Lazy Slow Cooker Chicken Broccoli & Rice

Slow cooker chicken broccoli and rice is the crockpot version of a timeless favorite. Tender chicken, chewy brown rice and broccoli florets altogether in an amazingly cheesy sauce. This is one of those crock pot meals your whole family will love.

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finished dish in a round blue bowl with cheese melted on top

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📝Shopping list
🥣Instructions
🍽Serving suggestions
Storing leftovers
😉Hints & hacks
❓FAQ's
📖 Recipe

Sometimes you just need comfort food. For some that means soup, for others it is pasta (for me it is dessert!). But, for a ton of people, it is a slow cooker meal like this one.

Whether you consider this comfort food, or just plain awesome, the good news is that it is easy to make. And, of course, it is easy to eat!

📝Shopping list

All ingredients prior to cooking with lables

To make this delicious chicken dish, you will need:

Chicken - boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
Brown rice - this recipe will not work property with white rice or minute rice.
Broccoli - cut into bite sized florets and steamed for 1 minute in the microwave. I have not made this using frozen broccoli, but if you choose too, I would cook it according to the package instructions and add it in at the end.
Onion powder
Garlic - minced, you can substitute garlic powder, if you like
Dijon mustard
Chicken broth - you can purchase this in a carton or make your own
Sour cream - I used reduced fat but full fat would work as well
Shredded cheddar cheese - I buy it already shredded, but if you shred by hand, it will melt better
Shredded Colby Jack cheese - same as above
Cream cheese - I use full fat, but reduced fat or Neufchatel cheese would work here as well

See recipe card for quantities.

🥣Instructions

Add rice, broth and all spices to slow cooker. Top with chicken and stir to mix. Cover and cook on HIGH. It is important to cook on high so the rice and chicken will be finished in the same timeframe. Low does not work (trust me, I have tried it several times!!).

Since every slow cooker is different, after about 3.5 hours, check on your dish to see how it is progressing. You will know that your dish is done cooking when:

chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165ºF on a meat thermometer, AND
ALL of the liquid has been absorbed AND
the grains of rice are soft and chewy (no crunch).

All three of these must be achieved for this dish to be considered ready for the next step. The first time you make this, I suggest checking every 20 minutes or so during the last hour of cooking. You may need extra time in the cooking process.

chicken dish toward end of cooking adding cream cheese

After 1, 2 and 3 above have been verified, add in all of the Colby Jack cheese, ½ of the cheddar cheese, cream cheese and sour cream to make a creamy sauce. Cover and allow all to melt. Once melted, stir in broccoli, top with remaining cheese and cover again until melted.

Hint: Once the cheese on top has melted, remove your slow cooker insert from the heating element. If this dish continues to cook, the rice may get too mushy.

🍽Serving suggestions

This is one of those slow cooker recipes that is a full meal on its own! It is however, delicious paired with a side dish such as zucchini and squash parmesan or eggplant bake. I also love to serve it with a loaf of crusty bread and a side salad.

Storing leftovers

There is a good chance you wont have any leftovers of this delicious rice casserole recipe. If you do, store them in meal sized, airtight containers or bags. It will be delicious for the next day or two.

If you would like to store longer, it can be frozen. However, leftovers may get a little mushy when reheated. It is best to let your dish defrost in the refrigerator and use a microwave to reheat. This will make for a delicious meal encore. Leftovers are one of my absolute favorites to serve on busy weeknights.

😉Hints & hacks

If you want to be super lazy, you can buy your chicken already cut into bite sized pieces
You can also buy pre-cut and washed broccoli. However, I always wind up washing mine and often cutting the broccoli into smaller pieces. So, I still can't decide if it is worth it.
If you don't want to cook the broccoli separately, you can add uncooked broccoli in to the chicken mixture about 45 minutes prior to serving.
If you are concerned about watching the rice carefully, you can cook it separately either stove top or in a rice cooker. Using this method, you would add it into your slow cooker along with the dairy ingredients. Alternatively, you can serve the cheesy chicken and broccoli mixture on top of the rice.
In accordance with #4, this is GREAT dish for using leftover rice!
This slow cooker chicken broccoli and rice recipe is SUPER creamy. If you prefer it slightly less creamy, you can cut the cream cheese in half.
Slow cooker liners are an optional but helpful hack whenever using a crockpot. They allow you to cook with little to no cleanup. I like to buy mine in bulk for a better per-piece price.
In the market for a new slow cooker? I love my new one!!

❓FAQ's

Are you sure I can use raw chicken in this slow cooker chicken broccoli and rice recipe? I thought chicken has to be cooked before you can put it in the crockpot.

Yes! Raw chicken can be safely cooked in a slow cooker. Use a meat thermometer for confirmation that chicken is safe to eat. According to the FDA, chicken is safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Can I keep this on warm until our family dinner time?

The only thing that takes some getting used to with this dish is that it can get mushy if you leave it on warm for too long. It should be served shortly after is it cooked.

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