An easy recipe for cheesy broccoli chicken rice made in the slow cooker. Family friendly comfort food that’s sure to please!
Who’s in the mood for some comfort food?
This cold weather had me wanting something cheesy and comforting, and I didn’t want to exert any effort. Don’t you love it when you can make a tasty dish that’s allergy friendly, simple, and it requires very little effort? This is that kind of dish.
Chicken with broccoli is always a favorite combination, and with the addition of cheese, this is just perfect. This cheesy broccoli chicken rice is so easy, and very comforting. It’s filling, tasty, creamy, and cheesy. Be sure to add the broccoli at the very end so that it retains its nutrients and doesn’t turn to mush.
This is a recipe that the whole family will love! And it’s naturally gluten free, and easily made dairy free with the addition of dairy free cheese.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Slow Cooker Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Rice.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts cut into large chunks
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic coarsely chopped
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice white or brown, your choice
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups broccoli chopped
- 1 1/4 cup Daiya dairy free cheddar cheese use regular cheese if you are not dairy free
Instructions
- Put the olive oil, chopped onion, and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken breast pieces, salt, pepper, and rice.
- Pour 2/3 of the container of broth on top. Stir.
- Put lid on the slow cooker and turn it on high. Cook for four hours on high.
- After two hours, check to make sure there is still enough liquid inside. If not, add some more warmed up broth.
- A half an hour before it is done, add the chopped broccoli and stir. Add more warm broth if needed.
- Cook for another half an hour until broccoli is bright green and tender.
Add the Daiya cheese and stir until melted. Season with more salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.
This cheesy broccoli chicken rice is perfect comfort food for those days when you just don’t feel like cooking, or don’t have the time.
My other favorite sweet potato recipe: this slow cooker sweet potato wild rice soup.
Since I cooked this on high, I did keep an eye on the liquid level in the pot.
At about two and a half or three hours in, I added some more broth. You should not add cold liquids to a hot crockpot, so you do need to microwave or warm up the broth on the stove before you add it to the crockpot.
I’ve been really happy with my Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker – it’s lasted very well for the past three years. As with any appliance, temperatures and cooking times may vary based on model, so my best advice is to keep an eye on the crockpot, add liquid as needed, and try not to overcook this dish.
If you choose to use a different rice – short grain, wild, etc., your cooking time will also vary, so keep that in mind. I used long grain white rice and it worked out well – it cooked up nicely but did not turn to mush.
This slow cooker cheesy broccoli chicken rice is:
- perfect for serving a crowd
- a great recipe for winter
- creamy and cheesy, even thought it’s dairy free
What’s your favorite slow cooker dish? I’d love to try some new recipes!
Follow along:
Delicious! I used brown rice and full fat dairy cheddar. It was definitely a hit and so easy to make.
This is our family’s FAVORITE chicken recipe!!! We make it at least once a week and never have left overs!! Thank you
Yay! So happy to hear that, thank you for sharing!
Is there a big taste difference with dairy free cheese? Trying to go dairy free, so I’m used to regular cheese.
Hi Jen! I personally LOVE cheese, but my boyfriend can’t really eat it. I use the Daiya “cheese” products in cooking and honestly don’t notice a difference! Daiya melts really well and has the same consistency as regular cheese. I’ve also found Aldi’s Earth Grown vegan shreds to be good in Italian dishes (if you have an Aldi near).
Thank you for this recipe Kelly! I’m going to make it for dinner tonight.
Thank you! I enjoyed this recipe.
I just made this for the first time and have to say it’s so delicious! I used brown rice, which got a little mushy, but because it did, it’s the closest thing to Panera ‘s Broccoli Cheddar Soup that I’ve ever had! Husband asked for second and both kids 8 & 12 ate it….and without too much grumbling :) First time using dairy free cheese too, and was pleasantly surprised! Thanks for recommendation of which cheese to use.
Any idea how to make this in the Instant Pot? Ever since I got the IP I havent useda slow cooker.
I don’t know – I don’t have an instant pot! Sorry!
Could I do this on the stovetop instead of in a slow cooker? Thanks!
Yes you can! Just start with cooking the rice the way you normally would. And I would boil the chicken separately. Then combine in one large pot, and add the other ingredients.
Trying to find a way to make this for a friend who just had a baby. Think I can do all the steps up until the broccoli and cheese. Then when I add those, put it in a baking dish, and let her bake when she’s ready to eat it?
Thanks!
Kelly: If I doubled the recipe for a pot luck dinner, how much longer should it cook?
Thanks
I’m not sure! That would be a lot of rice – I would just keep an eye on it – as long as you have a large enough slow cooker, I don’t know if the cooking time would be too much longer.
If I try it I’ll let you know! Thanks for the wonderful recipies!
It doesn’t say when you add the rice the broccoli cheesy rice recipe??
It’s there in step 2…add when you add the chicken.
Made this tonight and it turned out very yummy!! I read a comment below how it looked like “jail house food” hahaha and that was very true! But it was very good! Good comfort food. My young kids didn’t eat it just because of the way it looked (5 and 2) but that’s ok they’re picky anyways. Thanks for a great slow cooker meal :)
Glad you liked it! :) Thanks for letting me know!
I adds a can of Campbell’s cheddar cheese at the end with shredded cheese and it taste good.
I DO love that you put in links to the products you cite in your recipes and such. That is SO much easier that having to go hunting for them. I also Love that the text for comments is large enough to be read as one types. Too many sites have such teeny print in their content and comments that I have to copy and paste to notepad or Word to read and correct spelling in my comments before I can post them. Thank you for such considerate pages.. Good job!
I made this tonight and the flavor was great and it was simple to throw together. I ended up using the whole container of broth right away and never needed to add more liquid. I used mixed shredded cheddar cheese with mine and added extra salt and pepper at the end. The rice did turn out mushy (like the consistency of grits) but tasted great. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! So glad it worked for you!
My family and I found the rice to be way too mushy after 4 hours on high so I’m trying it today adding the rice after two hours of cooking. We loved the flavors so I’m hoping this works.
I would like to leave the rice out of the crock pot and make it on the side and layer the chicken mixture over the rice before serving. Any idea what the crockpot recipe would be then. I assume I would not need as much broth……
I don’t know, because I haven’t made it that way, but yes, I would reduce the broth by at least half I think…
I finally made this for my husband and the picky fellow loved it! My oldest daughter is still a skeptic, but only because she hates her food touching. Funny thing is, everything in here is her favorite, but she didn’t like that they were mixed together. Kids! We even skipped the onions and garlic in ours though, because my oldest doesn’t like them (and neither does my stomach, *sigh* ). However, because the hubby (and I) loved it so much, it is now going to be a new staple in our house. I think I ended up adding to much broth though, because the rice got kind of mushy, but that didn’t stop it from tasting awesome. Thanks for the great recipe.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know!
Kelly, I might have missed it above, but can you supply the nutritional info for this recipe (calories, sodium, protein, etc)? Thanks
There are a lot of nutrition calculators online, I am not able to supply the info at this time! Sorry about that.
Has anyone ever figured up the Weight Watchers Point Plus on this?
I’ve made this 4 or 5 times now. Never had any problems with it! Tonight I try it with penne instead of rice!
Thank you for sharing your success, Sarah! I appreciate it!
Mine also came out very mushy. It was like a polenta type dish for us, minus the grittyness. My family still loved and asked for seconds, but next time I will put the rice in for only an hour or possibly even 30-45 minutes. We used a long grain basmati rice, which normally takes 15 minutes to cook on the stove top. I was worried about slow cooking for 4 hours b/c of that and it was indeed an issue.
Thanks for letting me know! Could be the type of rice. I appreciate your feedback! :)
I’m planning to make this tomorrow. But I’m cooking for just me. Can you freeze leftovers??
Yes, you can freeze the leftovers, but the texture of the rice may change when you thaw it and reheat it.
I wonder if people are using minute rice and that’s why it is coming out mushy? I am trying it this week but cooking on low. :)
I’m not sure what the issue is, I suspect types of rice and maybe a variation in the temperatures of the slow cookers. Hope it works for you!
Hello! I tried your recipe and it was very good. It turned out mushy, thOugh. Followed instructions. What could i do to change that if i want it less mushy? Did not want to mix the cheese in out of fear of it being like mashed poTatos but i did layer it on top :) thanks
I don’t know what kind of rice you used, but maybe you could either cook it for less time, or try a firmer rice like a short grain brown rice. Hope that helps!
What calorie and nutritional information can you give me?
We’ve made this twice now exactly as written (with brown rice and white rice). It came out perfectly each time and even my 3 year old gobbled it up. It is one of my husband’s favorites too!
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know, Caryn! :)
Currently at 2 hours cooking and it looks like soup, should there be less liquid, the rice is still hard…..just want to make sure I didn’t add too much liquid. I added extra at the beginning of 4 hours because I put in 2 lbs of chicken and 1.5 cups rice
It definitely takes at least 4 hours…how did it turn out for you?
I’m goIng to make risotto on its own then add the chicken i n broccoli on top after, I coulD cook on low for 8 then. Correct?
Yes, that should be okay, but I would still check the liquid level!
This was delicious! Mine was definitely mush, though. My husband and I said we were eating what appeared to be jail-house food! But we both have to agree, we don’t think it tastes like jail-house food. It was so good! Comfort food, for sure. Thanks for the recipe :-)
Heehee, the jailhouse food remark made me giggle. So glad you enjoyed it!
Major OM NOMS!! This was ridiculously easy to make, and even worked well with a 1/2 thawed vidalia onion and mild white cheddar (I dumped the whole 1.5 cup bag in). Add a little herbamare on top of your bowl and you are set! New fav!! Thanks!!
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
Just started mine in the crock pot ( i have a jumbo sized crock, and tend to feed lots of people so i doubled it) I’m using a long grain wild rice, and I dont have any chicken breasts but am subbing boneless skinless chicken thighs, and we’re not dairy free but Im only adding half the cheese, I’ll let you know how it turns out!
I hope it turned out for you!
I followed the directions as written, but the rice still isn’t fully cooked. Any tips?
If I add more rice do you think I would have to double the other ingredients as well?
Yes, you would for sure need to double the liquid and whatever else you would want more of. But it already makes A LOT of rice, so I’m not sure if you double it that it will all fit in a crock pot…
When do I add the rice and can it be uncooked rice in the crock pot ?
Do you put the chicken in frozen or thawed?
Thanks for your question! Thawed chicken. It really isn’t safe to cook frozen meat in a slow cooker.
Do you put the rice in uncooked or cooked???
Uncooked! :)
Can I use frozen broccoli?
Yes, you can use frozen broccoli. I would still add it toward the end of the cooking time so it doesn’t turn to mush.
Definitely going to have to try this rice, Kelly! It looks so comforting for this time of year, and I love that it’s slow-cooked too!
I wanted to try to make this tonight… silly question though… should the chicken be cooked or uncooked when it goes in???
Uncooked chicken breasts…and I cut each one into a few pieces so it would cook evenly. Hope you like it! :)
I wonder if I could cook it on low for 8 hours? I’m afraid I’d forget to watch it if I cook it on high, or if I had to go out. This sounds a lot like a chicken divan recipe my mom made – minus the rice. I think it will be good for a change with the rice. I’ll put it on my next menu. :)
I think you could cook it on low, but I don’t know if it would take the full 8 hours or not. Just check the liquid level to make sure it doesn’t dry out. That’s my only worry when you do a crock pot recipe that has a lot of rice in it. I hope you guys like it! :)
that looks so easy and so good
Thank you! That’s what I was going for…I had zero energy that day! :)
If I can’t get the daiya cheese what can I use in place of it?
If you can eat dairy, just use regular cheddar cheese. If you can’t have dairy, you could leave it out, or try another dairy free cheese. I am not sure how that would work, though, the great thing about the Daiya brand is that it melts like dairy cheese does.
Broccoli and cheese go so well together! This soup sounds so warm and comforting. Beautiful pictures Kelly! I love that blue bowl : )
Thanks, Natalie! It was definitely a comforting meal!
YUM. My kids will love this cheesy yumminess! Thanks for the recipe, Kelly!
Ah yes, this looks so good! Love the classic broccoli and cheese combo and how you slow cooked it all. Delicious Kelly!
Thank you so much! :)