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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Recipe
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
- â…“ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups broccoli chopped
- 1 ¼ 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 â…” 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.
Nutrition
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.
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:
Nicolle Banks
I followed recipe and it has great flavor but my rice is crunchy! Do I cook it longer?
Karen
Really tasty for the whole family. My youngest has a really time with cheese substitutes so we omitted that and it was still so yummy. I might add some extra veggies and spices for flavour next time but honestly, it’s great as is.
Amy
Hi
I didn’t see in the directions when to add the rice. Would I put it in with everything at the start of the recipe?
Kathryn
I’m not supposed to eat broccoli so I think I’d add frozen peas instead. You would still have the green color and I think it would taste good.
Trish
Delicious! I used brown rice and full fat dairy cheddar. It was definitely a hit and so easy to make.
Kelly B.
This is our family’s FAVORITE chicken recipe!!! We make it at least once a week and never have left overs!! Thank you
Kelly Roenicke
Yay! So happy to hear that, thank you for sharing!