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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
Really delicious flavor and easy cozy meal! I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and they came out pull-apart tender.
Hey Chrissie,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
Do you add the seasoning pack with the wild rice in the crockpot. I’m going to make this for company tomorrow night
No, do not buy a wild and brown rice mix with a seasoning packet. Buy just PLAIN wild and brown rice mix!
Thanks
Hi Patti,
Nope, you do not need to add a seasoning packet:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Made this for dinner tonight, great comfort food!
I followed the stovetop directions and it says to preheat the oven, but then you never end up using the oven… 🤔
Never mind… I see it now. 😂 We didn’t need to put it in the oven to cook the rice, maybe because the rice you get here in the UK has shorter cooking times.
It says to bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. (Bottom of step 4)
Hi Annie,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! The dish goes in the oven in step 4:) xx
I tried this recipe with just long grain rice as I couldn’t find any wild rice. It came out all stodgy and slimy. What am I doing wrong? I followed the recipe to a T
Uhm, you did not follow the recipe to a T?!
You changed the rice, which makes all the difference because of course long grain rice will turn slimy while wild rice stays more firm even if it’s cooked a rather long time
Hi Molly,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, sorry to hear you had some issues with the rice! I would recommend using the wild rice blend for best results:) I hope this helps! xT
Great recipe. Chicken ( boneless thighs) was so tender and I loved the crispy bits of sage. Rice (brown and red) was a little soupy but by the time I broiled the chicken it was fine. Easy dump and set in the instant pot – crock pot feel in under an hour. Thanks for another keeper.
Hey Heather,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
I made this is the crockpot and while the flavors were delicious, the rice over cooked. I used uncle bens boxed rice so maybe just be careful with which kind of rice you use. Next time i make this i will do the rice separately.
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe!! So glad to hear it was enjoyed, sorry about the rice!! xT
I made this recipe in the crockpot for dinner tonight. I cooked it on high for 3 hours. Unfortunately the chicken turned out dry and the rice was over cooked and mushy, but overall the dish was still flavorful. Thinking I will try this recipe again and cook on low for 4 hours.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear you didn’t have the best results, let me know if you give it another try! xT
Made this tonight in the Crockpot. The flavors were really good – kind of reminded us of Thanksgiving because of the rosemary, thyme and sage. However, the final dish did not look like the one in the photos posted here. First of all, the chicken was very dry. I used boneless chicken breasts and cooked them on low for 5 hours. Next time I’d only do 4 hours on low. Or use boneless chicken thighs instead. Secondly, the rice mixture absorbed all the liquid but was still totally heavy and wet. Don’t know if it was supposed to be that way and it was pretty good…it was just a little odd. And lastly, the 4 T of butter on the sheet pan at the end was definitely not enough to drizzle on top of the chicken in the bowls at the end. I ended up using almost an entire stick of butter.
The photo that Tieghan posted here make it look like there is butter sauce at the bottom of the bowl. I don’t know how she did that – like I said, there definitely wasn’t enough sauce. Even with melted almost an entire stick of butter on the sheet pan at the end wasn’t enough to leave a puddle of sauce in the bowls.
Will probably try this dish one more time, but using boneless chicken thighs and not cooking as long.
Hi Melanie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear it was enjoyed for the most part. Is it possible that the chicken dried out during the broiler portion? If you feel like you needed more butter you can certainly use more to your liking. I hope this helps! xT
Hi Tieghan, no, the chicken was definitely dried out BEFORE it went in the broiler – I tasted it! It was only then in the broiler 2-3 min.
Wow!!! Amazing!! I used chicken thighs and it was so good. My kids kept saying oh this is so good!!! It was so easy! Thank you for making me feel like a chef!!
Hi Meghan,
I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! Happy Wednesday! xT
Flavors were great but like the other comments, rice overcooked and everything became a bit like a gloopy stew than a rice dish. I used boneless chicken thighs and skipped broiling the chicken and it was delicious.
Hi Hayley,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear you had some issues with the rice. What kind of rice did you use? Please let me know how I can help! xT
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it was a total miss! It sounded so good and easy in theory, and I followed her recipe to the T, but the rice didn’t cook through and the chicken was super dry…
Hi Diane,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Which cooking method did you use? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Made this tonight in the crockpot. Took about 3.5 hours on high to absorb all the liquid. SO good! Will be adding to my favorites!
Hey Lori,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Amazeballs
Lol thanks so much Erin!!
This looks great! I’m vegan though, so thinking to try it with either homemade chickn seitan or impossible nuggets pieces scattered on top. Thanks!
I hope you love the recipe Melissa!
Made this tonight in the instant pot. Was delish but had excess liquid when it was done.
Hi Renee,
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! Sorry to hear about the liquid! Let me know if I can help with anything! xT
I had the same problem with the instant pot cooking instructions (excess liquid, partially cooked rice). I gave it a stir and put it on the slow cooker setting for 1 hour without adding back in the chicken/butter/garlic/sage. It definitely saved this dish and worked like a charm.
Thanks for sharing what worked well for you Amber!!
I hate to say this didn’t work for me. I have made at least a dozen recipes from this site and have loved every single one. The flavors were good, but the boneless skinless breasts I used came out so very dry in the crockpot method. Any idea what I did wrong?
Hi Nettie,
Thanks for giving this dish a try, so sorry it didn’t workout for you! Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Is it possible the chicken was broiled for too long? Let me know how I can help! xT
Thanks for the reply. I didn’t even broil the chicken, as it was dry straight out of the crockpot. No worries. You still have consistently the best recipes around. I will keep trying. 🙂