Are you tired of the same old chicken curry and craving a delightful new chicken recipe to tantalize your taste buds? We got your back with our latest chicken and rice crockpot recipe.
The culinary delight will top your favorite chicken dishes with its flavors and nutritional goodness. Look nowhere now; our recipe will surely entice your taste buds like never before. Be ready to amaze with its mind-boggling taste.
It will impress everyone, whether at a family dinner or a friend gathering. So why wait any longer? Let’s quickly dive in with our crockpot chicken rice recipe.
Nutritionally Enriched Flavored Chicken
The chicken and rice crockpot recipe is an easy one-pot recipe that is healthy, creamy, and citrusy. It’s a family favorite dish ready to be served any time of day or year. The dish with all its ingredients is of nutritional importance.
It can be enjoyed by everyone from kids to oldies in the house—the tender and delectable chicken pairs well with the fluffy rice, creating a comforting and satisfying meal.
Must-Have Ingredients and Kitchen Essentials
Hold on! We know you’re eager to get started with the cooking process, but for sure, you wouldn’t want to regret later on that you missed out on an ingredient.
Therefore, preparing for tools and ingredients beforehand ensures better results, alongside efficiency, organization, and time management. For your ease, we have listed down all the necessary ingredients and tools below:
Ingredients Required
Item Name | Amount Required |
2 lbs | |
2 cups | |
Onion | 1 large piece |
Cloves, Garlic (Both Minced) | 3 |
1 | |
1 | |
Tomatoes | 1 can |
1 cup | |
¼ cup | |
2 tablespoons | |
1 tablespoon | |
1 tablespoon | |
1 tablespoon | |
½ teaspoon | |
According to requirement | |
Cayenne Pepper (Optional) | 1/4teaspoon |
½ cup | |
½ cup | |
Parsley (For garnish) | ¼ cup |
Tools Required
Crockpot/ Slow Cooker | |
Cooking Steps for Chicken and Rice Crockpot Recipe
The step-by-step process demands your attention now that you have all the ingredients and tools. Preparing a crockpot chicken rice recipe mainly involves preparing and sauteing, simmering, final touches, and serving.
Step 1: Prepare and Saute
The Chicken and Rice crockpot recipe is prepared with chicken breasts or thighs. Cut them into bite-sized pieces with a sharp knife on a clean cutting board. This ensures it doesn’t soak any extra taste and is smooth. Now chop the onion into fine pieces and mince the garlic.
Once done with chopping and cutting, heat the skillet or any fry pan on medium flame. Add olive oil after the pan becomes a bit warm. Saute the chopped onions evenly until they turn translucent. Add the minced garlic and let the aroma infuse with the surrounding for a minute.
Finally, it’s time to add the chicken pieces to the skillet and fry them evenly until they turn light brown on all sides. This whole process also elevates the taste of chicken and onions, providing a nice base for cooking.
Cooking Tip: Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, minced garlic, and a pinch of olive oil for around 30 minutes before sauteing. This adds a delightful savory taste to the chicken pieces.
Step 2: Simmering
Now that you’re ready with the sauteed chicken, onions, and garlic, it’s time to cook the main ingredients of the chicken and rice crockpot recipe. Add the diced red and green bell peppers to the chicken in the crockpot. Now add the uncooked rice into the crockpot along with the diced tomatoes and their juice. This is the right time to add flavorful liquids. Pour the chicken broth and soy sauce in the right proportion. Sprinkle paprika, dried thyme, dried oregano, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper(optional) on the mixture.
Mix with the spatula, ensuring all the ingredients combine well. Place the crockpot lid and set the cooktop to low flame for 4-6 hours or 2-3 hours if on a high temperature. We suggest low flame as it allows the rice to infuse the flavors from the chicken and spices, making the chicken and rice crockpot recipe delectable.
Cooking Tip: Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. This will add a richer and more amazing taste to your crockpot chicken rice recipe.
Step 3: Final Touch and Serving
When the crockpot chicken rice cooks, prepare for the final touch. Approximately around 30 min before cooking, stir in the frozen peas and corn in the crockpot. This will boost the recipe’s nutritional content besides adding color and freshness.
Continue cooking till the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked completely. Once completed, remove the lid and fluff the chicken and rice mixture with a fork, ensuring the ingredients are evenly distributed. Congo! The palatable chicken and rice crockpot recipe is ready to be served.
Cooking Tip: Squeeze a pinch of lemon before serving. It elevates the taste with a zesty and refreshing sense while balancing the richness of chicken and rice.
Points to Adhere While Preparing Crock Pot Chicken Rice
Imagine, unaware of the cooking time, you prepare the chicken and rice crockpot recipe, but the final dish results in a fluffy and mashy texture. Your hopes will shatter, right? Therefore, knowing the important points while starting any recipe is better.
For your ease and to help you escape any such situation, we have listed all the points to consider while cooking crockpot chicken rice.
- Don’t forget to sear the chicken breasts before adding to the crockpot, as it ensures flavors are better infused, elevating the taste.
- Don’t overcook the chicken and rice; it’ll get fluffy and mushy. Go for the minimum time recommended and adjust accordingly if required.
- Use liquid in proportion with rice. Excess liquid can make your dish a soup, while little wouldn’t allow the rice to tender properly.
- Don’t add frozen peas and corn beforehand; it’ll make your chicken and rice crockpot recipe soft. Therefore, add them during the last 30 min of cooking, as advised above.
Alternative Ingredients for Chicken and Rice Crockpot Recipe
Having all the ingredients at hand is impossible, and running to the store every time is frustrating. So what? Miss out on the crockpot chicken rice recipe. Here is the list of items that can be used as an alternative, brightening up your hope again:
- Brown Rice: If you want to go healthier, use brown rice as a substitute for long white rice. It will add a nutty taste with more fiber and proteins to your chicken and rice crockpot recipe.
- Chicken Stock: An alternative to chicken broth. It provides almost the same test; you only need to simmer it for a long time.
- Coconut Aminos: Not completely, but it’s a good substitute for gluten-free soy sauce. It adds a sweet and savory flavor similar to soy sauce.
Serving Pattern
The ingredients used in preparing the chicken and rice crockpot recipe serve 6 people, perfect for a cozy family dinner or small gatherings. To ensure everyone gets a generous portion of crock pot chicken rice, serve approximately 1 heaping cup.
This amount ensures that everyone gets a satisfying serving of chicken, rice, and veggies. Relax; the mouth-watering dish will bring warmth and comfort to everyone gathered around the table. To elevate the dish taste, consider offering tomato cucumber salad as an accompaniment.
Calorie Count
The chicken and rice crockpot recipe with the abovementioned ingredients offers balanced nutrients to the body. On average, 1 cup of the dish is responsible for around 280-300 calories. The dish is rich in protein and a healthy dose of vitamins and fiber. Overall, the recipe’s nutritional content is good, allowing you to relish its delicacy on weekends or on vacation.
Conclusion
The Chicken and Rice Crockpot Recipe is a wonderful addition to your culinary delight, offering flavor and nutrition.
The steps and ingredients mentioned above will help you achieve the same. Moreover, you can customize the recipe to enhance the taste or match your taste preferences.
The dish is perfect for family dinners or small gatherings. Of course, the dish is time-consuming, but the flavors it provides compensate for all and make it stand out from other similar dishes.
Now that you have the recipe, go ahead and give it a try. Prepare, make, and enjoy every bite! Let us know in the comment section whether you enjoyed it. What was your guest’s opinion, and did you make any modifications during the cooking process?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Sauteing the Chicken and Onion Be Skipped Before Adding to the Crockpot?
Sauteing the chicken and onions before adding them to the crock pot helps elevate the dish’s taste. You can skip them, but the dish may taste slightly different without the initial browning process.
Is it Good to Use Different Rice in Chicken and Rice Crockpot Recipes?
Absolutely ‘YES.’ You can use brown rice as a healthier option, but remember to adjust the cooking time and rice-to-liquid ratio accordingly because different rice requires different cooking times.
Can I Cook Crock Pot Chicken Rice on High Heat for a Short Duration?
It’s possible, but cooking on a low flame helps the flavors to meld better, resulting in an evenly cooked taste. Also, low flame ensures the tenderness of the chicken alongside fully cooked rice. Monitor the dish closely when on high flame to avoid overcooking.
Can I Add Additional Vegetables to the Crock Pot Chicken Rice?
You can customize the recipe with your favorite vegetables like carrots, broccoli, etc. All you need to take care of is that all are chopped into bite-sized pieces for even cooking.
