn – can’t eat it for love or money. Green chiles and hominy instead sounds YUMMY though.

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