This Slow Cooker Basil Chicken and Rice is a complete meal with tender chicken thighs, rice and plenty of basil.
This recipe is a spin off my mom’s oven recipe for basil rice. My mom makes a basil rice recipe that goes great with anything. She would brown rice and butter in a skillet, add dried basil, chicken broth, and rice and then finish it in the oven. I made her rice recipe a complete meal by adding chicken.
How to make Basil, Chicken and Rice:
For this recipe, I cook chicken, leeks, basil, butter and chicken broth for 6 hours. Then I stir in Minute Brand rice and put the lid back on and cook for about 25 minutes more. You may remember that I do not like conventional rice in the slow cooker, it gets gummy. Minute rice is parboiled then dried, so it doesn’t get gummy and it cooks fast.
The rice turns out perfectly fluffy and tastes amazing since it is flavored with the butter and broth the chicken has been cooking in. The thighs turn out moist and tender in this meal too!
I always looked forward to this rice when my mom was making it and this slow cooker recipe makes life easier with the chicken cooked with it. Have a great week!
Other great Chicken and Rice recipes:
- Slow Cooker Lemon Pepper Chicken and Rice
- Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Slow Cooker One Pot Chicken Burrito Filling
- Slow Cooker No Peek Chicken
- Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
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Slow Cooker Basil Chicken and Rice
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 15 oz. can chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp. dried basil
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 cup diced leeks
- 3 Tbsp. Butter
- 2 cups white Minute rice ADD AT THE END
Instructions:
- Add the chicken, chicken broth, basil, salt, pepper and leeks to the slow cooker. Add the butter on top of the chicken, no need to melt it.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
- After the cooking time is done, remove the chicken onto a plate with a slotted spoon. Stir in the minute rice, Add the chicken into the rice. Cover and cook on LOW for 25 more minutes, or until the rice is tender.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
This is super easy and super flavorful!! Not in the least bit bland. Chicken is fall apart tender and the rice is perfectly seasoned. I’ve made this several times and my family loves it!!! It’s definitely a keeper.
The rice is great but the chicken comes out a little bland.
Made this tonight and both husband I loved it. Don’t understand how someone would think it was bland. This recipe will definitely replace the one I usually use.
?? Can I substitute boneless chicken breasts for the thighs? If so, are there any changes or timing amounts that would be different?
Yes, I would add a small splash more of broth or water though.
Would adding veggies and hot peppers and making it more soupy effect the rice texture? I was thinking of adding thai hot peppers, some coconut milk a dash of curry powder and some green and red peppers.
I think if you add coconut milk, I would add less chicken broth. But otherwise, I think it should be fine!
I made this with 2 bags of instant basmati rice And one bag of instant brown minute rice. All the three bags emptied added up to 2 cups of instant rice. It was so delicious. I shared it with 3 people and they loved the dish!!
3 bags of rice plus 2 cups of rice? I don’t get it
Could I do this in the instant pot?
I think you could. I wouldn’t pressure cook the rice at the end though. Just put the lid on until the rice puffs up.
I found this recipe to be good but pretty bland. The chicken was falling apart which was great but it just did not really have much flavor. I used instant rice and that works great (I asked about it but never got a response which is why I am mentioning it here).
I would add lemon juice when you add the rice
Can I use instant rice? If so would I just cook rice for the 5 min it says on box instead of 25?
I think you would have to cook the rice for 25 minutes because you’re putting it in slow cooker/ crockpot, and rice will need that much time in it, also put the crockpot/ slow cooker on the high setting once you put rice in .
Very good! I didn’t think it could be so good with such few ingredients. The only thing I did differently was add chicken stock instead of chicken broth, only because that’s what I had in the fridge. This one’s a keeper for sure!
Can I cook on high instead of low? Waited to late to make it. I will be eating at 8pm if I cook on low
Yes will do fine