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.
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 crockpot, crockpot cashew chicken, and crockpot chili.
Alright, let’s get cooking!
Recipe Ingredients
- Yellow rice
- Cream of chicken soup (homemade cream of chicken soup recipe here)
- Whole kernel corn
- Yellow onion
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Cheesy Chicken and Rice in the Crockpot
Place your chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker (spray with first if needed).
Chop up the onion and toss it on top as well.
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.
When it is done cooking, it’ll look a little like this.
Now… it’s not cheesy chicken and rice without cheese and rice!
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!
Stir all of that up and give it a few minutes to get all heated and warm (this won’t take long).
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 you like, such as long-grain white rice, quinoa, wild rice, or .
- 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 and with a side salad or vegetables. Here are some suggestions:
- Boiled squash
- Fresh green beans
- Zucchini and squash
- Broccoli salad with bacon and raisins
- Roasted asparagus
- Candied carrots
- Collard greens with hot pepper sauce
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
Chicken Kabobs Recipe In The Oven
Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
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
“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today.
It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”
~Charles Schultz.
This sounds so delicious! I recently got an electric pressure cooker and was wondering if it could be cooked in that appliance instead of a slow cooker? I’m looking forward to making it – using whichever method works the best!
Hey there, Christy!
I’ve been following and reading your blog for a couple years now (sorry it took me so long to say hey and leave a comment!)
Not one of your recipes has ever failed me (even with all the adjustments I make 😉 but I’ve been wondering- do you have any good substitutes for cream soup? I’ve recently been diagnosed with Celiac’s and I just can’t seem to find any that’s gluten free! As well as most broths and bullion cause I figured sour cream or mayo mixed with one of those things would make a good substitute but I am at a loss. Why does broth need gluten? Shouldn’t it just be BROTH?
My family and I LOVE casseroles (and that’s putting it mildly) especially ones in the crock pot. I’ve been able to swap out different things and make it work but nothing and I mean NOTHING beats the convenience of a can of cream soup!
Do you have any recommendations? Ideas? Places to point me in the right direction? I would greatly appreciate any and all advice!
Thank you for sharing your stories and fantastic recipes!
LeighAnn Eva
Hey LeighAnn!!! Thank you for your kind words, you made my day! I sure do feel for you, Celiac is nothing to shake a stick at but now that you have a diagnosis I hope there are pain free days ahead! Do you happen to have a copy of my second book, Come Home to Supper? There are homemade cream soup recipes in there that mix up in just a couple of minutes so they are almost as convenient as opening a can. They call for flour but you could use a little cornstarch instead. Another great alternative, and I know this sounds strange and foreign, is this powdered root called Glucomanan. You can buy it in a medicine looking bottle on Amazon and 1/2 a teaspoon will thicken up soups and sauces like nobody’s business!!! You can use that in my homemade recipe as well. Also, there are a lot of gluten free recipes on Southern Plate, you just gotta dig them up. I’d start with Monster cookies though!!!
Gratefully,
CJ@SOUTHERNPLATE.COM
Hi ladies! Thank you – I have gluten intolerance and I had the same question. Christy – is there a certain amount of corn starch to use? Thanks! 🙂
It doesn’t take much. I always start with a tablespoon or two, stir that in and heat it until thickened and see if I need more from there. You should check out the Glucomannan powder though, that stuff is amazing. Literally a teaspoon and you have a thickened soup. I’m not entirely sure I’m spelling it right though 🙂
Thanks – I will try that 🙂
My granddaughter was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease so we are joining the gluten free crowd and I am re-learning how to cook. Unfortunately, there is gluten in the Cream of Chicken (and the rest of the Cream Of..**** as well). I’ve made gluten free cream of chicken soup, but that’s actually soup and since you don’t add water to your recipe, I’m concerned there will be too much liquid. I would love to be able to make this because it’s one of her favorite meals. Any suggestions?
You can absolutely make this with soup made from scratch. I have a homemade recipe for it in my second book that I use from time to time as well. It will add a wee bit more liquid but that won’t be a problem with this recipe. I’m so glad she got her diagnoses! I imagine there will be a lot less pain moving forward now that y’all know. What a wonderful and loving grandmother she is blessed with!!
campbell’s now has a gluten free version. i saw it in the store the other night. 🙂
I saw this recipe on Pinterest and I was so excited to try it. It was just ok :/ I used the exact recipe it called for but I thought it was very bland. My fiancé thought the same thing. I don’t know where you taste the spices from the box of yellow zatarain’s rice because I bought the same thing, cooked it according to directions and it was still very bland. I even added two cans of super sweet corn and it still didn’t make any difference. I agree with other comments about adding broccoli. Maybe I will add that next time along with seasonings. I’m the one who follows the recipe to a “T” and make notes for adjustments for next time I make it. Thank you for a basic recipe but next time I will add seasonings to this.
Hi Nicki, so sorry this was too bland for your tastes. That is the thing with tastebuds, everyone’s are different. Hopefully you can try it again with some added seasonings to suit you.
I just made this the other day. Huge hit here in our house! I did use a heavy hand with salt and pepper, and added some thyme and sage. Not bland at all with the added seasonings. Came out great…Will make again!
I am so glad you liked it Todd!!
Curious if water is needed to be added to the soup? We omitted onions so it’s just chicken and soup. We are excited to try this meal. Thank you!
Hi Kasi, no water is needed!
To the person asking about cream cheese chicken, I make something like that. I got the recipe from my sister who got it from a friend. You take 3-4 chicken breasts, one of those Italian dressing packets and sprinkle that over your chicken in the crockpot. Add I think its like a half cup of water and cook the chicken on high for 3-4 hours. Then shred your chicken. Add two cans of cream of chicken and a block of cream cheese. I break the cream cheese up into small pieces as I ad it so it will stir up better. Stir all of this together. Serve this over pasta of your choice. I usually use shorter pasta like pene or rigatoni. It is really yummy and great to serve company. Hope this helps.
can this recipe be frozen after prepared and cooked?
It sure can!!!
how would you recommend warming it up from being frozen solid? thawed?
If not serving fresh, it’s best to thaw it in the fridge overnight and then warm it, covered, in the microwave so it doesn’t overcook in the oven. You can warm it on the stovetop or oven but you’ll need to watch it and possibly add a little milk to prevent it drying.