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.
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Slow Cooker Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Rice.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ 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 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups broccoli chopped
- 1 ¼ cup Daiya dairy free cheddar cheese use regular cheese if you are not dairy free
Instructions
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Put the olive oil, chopped onion, and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker.
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Add the chicken breast pieces, salt, pepper, and rice.
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Pour ⅔ of the container of broth on top. Stir.
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Put lid on the slow cooker and turn it on high. Cook for four hours on high.
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After two hours, check to make sure there is still enough liquid inside. If not, add some more warmed up broth.
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A half an hour before it is done, add the chopped broccoli and stir. Add more warm broth if needed.
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Cook for another half an hour until broccoli is bright green and tender.
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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:
Caryn
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!
Kelly
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know, Caryn! :)
Noelle
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
Kelly
It definitely takes at least 4 hours…how did it turn out for you?
Shauna
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?
Kelly
Yes, that should be okay, but I would still check the liquid level!
Danielle
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 :-)
Kelly
Heehee, the jailhouse food remark made me giggle. So glad you enjoyed it!
graphitequill
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!!
Kelly
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
Catherine
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!
Kelly
I hope it turned out for you!
Laney
I followed the directions as written, but the rice still isn’t fully cooked. Any tips?
Hillary B
If I add more rice do you think I would have to double the other ingredients as well?
Kelly
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…
Brea
When do I add the rice and can it be uncooked rice in the crock pot ?
Lauren
Do you put the chicken in frozen or thawed?
Kelly
Thanks for your question! Thawed chicken. It really isn’t safe to cook frozen meat in a slow cooker.
Ashley
Do you put the rice in uncooked or cooked???
Kelly
Uncooked! :)
Anna
Can I use frozen broccoli?
Kelly
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.
Sarah H
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!
Jill Stokes Hartley
I wanted to try to make this tonight… silly question though… should the chicken be cooked or uncooked when it goes in???
Kelly
Uncooked chicken breasts…and I cut each one into a few pieces so it would cook evenly. Hope you like it! :)
Kathryn
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. :)
Kelly @ The Pretty Bee: Cooking + Creating
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! :)
jennifurla
that looks so easy and so good
Kelly
Thank you! That’s what I was going for…I had zero energy that day! :)
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If I can’t get the daiya cheese what can I use in place of it?
Kelly
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.
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
Broccoli and cheese go so well together! This soup sounds so warm and comforting. Beautiful pictures Kelly! I love that blue bowl : )
Kelly
Thanks, Natalie! It was definitely a comforting meal!
Kim @ 2justByou
YUM. My kids will love this cheesy yumminess! Thanks for the recipe, Kelly!
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes
Ah yes, this looks so good! Love the classic broccoli and cheese combo and how you slow cooked it all. Delicious Kelly!
Kelly
Thank you so much! :)