Get ready for an easy, family pleasing dinner recipe that's easy on the budget!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Cook it in on low or high depending on your schedule
- Even picky eaters love a cheesy rice dish
- Shorten the shopping list—this great recipe needs just 6 simple ingredients
Busy weeknights just got a whole lot better with this easy cheesy chicken and rice in the crockpot. No one can resist the aroma of the creamy sauce and tender chicken simmering all day—a simple dish that the whole family is sure to enjoy.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Cook boneless skinless chicken breasts, cream soup, and dry soup mix.
- Shred the chicken.
- Add the Velveeta and sour cream.
- Stir in cooked rice and serve!
You may also want to try this easy crockpot chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole.
🥫 Storage
Leftovers of this family favorite? No worries! Store extras in an airtight container for up to three days in the refrigerator.
To reheat the slow cooker cheesy chicken and rice, simply scoop it into a large bowl (microwave safe, of course) and heat in short increments, stirring occasionally, until warm.
This is one of my favorite recipes to freeze, too, because it comes out just as tasty as the day it went in! Spoon the leftovers into a freezer-safe container and it'll last for around three months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Add some additional liquid (a splash of milk, half and half, or heavy cream) to loosen the sauce if it's thickened too much in the microwave.
📖 Variations
- You can use boneless chicken thighs if you have 'em.
- Shave even more time off prep on busy nights by using your favorite instant rice or minute rice.
- You can also experiment with substitutes for white rice, like brown rice, quinoa, or wild rice. Whatever you like is fine!
- A can of cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup will work instead of the nacho cheese, but the end result won't taste as cheesy.
- Make this easy dinner into a complete meal by mixing in some frozen veggies after adding the cheese and sour cream. Corn, carrots, and broccoli florets are great options. (Or, use a bag of mixed vegetables!)
- Stir in fresh garlic or chopped mushrooms for more texture and flavor.
- Garnish with chopped green onions or some parsley.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Don't worry about cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces. The full chicken breasts will cook beautifully as is—no messy cutting is required. Don't ya just love an easy chicken recipe?
- Don't forget to cook the rice before mixing it into the creamy chicken. There isn't enough liquid in this recipe to handle uncooked rice.
- Use a rice cooker for perfect rice every time!
- You can cook your rice in low-sodium chicken broth (instead of water) to give it more flavor.
- Transfer the chicken breasts into a large mixing bowl for easy shredding.
- If you opt to shred the chicken while it's still in the crock pot, just be careful not to burn your hands or arms on the hot sides!
- Make a pulling motion with two forks to shred the chicken. Slow-cooker chicken shreds so easily, though, so it will take hardly any effort!
- Crock pot chicken spaghetti is a similar recipe if you happen to be out of rice.
- If you forgot to start the crockpot no worries! Try this one dish no peek chicken and rice casserole that's done in the oven.
👩🍳 FAQs
If you have cooked, leftover chicken, feel free to use it! However, instead of cooking the cheesy chicken and rice for hours in your crockpot, you'll just basically have to warm and mix all the ingredients together. (You can also use instant pot chicken in this same way to skip the slow cooking part.)
It's SO creamy. Flavor-wise, it's mild and pleasant—similar to American, Colby, or even mild cheddar cheese.
The dried onion soup mix is made from bouillon paste or flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, and some other spices. If you have a homemade version that you like to use, you can, but the packet makes prep ultra-quick and easy.
This cheesy chicken and rice recipe is specially made and timed for a slow cooker. I'd recommend this Mexican Casserole if you're looking for a yummy baked rice casserole recipe. (You can swap the beef for ground or cooked chicken!)
I've found it's easiest to store, freeze, and reheat extra large portions in one of those disposable aluminum foil casserole dishes. You can rewarm it in the oven until heated through. (This also makes a great meal to give to someone who is sick, a brand-new mom, etc.)
📚 Related recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas are cheesy, flavorful, full of your fave Tex-Mex toppings, and only take a few minutes of prep! Yee-haw!
- When you're craving a hearty, traditional meal, but don't have much time, try this Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings. The secret? Refrigerated biscuit dough makes delicious "dumplings" in a flash.
- Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole is the ultimate comfort food recipe. The buttery, crisp cracker topping is what Southern dreams are made of!
- We love how easy this creamy crockpot chicken spaghetti is!
🍽️ Serve with...
📞 The last word
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cheesy Crockpot Chicken and Rice
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
- 1 ounce Lipton's onion soup mix, or your favorite
- 10.75 oz condensed nacho cheese soup
- 1 ½ cups rice, any kind is fine
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 8 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
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Instructions
- Place chicken in the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle with onion soup mix.
- Top chicken with nacho soup.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- Using two forks, shred cooked chicken in the slow cooker.
- Stir in sour cream and Velveeta cheese.
- Cook rice according to package directions. This will be different for different types.
- Stir into shredded chicken and cook until cheese has melted.
Notes
- Don't forget to cook the rice before mixing it into the creamy chicken. There isn't enough liquid in this recipe to handle uncooked rice.
- Use a rice cooker for perfect rice every time!
- You can cook your rice in low-sodium chicken broth (instead of water) to give it more flavor.
- Transfer the chicken breasts into a large mixing bowl for easy shredding.
- If you opt to shred the chicken while it's still in the crock pot, just be careful not to burn your hands or arms on the hot sides!
- Make a pulling motion with two forks to shred the chicken. Slow-cooker chicken shreds so easily, though, so it will take hardly any effort!
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