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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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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 post was originally published on October 31, 2022
This recipe tasted delicious but there were some issues. As others have stated, the rice was mushy and also burned on the side of the my crockpot, and the chicken breasts were dry. We still ate it but I would not make it again unless I tried the stove top method.
Hi Nan,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love it! Let me know if you try the stove top version!
Tried making this tonight for meal prep—started at 6PM knowing I’d likely be done by 10 to collect and put away by 11. It is not 11:30 and the rice isn’t even cooked despite following all directions for high heat setting and using the rice blend specific. What a disappointment as I will likely have to throw it all out (I don’t like leaving things on and out overnight for food safety reasons). Chicken is cooked but now insanely dry. Wish I would have read other reviews before making this.
Hi Andrea,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. I don’t think you need to throw this all out….what kind of rice did you use? I’m sorry to hear you had issues!
This is my go-to dish for a meal train – everyone loves it. I’ve made and delivered this to friends with loved ones in the hospital, families with new babies, and more, and it’s always well received. The rice does require a little thought since each variety cooks differently, but that’s a very minor adjustment. Just be mindful of the rice you choose and its cooking time, and adjust as needed. Totally worth it.
Hey Lauren,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was enjoyed!
Have a very Happy New Year!🥂🎆
I followed recipe with a few additions: added one jar of grilled trader joe’s artichoke hearts and 2 whole roasted red peppers cut into big slices. I cut mushrooms in half vs slicing. I used only wild rice. I omitted garlic. Used crock pot on low for 5.5 hours. That was longer than needed! I sauteed the fresh sage in butter and poured over chicken on each plate, then added the rice and veggies. Awesome dinner with little effort!
Hey Beth,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out nicely for you!
Have a great holiday!🎄🎁
I love the flavors of this so much, BUT different wild rice mixes have VASTLY different cooking times. I have yet to find one that cooks in the amount of time listed in this recipe. It would be helpful to know the exact rice used for this. I have made it multiple times, but have to cook the rice separately so as not to overcook every thing else.
Hi Paula,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it is always enjoyed. So sorry about the rice! I like to use the Lundberg wild rice blend. I hope this helps for next time!
A bit confused about the cook time in the crockpot. I set it to 4 hours on high since I don’t have the 2-3 hour on high option as stated in the recipe and the rice and carrots are still very raw.
Hey Karolina,
Thanks for trying this recipe. Hmmm, I’m so sorry to hear this, everything should be well cooked after 4 hours on high. My apologies!
The flavor of this is good, but the cook time for the rice is way off. I cooked it on the stovetop and finished it in the oven, but the rice was still undercooked. I took the chicken out and continued cooking the rice on the stove until the rice was tender. It took an additional 35 minutes to cook the rice! Makes sense because brown and wild rice have a longer cook time. Feels as though that was not considered. I’m confused why the recipe was not revised after so many people stating the same issue. It’s frustrating! But, I would make it again and think of it as a rice dish and cook the chicken separately and then blend the two when it is cooked fully.
The flavor was good but my rice was very mushy. I’m going to try again using the skillet. Love all your recipes!
Thanks so much, Andrea! I’m so glad to hear you would make this recipe again! Happy Friday!
I wanted to love this recipe as it sounded so cozy and is full of fall flavors. It was just okay. The rice was mushy and the dish overall was kind of bland.
Hi Kate,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know!
Hi! I love this recipe! Does it freeze well? Making it for my sister who just had a baby!
Thanks so much, Keilani! Yes, that will work nicely for you. Congrats to your sister!
This was so good!! There were no leftovers in my house.
I do think I’d add slightly less chicken broth & a little less cayenne for my kids. For adults, the cayenne is PERFECT
Hey Jessie,
Awesome! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
I wanted to live this recipe. The flavors were great but my rice turned to mush in the crockpot. Next time I’ll try cooking the rice on the stove top and just grilling the chicken. Very cozy fall flavor dish 😊
Thanks so much, Jen! I’m sorry to hear about your rice, but so glad you will try this dish again! Have a great Friday! x
I’m excited to try this tonight. At what altitude are your recipes written? I’m wondering if I need to make any adjustments for for the instant pot at 7,300 ft.
Thanks so much, Erin! You should be able to follow this recipe as written without any issues. I hope you love it!
In the Crockpot could you just add the rice in at the end as it seems it would just go to mush being in there that long?
Hi Paul,
You could certainly give that a try, I would allow at least 30 minutes for the rice to cook. Let me know how that turns out for you!