Crockpot Chicken and Rice Recipe - Dr.Axe

Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Recipe

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One of the most-used tools in my kitchen is the slow cooker. It’s the great cooking equalizer — even if you have no experience cooking, slow cooker chicken recipes allow you to just dump all the ingredients, let the pot do its magic and have a delicious meal ready several hours later. One of my favorite go-to recipes is this slow cooker chicken and rice.

Crockpot chicken and rice ingredients - Dr. Axe

A Healthier Chicken and Rice

Chicken and rice is super simple to make. This slow cooker recipe is pretty basic, so it’s great for picky eaters, but it’s also super flavorful and healthy. I always make chicken and rice with brown rice. White rice is a refined carbohydrate, which has no nutritional value. These types of carbs enter the bloodstream like sugar, triggering the release of insulin. What happens next is that your body converts the sugar into stored fat rather than energy.

Crockpot chicken and rice step 1 - Dr. Axe

Brown rice is a complex carbohydrate, so it resists immediate breakdown. Instead, the body breaks it down and converts the food into sugar over time. The two don’t taste significantly different, either, but brown rice is 1,000 times better for you.

Along with the chicken and rice, you’ll use chicken bone broth instead of plain old water. The bone broth is one of the best things you can consume for leaky gut, digestion issues and boosting the immune system, and it works perfectly in this crockpot chicken and rice.

How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice

If you’re ready to make this fool-proof chicken and rice, let’s get started.

Crockpot chicken and rice step 2 - Dr. Axe

Start by dicing both the onions and chicken.

Crockpot chicken and rice step 3 - Dr. Axe

I used boneless, skinless chicken breast here, but you could easily swap in boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.

Crockpot chicken and rice step 4 - Dr. Axe

Next, add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker.

Crockpot chicken and rice step 5 - Dr. Axe

Yes, that includes the cheese! This goat milk cheese will add a little extra flavor to this dish.

Crockpot chicken and rice step 6 - Dr. Axe

Finally, step away from the slow cooker. Go to the gym, get some work done, go shopping. When you return to the crockpot in 8 hours, dinner will be ready and waiting!

Total Time

Prep: 10 minutes; Total: 8 hours 10 minutes

Serves

6–8

Diet Type

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breasts, diced
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 2 cups sprouted brown rice
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • ½ tablespoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon garlic
  • ½–1 cup shredded goat cheese
  • 4½–5 cups chicken bone broth

Directions:

  1. Add everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

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129 Comments

  1. Bill on

    Dr Axe,
    This is so surprising but, is brown rice allowed on the keto diet? Will that kick me out of ketosis? Please prove me wrong!

    Reply
    • Julie on

      Normally you would soak brown rice like any other rice to make it more digestible and therefore will cook faster.. Sprouted brown rice will cook faster.

      Reply
  2. Kathy Dean on

    Where do you get the goat cheese. And is there a better bone broth than the plain. I’ve got issues with the gut want to use bone broth, but the plain is nasty. I tried turmeric and ginger in 12 oz of water. Help

    Reply
    • Julie on

      Sprouted brown rice is rice that’s already been soaked and let to sprout which makes it even more digestible and it’ll cook faster. So use as is.

      Reply
  3. Susan Jones on

    I would love to register for your seminar but your website is not accepting my emsil address
    ..keeps telling me its an invalid address

    Reply
  4. Brenda Herring on

    My daughter has celiac disease (8 yr history), probably Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, obesity, leaky gut, and now SIBO and a high stress job. How are you diagnosing and treating SIBO in your patients and then preventing it’s recurrence?

    Reply
  5. Lauren on

    Is there a dairy free substitute for the goat cheese that you think would be good? Ideally dairy and tree nut free substitution wound be great! Thanks

    Reply
  6. Kay on

    So what is the nutritional value on this? My hubby is on a low sodium/heart healthy diet. Was wondering specifically the sodium and potassium count per serving.
    thanks

    Reply
    • Karen on

      I also don’t like the flavor of goat cheese. I would think that ricotta cheese or maybe even mascarpone could be used as substitutes for the goat cheese. I would lean moreso, towards ri’otta, but either one might be fine. Enjoy!

      Reply
  7. B Cleveland on

    I tried this chicken casserole and was very disappointed. It may be healthy but lacks in taste. It was very soggy and I ended up throwing most of it away.

    Reply
  8. Janet on

    This recipe sounds great, however I can not eat dairy. Can it be made without it, or will that sacrifice too much flavor? Can you suggest a substitute to add some flavor?

    Reply
    • TM on

      I couldn’t find sprouted rice and just used brown rice. I liked the taste of the dish, but it was mushy with crunchy bits. The rice somehow turned out both mushy and crunchy.

      Reply
      • Nancy Carrier on

        Lundberg makes sprouted brown rice in several flavors. It’s pretty pricey but you can buy it in larger quantities from azurestandard.com.

  9. Gail on

    Is the recipe really supposed to have 1 tablespoon of pepper? I made the recipe, but the pepper was so overpowering that I ended up putting it in a colander and rinsing off most of the pepper. I then added back more goat cheese and broth………and it turned out great! We loved it and I plan to serve it at my ladies Bible study tomorrow. But I’ll only use 1 teaspoon of pepper. Maybe I’m just a pepper wimp. :)

    Reply
    • Dr. Josh Axe on

      Hi Gail, I am so sorry for the inconvenience. It is ½ tablespoon. I’m happy to hear you were able to make it work and hope you enjoy it even more the second time!

      Reply
      • Miss Z. on

        Hello DR Axe. I was wondering if I should put the slow cooker on high or low setting when making this dish. Thank you for your wonderful Enzymes supplements, I’m currently dealing with Gastritis.

  10. Tina on

    Hello! What size crockpot did you use for your posted recipe? I’ve got a 3 qt & a 6 qt. Wondering which size would work best. Thanks.

    Reply
  11. Kristin on

    My 17 year old son is suffering from a rare skin condition called PLEVA. It began on his stomach in the fall and his Dr. originally diagnosed him with scabies. Unfortunately, it began to spread to his back and neck, arms, legs and feet. It is quite itchy and painful and he has began a steroid and we are hopeful it will help clear him. Is there any oils or anything that may help his sore, dry and at times unbearably itchy skin? Thank you so much for any advice! Sincerely, Kristin

    Reply
    • Dr. Josh Axe on

      Hi Kristin, I am so sorry to hear that you and your son are going through this. I recommend consulting with a healthcare provider who can better understand your son’s condition and medical history.

      You may also find this article helpful even though it’s written about scabies: https://draxe.com/health/scabies/. I hope this helps. Blessings to you and yours!

      Reply
  12. Debbie on

    Wow! I Made this yesterday, came out sooo good! I’m making it again now. My kids loved it also and I have very picky eaters! Love the recipes Dr. axe!

    Reply
  13. Vicki on

    This recipe sounds great and I would love to try it but my son with Autism is on a GF/CF diet. We eat a lot of rice in our family, even rice pasta. What can I substitute for the goat cheese? He loves cheese & loves the cheese substitute we use, but I’m not sure it would work in this recipe. We use Daiya brand. I used bone marrow broth in the last vegetable soup recipe I made & we thought it was the best soup ever…very flavorful!

    Love hearing your responses…we are very Blessed!

    Reply
  14. Debbie on

    Hi can I substitute goat cheese milk for just regular crumbled goat cheese and I don’t have sprouted brown rice but I have organic brown rice can I use that? Thanks

    Reply
    • Dr. Josh Axe on

      Hi Debbie, you can use organic brown rice instead of sprouted. As for the goat cheese, I recommend using regular crumbled or shredded goat cheese. Using goat milk would make the recipe very runny. I hope this helps!

      Reply
  15. Kim on

    I tried this recipe today, looked good, followed ingredients other than 2 breast halves only. Is utter crap, after 6.5 hours on low. Inedible, so unappetizing. Mushy, yucky slop. My Biggest disappointment, other than waste of money, is wasting 5 cups of my awesome homemade bone broth on it. It’s all going bye bye, blech.

    Reply
    • Dr. Josh Axe on

      Hi Kim, I am so sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this recipe. It is a basic recipe. Maybe try adding some of your favorite spices to add flavor. I hope you find other recipes on the site that you enjoy.

      Reply
    • sandy on

      I’d like to know this also. I’m new to soaking and sprouting, but would like to learn since it is so much better for you.

      Reply
      • Dr. Josh Axe on

        You can either buy the brown rice already sprouted or sprout it yourself. You can find directions on how to do it yourself here: https://draxe.com/nutrition/sprout/. I hope this helps!

      • Sandy on

        Dr. Axe,
        I bought a bag of sprouted rice at Trader Joe’s (brown, red and black).
        It didn’t look any different than the brown rice I usually buy except it’s 5 times the price.
        I looked at your website on sprouting, and wonder how they package a dry product after sprouting since that requires soaking (with moisture)? If it is supposed to split and a sprout should be popping out, how is that done and then packaged without it looking different or getting moldy? Sorry for my ignorance, just trying to learn some more healthy techniques, and wondering what I am missing.

      • Dr. Josh Axe on

        Hi Sandy, the rice will not split, and the grains are dried before being stored. It shouldn’t look any different than the standard brown rice your buy. No need to apologize for the questions! I hope this helped.

  16. Sandy on

    I’d love to try this recipe.
    Is goat cheese allowed on any of the 5 leaky gut protocols? Is it considered dairy? I fit into all 5, and I’m really trying to avoid offending foods. I’m almost through reading the book “Eat Dirt”.

    Reply
      • Sandy on

        Thank you. I was looking at goat cheese in the store while waiting for an answer, and noticed that one said cultured, and one said pasteurized. What should I be looking for when shopping for goat products? (or what to avoid)

      • Dr. Josh Axe on

        I would recommend choosing cultured — and not pasteurized. You can read my article on pasteurization here: https://draxe.com/pasteurization-homogenization-raw-milk/.

    • Dr. Josh Axe on

      Hi Adie, you can read about bone broth here: https://draxe.com/nutrition/bone-broth-benefits/.

      I have a recipe for chicken bone broth on my site here: https://draxe.com/recipes/chicken-bone-broth-recipe/. You can also find it at your local health food store. I hope this helps!

      Reply
  17. Melissa Josephy on

    A colon biopsy came back as “self limiting colitis.” Diarrhea started suddenly and violently as though i had eatten something bad. That was 5 yrs ago. I have tried everything eastern and western. Bone broth helps inflammation but not the 24 hr liquid bowel problem. Help!

    Reply
    • Dr. Josh Axe on

      Melissa, I am sorry to hear that you are going through this. Here is an article I think may help: https://draxe.com/health/ibs-diet-food-cures/. Blessings to you on this health journey.

      Reply
  18. Laura on

    Please could you advise on a brand of crock pot to buy. Most seem to have an aluminum insert, which obviously isn’t a good idea. I have also read online the ceramic inserts often leak lead into the cooking over a long cooking time. I can’t find any stainless steel versions.

    What do you use??
    Many thanks

    Reply
  19. Jaimi on

    I have what is called “fever of unknown origin. I have been seen and tested by rheumatologist, infectious disease Dr. and neurologist as well as my own Dr. who is also my pulmonologist. Is there anything I can do to help this as well as my immune system, The fevers come and go randomly which then seems to lower my immune system and then I get sick, At 56 this cycle is exhausting and frustrating and has been going on since last summer.

    Reply
    • Dr. Josh Axe on

      Hi Jaimi, I am so sorry to hear that you are going through this. Here are two articles I think may help you on your health journey:

      https://draxe.com/health/how-to-boost-your-immune-system/
      https://draxe.com/nutrition/antiviral-herbs/

      Blessings,
      Dr. Josh Axe

      Reply
    • CHERRI SCHEIDECKER on

      Jaimi
      Did you spike a high fever? Do you have a rash on your torso? Do you have joint pain that travels from joint to joint? You may have Stills Disease. My daughter has it.

      Reply
  20. jon Murray on

    Hi. Why can’t I buy the bone broth outside of the USA – like in Australia? Is it more than extra shipping costs?????????

    Reply
  21. Sas on

    Dear Dr Axe, I am trying to find a glass crock pot. Do you use a glass one? I have been through three which have got scratches in then on stick coating. If you do know of a link that would be great?

    Reply
    • Dr. Josh Axe on

      I would recommend using a glass crock pot. I’m sorry to hear you haven’t had much luck finding the one that works best for you. I don’t have a brand recommendation, so I can only suggest that you keep searching and read reviews online. There is plenty of great information out there on glass crock pots. Blessings!

      Reply
  22. CynD on

    Is that 4 full chicken breast or… two full, 4 halves?
    That is a lot of meat. For me a full chicken breast is one chicken breast.. I would only use 4 halves for this recipe.

    Reply
    • Dr. Josh Axe on

      Here is an article on ulcerative colitis that I think you may find helpful: https://draxe.com/health/ulcerative-colitis-diet/. Best of luck to you and your boyfriend during his health journey.

      Reply
    • Ali on

      The suggestions here for colitis are very informative. My son, 24, has a hiatus hernia. He has had dreadful reflux and other symptoms for a few years. The hospital have given him reflux tablets but these have nasty side effects. No other treatment or follow up has been given. What foods should he be avoiding and what supplements should he be taking. We live in the U.K. I’d be so grateful for a reply.

      Reply
      • Dr. Josh Axe on

        Hi Ali, I am so sorry to hear that your son has been going through this. I think you may find this article helpful: https://www.google.com/amp/s/draxe.com/hiatal-hernia/amp/. Blessings to you and yours!

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