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Crockpot Herb Butter Chicken and Wild Rice. I turned my family’s favorite dinner into an easy and delicious slow cooker recipe that makes weeknight cooking easy and delicious! Wild rice is cooked together with vegetables, chicken, and herbs. Serve each plate of chicken and wild rice with a drizzle of brown garlic sage butter. This slow-cooked chicken dinner is a hearty, but healthy dinner. It can be made in the crockpot, instant pot, or in just one skillet! So easy to prepare and always enjoyed by everyone.
It has been bitter cold here the last week. It feels more like November 30th than the last day of October. The bitter cold has left me wanting the comfort of slow-cooked dinners. Dinners that make the house smell wonderful all day long and give off cozy vibes. You know, the ones that make you even more excited for dinner that night.
These are the dinner I’m craving right now, and the ones I’ve been cooking most! I’ve been using the crockpot every other day over the last couple of weeks. I’ve been loving every recipe thus far.
But this chicken was a real highlight.
I created the recipe with my mom in mind. During the fall she often makes a cozy chicken and rice dinner. If she was really feeling fancy and had time on a Sunday she’d even roast up a whole chicken. And if it wasn’t chicken it was her pot roast, but chicken was much more the norm.
If my mom was cooking the whole dinner that night, her side of choice was always rice. She used to buy those boxes of Uncle Ben’s rice blends that cook up in just minutes on the stove. I can’t remember which was our favorite, but I feel like it was chicken and herb flavor. Just looked it up, maybe it was this one.
Either way, my mom loved it and it paired perfectly with her simple chicken. To me, this is my comfort food. We ate this meal so much and I always remember it making the house smell so good on a Sunday or Monday night.
I took that idea and all those flavors and turned the two-pan dinner into an even tastier one-and-done crockpot dinner.
The details
This is easy no matter which method you choose. Toss the rice with olive oil, vegetables, and herbs in the bowl of your crockpot. Then pour over chicken broth. Use good chicken broth, this is one of the flavors of the rice.
And then the chicken. I like to toss it with seasonings: dried thyme, rosemary, paprika, and cayenne, then add it right to the crockpot with the rice.
Toss in a handful of smashed garlic cloves. Now everything slow cooks together creating the most wonderful smell all throughout the house.
When the chicken has cooked, pull the pieces out along with the garlic and set them aside on a baking sheet. Add butter and sage, and broil the chicken to get it crisp before serving.
Serve the garlic herbed chicken over the fluffy rice and vegetables, then drizzle any butter left on the pan over top.
I absolutely could not love this recipe more and I know it’s a recipe that I’ll be coming back to time and time again. Perfect dinner to make for family and friends in the next few cozy months ahead!
Looking for other crockpot meals? Here are a few ideas:
Creamy White Bean Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bacon.
Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Herb Butter Chicken and Wild Rice, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Herb Butter Chicken and Wild Rice
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 643 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups wild rice blend (mix wild and brown rice)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 8 leaves fresh sage
- 1 parmesan rind (optional)
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the wild rice, onion, carrots, mushrooms, celery, and dried parsley. Season well with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss. Pour over the chicken broth.2. In a bowl, toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil, thyme, rosemary, paprika, cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the crockpot. Add the garlic cloves. If you have one, add a parmesan rind. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. 3. Before serving, preheat the broiler to high. Remove the chicken and garlic from the crockpot and place on a baking sheet. Arrange the butter and sage around the chicken and garlic, then broil 1-3 minutes, until crisp. Peel away the garlic skin, then chop, and mix with the butter on the sheet pan. Toss the chicken in the butter.4. To serve, fluff the rice with a fork and serve the chicken, rice, and veggies together. If there is any butter left on the pan, drizzle it over the chicken.
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the wild rice, onion, carrots, mushrooms, celery, and dried parsley. Season well with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss. Pour over the chicken broth.2. In a bowl, toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil, thyme, rosemary, paprika, cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the instant pot. Add the garlic cloves. If you have one, add a parmesan rind. Cover and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.3. Once done cooking, release the steam. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the chicken and garlic from the instant pot and place on a baking sheet. Arrange the butter and sage around the chicken and garlic, then broil 1-3 minutes, until crisp. Peel away the garlic skin, then chop, and mix with the butter on the sheet pan. Toss the chicken in the butter.4. To serve, fluff the rice with a fork and serve the chicken, rice, and veggies together. If there is any butter left on the pan, drizzle it over the chicken.
Skillet
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. In a large oven-safe skillet, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, the chicken, thyme, rosemary, paprika, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. Set the skillet over high heat. Sear on both sides until golden, 3-5 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the butter, garlic, and sage. Allow the butter to brown around the chicken. Remove everything from the skillet to a plate. Chop the garlic.3. To the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the wild rice, onion, carrots, mushrooms, celery, and dried parsley. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes, then pour over the broth. Bring to a boil.4. Slide the chicken, garlic, and any juices left on the plate back into the skillet. Bring to a boil. Cover the skillet and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook for 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked into the rice, but not all of it. Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. 5. To serve, fluff the rice with a fork and serve the chicken, rice, and veggies together.
Made in the slow cooker. Agree with someone re: the dried thyme amount was overwhelming the dish. I paid attention and took out the chicken thighs when they were at exactly at temp but rice was still mushy. Loved the idea of putting the chicken under the broiler.
Hi Beth,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it wasn’t your fave! xx
This is one of my absolute FAVES to make! It is soo flavourful and simple to make. I personally use brown rice and cook it on it’s own so I don’t add much liquid in to the crockpot and I increase the amount of veggies used. I have cooked this recipe a couple of times and have done it on the high and low setting and both ways turned out great. Highly recommend, thank you Tieghan 🙂
Hey Tesla,
Happy Wednesday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner!
Just made this for dinner and it was a hit with the whole family. It was so easy and so flavorful! I shred the chicken after broiling it and mixed it all together. A little squirt of hot sauce for the adults. Next time might add some zucchini or other vegetables.
Hey Jessica,
Wonderful!!🍀 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out:)
can this be made with white rice or rice pilaf?
Hey Donna,
I would stick with the wild rice for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I made this almost exactly as the recipe states in the crockpot and it turned out great. The only minor adjustments I made were adding some broccoli and I cooked on low for 4.5 hours taking the chicken out early based on other reviews. I will make it again, but I think I’d like to add some sort of acid…maybe some lemon or even change out 1/2 cup of the stock for some white wine. Either way, per the crockpot instructions I had great results!
Hey Emily,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this dish a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
Hi! I’ve been following your recipes for years, and love them all. Except this one. This is the first recipe adventure that has lead somewhere yuck.
I followed the crockpot instructions. On the up side, the veggies (mushroom and carrots) were perfect. But there were not enough of them to carry the dish. The chicken was bland and over cooked. The wild rice turned into a mushy paste.
You have so many amazing and tasty options, but this is sadly not one of them. This fella will be placed in the Never Again pile all by himself.
Hi there,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback. So sorry to hear that this recipe was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
I had the same result in the crock pot. Chicken overcooked and the rice turned to mush (cooked on low for 5 hrs) I had the same result using the crock pot for the orzo and chicken meatball recipe. Seems it is always best to use the skillet method and not the crock pot!
Hey I have made this and your apple cider short ribs and both are so good! Can I combine them by using this recipe but replacing the chicken with short ribs? Would I need to adjust the recipe at all?
Hey Devi,
So sorry, I’ve never tested this dish with short ribs, so I’m not sure the outcome or if it would affect the cooking of the rice at all. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Tried this one again using the skillet method and chicken thighs. Did crockpot before and didn’t turn out as planned (rice and chicken both over cooked). I’m so glad gave this another chance. Followed the recipe as stated for skillet and it turned out perfectly! So much flavor! Whole fam love it. Rice packaged said to cook for 30 min so it was done perfectly. Thanks for this delicious meal.
Hey Theresa,
Happy Friday!!❤️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was delish! xT
I wanted to love this. I love herbs, I love mushrooms and wild rice but this was hard to eat. I used the stove top method and it took a bit longer in the oven (25 minutes + 5 minutes resting) for my rice to be completely cooked. It wasn’t mushy but the wild rice wasn’t as tender as the other rice. The thyme was overwhelming and took over the dish. I should’ve known because dry thyme is very potent. I really loved the chicken, sage and garlic butter situation though so I’ll probably use that part again. In my opinion this recipe would work better if you cut the thyme down and kept the chicken separate.
Hey Brittany,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear it didn’t turn out the best for you! Let me know if you try it another way next time! xT