Crock Pot Whole Chicken and Rice Dinner
53 Comments
Posted: 10/10/20
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Whole Chicken and Rice in the Slow Cooker Flavored with Onions and Spices! This Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Dinner is a win! You can’t Go Wrong with this Meal in the Crock Pot!
This Crock Pot Chicken and Rice dinner is both effective in the summer, and one that will provide great sustenance during the school year. You really can’t go wrong with it.
The end result is a juicy whole chicken perfectly seasoned and slow cooked along with cheesy rice. For me this is a comfort food that my entire family loves and I do too because it’s so easy!
I am talking about whole chicken and rice in the slow cooker. Yes, rice can be cooked in the slow cooker and it yields great results just make sure to follow the cook times recommended in the recipe or your rice will turn mushy.
Contents
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Why this Recipe Works:
- Whole chickens are often times on sale and make an inexpensive meal.
- Everyone is happy because they can pick their favorite cut of chicken to eat!
- Pair this easy dinner that’s ready when you come home with steamed or roasted vegetables for a quick and easy dinner.
Have an Instant Pot? You might like my IP Chicken and Rice!
Ingredients Needed
- Whole Chicken – About 3 lbs
- Spices – Dried Oregano, garlic powder, cayenne powder, salt and pepper give this dish a delicious flavor.
- Condensed Soup – We used cream of chicken and cream of cheddar soup for a cheesy rice, but you could use all cream of chicken soup.
- Instant Rice – Either white or brown rice will work. Make sure it’s instant and not long grain rice.
- Chicken Broth – I recommend a low-sodium broth.
- Onion – Grab frozen diced onions to save time.
Steps to Prepare
- First step is to combine all the sauce and rice ingredients in your slow cooker.
- Next you’ll want to place your whole chicken on top of the sauce and rice and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne and oregano.
- Throw the cover on your crock pot and turn it to low for 4-5 hours or until chicken reaches 160 degrees F. I highly recommend this crock pot with a temperature probe so you will know exactly when the chicken gets to 160 degrees F.
- If you want a crispy skin remove the chicken from the crock pot and place onto a pan. Throw it under the broiler in your oven for a few minutes until the skin is chicken!
Expert Tips
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- Use Instant Rice. Like I said I have grown up and use long grain rice most of the time, but with this recipe I went back to instant rice. You will need to use this for the correct cooking times. You can use instant brown rice, but that’s as much as you want to change up things!
- Broil at the End. If you want to achieve a crisp chicken skin you will want to remove the whole chicken from the crock pot at the end of the cooking time and pop it under the broiler. The crock pot will not give you a crisp skin. Totally optional.
- Add More Vegetables. I stuck to onions with my rice but you can easy add carrots, peas, celery etc. to beef up your vegetable intake!
Have leftovers? You can use the chicken to make my Easy Chicken Salad!
More Crock Pot Dinners
- Who says stuffing is just for Thanksgiving? This Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing is the perfect meal for busy nights.
- Tender, fall apart roast in the Crock Pot that’s flavored with Balsamic! Balsamic Crock Pot Roast is a delicious flavor twist on your normal roast recipe.
- A family favorite recipe that is always gone is this easy Crockpot Italian Chicken.
WATCH THE STEP BY STEP VIDEO FOR THIS RECIPE BELOW:
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Did you try this recipe and love it? I’d love it if you’d give it a rating below and comment.
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Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Crock Pot Chicken and Rice
A whole chicken with cheesy rice that's cooked in your slow cooker for an easy dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, any inside parts removed
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
- Salt and Pepper
Sauce and Rice:
- 2 (10 oz each) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 (10 oz) can condensed cream of cheddar soup (or another can of cream of chicken soup)
- 2 c. instant rice
- 1 c. chicken broth
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 medium sized onion, diced
Instructions
- Combine all the sauce and rice ingredients into a 6-quart slow cooker. Mix until combined. Place whole chicken on top and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, and oregano.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until chicken reaches 160F.
- If desired, move chicken to an over safe pan and broil chicken until skin is nice and crispy.
Tips
- Use Instant Rice. Like I said I have grown up and use long grain rice most of the time, but with this recipe I went back to instant rice. You will need to use this for the correct cooking times. You can use instant brown rice, but that’s as much as you want to change up things!
- Broil at the End. If you want to achieve a crisp chicken skin you will want to remove the whole chicken from the crock pot at the end of the cooking time and pop it under the broiler. The crock pot will not give you a crisp skin. Totally optional.
- Add More Vegetables. I stuck to onions with my rice but you can easy add carrots, peas, celery etc. to beef up your vegetable intake!
Video
Nutrition Information
Calories: 583kcal (29%), Carbohydrates: 67g (22%), Protein: 30g (60%), Fat: 19g (29%), Saturated Fat: 5g (31%), Cholesterol: 95mg (32%), Sodium: 241mg (10%), Potassium: 319mg (9%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Vitamin A: 210IU (4%), Vitamin C: 6.2mg (8%), Calcium: 41mg (4%), Iron: 6.3mg (35%)
Marcia says
Can you use just chicken breast instead of whole chicken?
Julie Evink says
Your chicken breasts will cook faster so it might be over done by the end of the cooking period.
Sheila says
How long would you bake this in a conventional oven and at what temperature??
Thanks!
Julie Evink says
Hey Sheila! I’ve never tested the recipe like this so I can’t answer the question. I would look for a recipe that is made in the oven 🙂
Dawn says
Look for no peek chicken it’s really good and baked.
Christine says
The crockpot doesn’t work well for us. Do you think it could be cooked in the oven.
Julie Evink says
Hey Christine! Unfortunately I’ve never tested it in the oven!
Angie says
Hi,
Whenever I cook a whole chicken in my crockpot it leaves a ton of liquid. I’m not sure about putting rice at the bottom? I’m not sure if I’m missing something or the recipe calls for a different appliance.
Julie Evink says
Nope it should work! That’s how we tested the recipe. The rice will soak some of that up as it cooks.
Debbie says
Should I spray the interior of the slow cooker?
Julie Evink says
Doesn’t hurt!
Jeanne-Rita says
Can I put the chicken in frozen and if so what adjustments do I have to make? Does the Nutrition Facts say this is over 1400 calories per serving?
Julie Evink says
I would not recommend putting it in frozen because the chicken would not come up to a safe temperature quick enough to prevent bacteria from possibly being present and causing a food borne illness 🙁
Shannon Labelle says
There is no way you use instant rice for 4 hours in a crock pot,should of went with my instincts there did not turn out at all!
LeSann Corrie Oglethorpe says
I cooked this for our Sunday dinner…I used 2 cups raw brown rice. I used the chicken soup and broth but the 3rd soup I used Cream of Mushroom and added some sliced fresh mushrooms. I probably tripled or it may have been even more of the seasoning on the chicken. I added some water, about 2/3 of a soup can, because I was using raw brown rice and I was afraid that it wouldn’t have enough moisture to get it done. That was not a good decision. It would have been fine without the water and with only 2 cans of soup. The chicken cooked perfect..even with the added seasoning it was mildly flavored. The rice was bland and could have used some more oregano or even basil would have been good.. It cooked longer than it needed so the rice was overcooked and mushy. There was too much gravy/sauce.
Amy says
Has anyone tried this when they’re gone all day? I’m away working during the day so would need to leave the chicken on low for at least 9 hours….I wonder if I could try putting the chicken in frozen? Any ideas?
Sherry says
I’m hardly ever home when slow cooker is on and have never had problems. You might want a cooker that turns to keep warm automatically if you won’t be home in time though.
Lindsey says
I cooked this on high for 4 hours, and added regular white rice in after two hours.
Jeanne says
If using a 6lb chicken, do you think its a good idea to marinate the chicken overnight with the spices and put it in the slow cooker for around 4 hours, drain the juices & for the last 4 hours do as the recipe says?
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
Hey, Jeanne. I’ve never cooked this recipe with a larger chicken, but your idea sounds like it should work! If the chicken cooks faster than expected, you could take it out and allow the rice to finish cooking on its own while the meat rests.
Peterson says
What do you do with the marjoram?
Kacey Joanette says
Hi there,
The recipe does not call for marjoram 🙂
Jenny says
Can you use brown rice that is not instant in this recipe or do you think it would not cook? We try to stay away from white instant rice, although it is yummy!
Kacey Joanette says
Sorry, Jenny, I just saw this comment! I have heard of people using regular rice in the slow cooker with no issues (my husband cannot eat white rice either so we stick to brown.) My only concern would be cook time. There are some slow cooker rice recipes online that may be able to help (sorry I was not able to answer your question.)
Christine says
Did u try this? I dont buy instant rice i only have non-instant white rice
Julie Evink says
Yes I might add a little more liquid and you might have to cook it a little longer!
Staci says
Chicken never fully cooked! Followed instructions but whole top of bird was raw. Transferred to oven and finished there. What went wrong??
Kacey Joanette says
I am really sorry to hear that, Staci! Did the chicken weigh more than 4 lbs? I cook whole chickens in the slow cooker all the time so I honestly don’t know what happened 🙁
Danielle | The Creative Bite says
Wow, this looks like a spectacularly easy and delicious meal the whole family would love!