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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.
I wish I had read the reviews earlier: I probably would not have made this! The rice was mush and the chicken didn’t really have much flavor. I love Tieghan’s recipes but this one just didn’t work. I will choose other ones that I know we love next time.
Hi Valle,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear this was not enjoyed! xT
Could I make this using a small whole chicken? Do you have any recommendations for changes if I try? Thanks!
Hey Sue,
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you, I would just extend your cooking time to ensure the chicken is cooked through! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I came across this recipe while looking dishes to make for my aunt while undergoing chemo – I needed something with multiple portions that would refrigerate well & last a few days. She and my uncle generally only like chicken/beef and rice/potatoes, so spicing up those combinations was getting difficult.
This meal was PERFECT. So well seasoned, transported well, and I was able to sneak in some vegetables for these meat and carb lovers. The rice cooked perfectly in the slow cooker and the chicken was fall-apart tender. The only thing I changed was using a little bit less chicken broth (about 3 cups).
It’s been requested from my aunt and uncle multiple times since. I’ve also made it now for my parents and my husband and children, who all love it!
Hey Lauren,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Really good flavor but the rice was mushy. I made it in the crockpot, wondering if it would have turned out better with a different cooking method.
I love your website and your delicious recipes!! I have all of your cookbooks and they’re all amazing!!!
Hey Marianne,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making so many recipes! So sorry to hear about the rice, I can’t figure out why that is happening for some! Let me know if you try the skillet version and how that turns out! xT
Looking forward to making this recipe but a lot of the comments saying rice came out mushy. Any suggestions on how to prevent that from happening?
Hi Francine,
I really don’t know why that is happening for some, my only guess is the variations in rice brand and cooking appliances. I used the Lundberg wild rice. I hope this helps! xT
I followed the advice of others and did the skillet method. After searing the chicken, I simmered the rice and veggies covered for 15 min with just enough broth to cover them (definitely not the full 3.5 cups), then added the chicken back in and simmered covered for another 15 min. After this time the chicken was done, but there was still liquid, so I took the chicken out and lid off and finished cooking the rice and veggies in the oven for maybe another 20 min, until liquid was gone. It needed some salt at the end, but other than that was quite good!
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx
Overall the dish was flavorful and it served well as a healthier meal. I used a wild rice blend that included brown rice, but still had the same mushy rice issue as some other folks. My blend included purple rice so although mushy, at least it had a violet hue. 😉 I didn’t find much benefit from the butter/sage step at the end, so I may skip that part if I make again, but broiling the chicken for a few minutes minimized that yucky “crockpot look” that chicken gets. I skipped the mushrooms as we aren’t shroom fans, but added some oven-roasted sweet potatoes and zucchini to throw onto the dish at the end.
Hey Shaunna,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
So much flavor! I have a Ninja Foodie that has been used once in 3 years and I recently resolved that I was going to take it off the garage shelf and start experimenting with recipes to get used to working with it. I am soooo glad I “took the plunge” with this fabulous recipe. I feel like the pressure cooking method helped to impart extra flavor into the chicken and keep it moist and tender. We found the rice to be perfect-a bit al dente, which we love, and also full of flavor. There was more broth than I anticipated, so I appreciate the previous reviewer’s input about using the sauté function if I ever want less broth (Foodie newbie here so love any and all advice) We really loved this (just like ALL of your recipes)!
Hey Dawn,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
So first off I always hated wild rice as a kid. I now think it’s the way my parents prepared it because DAMN this is soooooo good. Flavor is great! I used the instant pot method. For the butter, I just browned the butter in a skillet with the sage then added the garlic in. My rice still had some liquid, so I changed turned the sauté function on for a couple minutes. I did not have an issue with mushy rice! It still had a really nice chew. There was definitely extra liquid so I poured the extra garlic butter in and tomorrow I’m kinda hoping it is a little more like a yummy stew. One of my fav recipes from this site so far!
Hi McKenna,
Amazing!! Lol so glad you enjoyed the wild rice in this recipe and thanks so much for giving it a try! xT
Everyone liked this one, but as mentioned in other comments, the rice was mush. Not a pretty dish but it was very tasty. Rather than taking the chicken out and broiling it, my son shredded it right in the pot before I got home from work. My husband joked about being served gruel but still went for seconds!
Hi Amy,
I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear about the rice, but glad it was enjoyed otherwise! xx
I made this and idk if the rice wasn’t done all the way but I’m pretty sure it was. This recipe was good, but I just didn’t look forward to it for leftovers. Tasted very “healthy” to me and I wasn’t satisfied when I had my portion.
Hi Mollie,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Great flavor but i had the same problem as others.. rice was mush. I made it in the instant pot hoping to avoid this issue but no luck 🙁
Hi Lara,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear about your rice! I really have no idea why this is happening for some, sorry for the trouble!! xT
Is 1 1/2 cup rice the dry amount?
Hi Sabrina,
Yes, that is correct:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I made a half recipe portion in my mini instant pot and it turned out great. Delicious recipe. It was enough for 2 dinners and 2 lunches. As another person said, next time I would skip broiling the chicken and omit the sage. This recipe is flavorful enough as is! Will make again.
I mean 2 dinner portions, plus 2 lunch portions
Hey Katie,
Thank you so much for giving this dish a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great Thursday:)
This turned out delicious! I love all your recipes and enjoy following you Tieghan!
Hey Jodu,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
Lots of flavor and made enough for 2 meals! Always a win. What could be better?… The texture of the rice comes out pretty mushy and I did 5 hours on low. Not sure if cooking less time or with less liquid might help? I did use Lunberg wild rice, after reading the other comments. I don’t think the broiling step and butter seemed all the necessary. Also, be prepared for yours to look a lot less pretty than the picture. Love HBH, but her photos aren’t always realistic to what the actual dish will look like. All that said, wouldn’t make for company but it’s a good winter comfort meal that I would make again for my family.
Another thing that the recipe doesn’t make quite clear is the wild rice mixture. It says brown and wild rice, but obviously wild rice already has brown in it so not sure if you should actually do half of each. I did all wild rice. Maybe that would cure the mushy texture problem? Hopefully I can get an answer.
Yeah my wild rice mixture already has the brown rice mixed into it, it’s a wild rice/brown rice mixture:)
Hi Shirl,
Thanks for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback, glad to hear it was enjoyed! Sorry to hear your rice was mushy, it could just be the difference in appliances:) xx
Love this recipe! I love chicken and rice meals but my husband hates the cream soups in most of them so this is perfect! The rice is perfectly cooked and love the
Herb/veggie flavor! Extra points for the crock pot!
Hey Janna,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit!⛄️ xT