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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.
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.
This is just bad on so many levels. 1. There is an ungodly amount of olive oil and butter in this dish. 2. There is not enough seasoning – talk about a white-washed dish. 3. There is not enough liquid to actually cook the rice. Total bust every step of the way. Just gross.
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
If I make this in my dutch oven should I follow the crock pot instructions?
Hey Danielle,
I would go ahead and follow the skillet instructions. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love it! xT
Can you use brown rice instead of wild rice?
Hi Jennifer,
Yes, that should be just fine for you to do! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I used the slow cooker method, but by the time the chicken was cooked, the rice was very mushy. The rice flavors were also a bit bland, but the chicken was good.
Hey Jenn,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
Do you think the leftovers would freeze well?
Hi Margaret,
Sure, that would be okay for you to do! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
For the skillet, do you use the oven or the stove?
Hi Emma,
You’re going to start the dish on the stove top and then move it to the oven to bake. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Hi, do you quick release or natural release I. The instant pot version of recipe?
Hey Allison,
I usually do the quick release, but either one will work. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
I have a question about this recipe. For the Crock pot herb butter chicken, if I use boneless chicken breasts, should I cut them into approx 6 oz pieces before cooking them? I worry about large breasts cooking all the way through properly.
Hey Karen,
You don’t have to, but you definitely can! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Based on other comments about the rice not cooking fully, I used the skillet method and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes before adding the chicken, then I simmered another 15 minutes before putting it in the oven for the final 15 minutes. It was delicious and even my pickiest eater enjoyed it!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx
Absolutely delicious!!! So hearty and nourishing- everyone absolutely loved this!!
Hey Jessica,
Love it!! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! xx
Do the boneless chicken breasts have the skin on them-it looks like they do have skin in your pics.
Hey Nicole,
I used boneless, skinless, but you can totally use skin on! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Love, love, love this dish! I went old school and made it in a large Dutch oven on the stovetop/oven with bone-in, skin-0n chicken thighs. It was amazing! All the flavors of fall in one dish. Reminded me of a rice version of Thanksgiving stuffing. Yum! This is the first time I’ve cooked one of Tieghan’s recipes and you’d better believe I’ll be making more!
Hey Laura,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it was tasty! Have a great weekend:)
So I had the same issue as some of the others doing the slow cook method, the liquid wasn’t absorbed. After nearly 4 hours on high it wasn’t close at all. Fortunately I was using an instant pot, I thought…. I tried to pressure cook for 2 minutes but of course that ran out of liquid to pressure cook. Had to boil off the rest of the liquid with the sauté function. It kind of worked. Next time, pressure cooker all the way.
I wonder if it was simply using chicken thighs instead of breasts and all the fat in those. I’d do it again though 😉 Perfect winter meal.
Hey Kathleen,
Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you, chicken thighs would be delicious! xT
Really nice flavor. I didn’t have sage so I skipped it. My store only had a giant tub of wild rice so I bought a box of Uncle Ben’s and just threw away the seasoning packet. I should have brought 2-3 boxes because we had a lot of standing water. I used the skillet method but found our skillet was too small so I moved it to the Dutch oven. I had a mix of chunked up chicken breast and thighs and that worked well.
Hey Dede,
Happy New Year!🎆🎈 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
I’m excited to make this tomorrow night! If I cut the rice in half, do I cut the liquid in half?
Hi Erin,
Yes, you will need to do that, I’m just not sure by how much and how the recipe will turn out for you. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
You’re the BEST! Thank you Tieghan. Im sure it will be fab. Will report back!
Half the liquid was PERFECT! This was truly amazing. One of my faves.
Amazing!! So glad to hear this!!
I actually love this dish – SUPER easy and all the ingredients I usually keep on hand. The Instant Pot version had dinner on the table in 30 min. Next time I would skip the oven part at the end and just add some sage butter to the rice mix.
Hey Lisa,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx