Quick, easy, and extremely cheesy. This high-protein cheesy chicken and rice crockpot recipe is bound to become one of your family's favorite staples.
Cheesy chicken and rice
Chicken and rice are found in countries all over the world as staples in many different cultures. There is a reason for all of that popularity! This combination is the perfect blank slate for endless combinations of spices, flavors, and consistencies.
This cheesy chicken and rice crockpot recipe takes your favorite queso and turns it into a full-on meal. It is so easy to throw it together, add some broth and green salsa to reach the perfect texture, and you're on your way to dinner (and lunches/dinners for the week, if you meal prep)!
Cheesy chicken and rice crockpot recipe
This recipe is amazing because you can throw it all in the crockpot and forget about it until dinner time. If you are super busy with kids, work, just life in general—this is especially for you! Most kids tend to like food that is super cheesy, and this recipe definitely fits that bill. This recipe is super high in protein and will leave you feeling full. For this reason, it's a perfect dish to add into your meal prep plans for the week.
This recipe works as the main course of your dinner, or an accessory in a larger idea like a taco night. You could easily add a side vegetable or eat this on top of lettuce to add some green into your meal!
Cheesy chicken and rice ingredients
Simple ingredients you probably already have around your house:
- chicken breast
- green salsa
- green chiles
- queso
- low sodium chicken broth
- instant rice
- serve with: cilantro chips, cheese, tortillas, avocado, etc.
Cheesy chicken and rice substitution ideas
- Salsa: You don't have to use a green salsa. You could use whatever you already have at home, or your family's favorite salsa.
- Green chiles: Green chilies are definitely going to add some spice and flavor, but if you aren't one for a little heat, you can opt to leave these out.
- Queso: I used medium queso blanco from my local grocery store, but you could use whatever queso you like best.
How to make crockpot cheesy chicken and rice
Here are the simple steps to follow:
- Gather ingredients.
- Add chicken breast, salsa, and chicken broth to a slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 4 hours.
- Shred chicken and place back into the slow cooker. Cut the heat of the slow cooker to warm.
- Add instant rice to slow cooker and cook for about 10 mins.
- Stir in queso and let warm for about 10 more minutes.
- Serve with tortillas, cilantro, chips, cheese, avocado, or whatever you want!
What's the difference between a slow cooker and a crockpot?
Believe or not there are differences between a slow cooker and a crockpot! A crockpot is a type of slow cooker and is actually the brand name of a type of slow cooker that came out in the 1970s. So, all crockpots are slow cookers but not all slow cookers are crockpots.
Think of it like a Kleenex or Band-Aid type situation. Both of those are brand names that have become so popular, we use it to describe an entire category of item - tissues and bandages.
How to store cheesy chicken and rice
Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This is a great recipe to use for meal prep due to the fact it makes such a large batch and is easy to divide.
See these other great recipes to consider adding to your meal prep rotation:
How to reheat this recipe
You can reheat the cheesy chicken and rice in the microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on how hot you'd like your leftovers.
This recipe is so quick and easy to make, and reheats very well. Eating this as leftovers is not going to change the taste or texture of the meal.
How to serve cheesy chicken and rice
There are quite a few ways to serve and top this recipe. We enjoy eating with tortillas and refried beans. You could also serve it with a side of chips and salsa. This recipe stands well on its own too if you'd prefer that.
As far as toppings go, I recommend avocado or cilantro. You can't go wrong with extra shredded cheese, salsa, or sour cream.
How to meal prep this recipe
Make the cheesy chicken and rice according to instructions. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can split into 6 containers (one serving each) or store in a big container and serve as needed.
I can't overemphasize how perfect this recipe is for meal prep. It's high protein, so quick and easy, and delicious after reheating.
How do I shred a chicken breast?
This depends on how much chicken you're making. For small recipes, I'll pull the chicken out onto a baking sheet or into a large bowl and shred it with forks.
If you're making a larger batch of chicken, it's possible to shred it using your stand mixer. Yes, I'm serious—I do it all the time! You still might want to go in stages so as not to overwhelm your KitchenAid.
If you love slow cooking
Try out these other quick, easy, and high protein recipes:
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Crockpot
Equipment
- crockpot
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken breast boneless skinless
- 16 oz green salsa whatever spice level
- 4 oz green chiles
- 1 jar queso
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups instant rice
- serve with: cilantro, chips, cheese, tortillas, avocado, etc.
Instructions
- Gather ingredients.
- Add chicken breast, salsa, green chiles, and chicken broth to a slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 4 hours.
- Shred chicken and place back into the slow cooker. Cut the heat of the slow cooker to warm.
- Add instant rice to slow cooker and cook for about 10 mins.
- Stir in queso and let warm for about 10 more minutes.
- Serve with tortillas, cilantro, chips, cheese, avocado, or whatever you want!
Fan of Jordo’s says
I liked it but my husband didn’t like it at all. Maybe he doesn’t like salsa verde though. He said it was sour so it could be the salsa’s fault. Super simple recipe to make. Had to sit a bit to get to the thickness of the photo on the recipe. My grown daughter and her boyfriend ate the leftovers 30 minutes later than my husband and raved about it.
Taylor says
Tried this one out for lunch prep this week and it’s a 10/10. Easily customizable for your own personal preference, makes enough to feed an army, and is packed with flavor and protein!
Kim says
Made this recipe last night. I actually used 1/2 of all ingredients to make 3 portions for the rest of the week. It was so easy and delicious.
Kathy L says
This was amazing!! Love the quantity it made and the taste was delicious! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!!
Kelly says
Is the rice cooked before putting it in the crockpot?
Jordan Smith says
Hi Kelly, you add the rice into the crockpot uncooked. After being in the crockpot for 10 minutes it will be cooked. Enjoy!
Olivia says
Made this in the instant pop. SUPER EASY! We are a family of 6 and this was a hit! Served with chips made from Joseph lavash flatbread.
Beth says
Made this last night and everyone loved it. I love that there are left overs for lunch as well. Can you let me know what service size the nutrition facts are based on?
Jordan Smith says
So glad to hear everyone loved it! The leftovers reheat well! The recipe makes 6 servings so the nutrition facts are for 1 of those 6 servings.
Josi says
Can you tell me what the exact serving size is for 1 serving? Thank you!
Jordan Smith says
Hi Josi, the recipe makes 6 servings so 1 serving is 1/6 of the recipe. To determine what 1 serving is for your dish, you can either estimate by separating into what looks like 6 equal servings. OR for a more precise calculation, you can weigh the entire recipe and divide by 6 (the number of servings) — the number you get will be the weight for 1 serving. Hope that helps!
Michele says
Can I use frozen chicken breasts for this meal?
Jordan Smith says
Hi Michele, adding frozen chicken breast to a crockpot is a debated topic on the internet! Some people say it's totally fine to put frozen chicken breast in and others say don't use frozen chicken. Either way, my recommendation is that you should follow USDA guidelines for temperature and food safety.
Sherri says
This was so so good and reheated perfectly throughout the week. My husband sat at the table and told me he knew he needed to stop eating, but this was so so good!
Simple food lover says
Do you think this is fine to freeze and reheat later?
Jordan Smith says
Hi, yes, this recipe would be good to freeze. I recommend letting it cool after cooking before transferring to a freezer-safe container.
Aimee says
This is one of my favorite recipes!!! Super easy to make!!! Can dress it up however you want to with all of the toppings. 1.5 year old grandson loves it!!!! My sister visited with her 4 children and I made it for her. They loved it so much they took the recipe home with them and the kids usually have two helpings!!!!
Jordan Smith says
Hi Aimee, what a compliment!! I'm so glad to hear you and your grandkids love this recipe. It's a family favorite for sure!
Morgan says
This was so easy and so satisfying! I put the mixture on tostadas with some avocado for dinner and had it with a southwestern salad kit for lunch the next day. So versatile for a variety of meals.
Betsy says
This recipe was great and reminded me of my mom’s recipe. I’m just disappointed you didn’t give us the serving size in grams like you do with most of your recipes. I use your recipes because they are macro friendly and I’m not going to piece it out into six servings because I’ll use it for meal prep but also my kids want to eat it for leftovers.
Jordan Smith says
Hi Betsy, so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! The weight on a recipe like this can change according to the specific ingredients used, cook time, etc. One easy weigh to calculate the grams per serving that'll be accurate for when you make the recipe is to weigh the entire crock pot of cooked chicken and rice when it's finished cooking. Then subtract the weight of the empty crock pot. You'll take that number and divide by 6 and that'll give you the weight per serving. You can then store the recipe however you like, kiddos can eat leftovers, and you'll be able to weigh out the portion for the macros listed. I hope that helps!
Megan says
This is good! But I think ext time I’ll cook the rice outside of the recipe. I always end ip with my rice not cooked.
Jordan Smith says
Hey Megan, did you use instant rice? That's what I use for this recipe as it has a short cook time. If you used regular rice, you would need to cook for a longer amount of time to ensure it cooks all the way. Regardless, cooking outside of the crockpot and adding in works too!