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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
I made this incredible dinner last night and it was FANTASTIC! I used boneless/skinless chicken thighs. I used the slow cooker method and let it cook on low for 6 hours. I didn’t use the cremini mushrooms but definitely added a Parmesan rind. My husband and I loved this dish sooooo much that it’s going to be added to the dinner rotation! I also added lots (1+ TBS) of fresh ground pepper to balance the flavors out. I honestly can’t say enough how awesome your recipe was! Thank you for posting! I think that low and slow was the best cooking method and I’ll be making it again soon!
Hey Brooke,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
Very disappointed with this recipe. Made it in crockpot according to instructions on high heat for 2.5 hours for a family dinner. The rice was still completely raw and floating in a large amount of fluid. I had to recook the rice on the stove and in the meantime ended up with some very dry chicken. First time an HBH recipe failed so miserably!
Hi Nicola,
So sorry!! What kind of rice did you use? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Yum! Followed the instant pot version and it came out perfect. Used chicken thighs and was perplexed with the butter, garlic and sage in the broiler with the chicken but it melted into a bunch of goodness that added a lot of flavor. Great recipe!
Hey Colleen,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
Loved this!! Super easy and very flavor full. We had most ingredients available already in the fridge so also super affordable. My husband scraped the plate! 10/10 will make again!
Hey Jill,
Awesome! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
I have made several Half baked Harvest recipes and they have been delicious. This one was a complete fail. I made the crockpot version and the rice turned to mush and had no flavor. The chicken was so dry. I followed exactly and was looking forward to this recipe. It smelled delicious! Won’t try again but will definitely keep trying HBH recipes!
Hi Sara,
SO sorry! I’m not sure why this happened for you! Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback. xT
Good flavors – ratio of liquid to rice is off and timing is off. 3 hours on high in my crockpot and I still had undercooked rice and basically a soup. Needs adjusting but could be great.
Hi Allison,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, so sorry to hear you had some issues! What kind of rice did you use? Please let me know how I can help! xx
I made this for dinner tonight. I used chicken thighs and the crockpot. It was really yummy! My only complaint was that the rice was mushy. Next time I make it I’ll use a little less liquid and see what happens. I’ll definitely make it again though!
Hi Heather,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear about the rice! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
This was my first hbh recipe and it did not disappoint! I did it in the crock pot on low for 4.5hours and broiled for 3 minutes. I followed the recipe perfectly except I only used 1.25lbs (2 chicken breasts) since that’s all I had. My husband LOVED it and it was everything I was expecting, really delicious and homey taste. I will most definitely make this again and excited to explore more recipes.
Hey Beatriz,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
Had a hard time in the instant pot with the rice. Next time I’ll probably cook the rice separately or do the stove top version. Not the first time I’ve had a hard time with wild rice though! The flavors were excellent. Will definitely try this recipe again on the stove!
Hey Corrie,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:) Sorry about the rice!! xT
Hi There,
I live in MN where MN grown wild rice is very accessible. Can you use just plain wild rice, not the brown rice blend? What’re your thoughts on that? Excited to try this recipe!
Thank You
Hey Megan,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope this recipe it a hit, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
So been a pretty avid HBH cooker for abour 2 years and this by far was the biggest miss for me. I read the comments and I really should have done the rice separately but I decided to trust the reciepe but like most people it was a giant nope. I used the instapot instructions but the rice was so mushy, there was so much liquid left over (I even used less stock then stated) it was like a gross risotto. My husband said it tasted fine but I couldn’t eat more than 1 bite as the texture was just not good.
Still love you girl but wont be making or recomnding this one to my cooking club lol
Hi Brianna,
Oh no!! So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed!! What kind of rice did you? Please let me know if I can help in any way! Thanks for trying the recipe! xT
Same. HBH follower and owner of all of her cook books and this was a big fail. 6 hours on low and rice was hard and chicken was dry and there was a ton of extra liquid in the slow cooker. I used Lundberg’s wild blend gourmet rice for reference.
So sorry to hear this Cat!! Thanks for sharing your feedback!
My bridge partner recommended your site and I’m glad she did. I used the skillet method to prepare the dish, and it was a delicious meal. No issues halving the recipe to serve two persons. Ree Drummond makes a chicken dish with fall vegetables. I think I’ll try adding Brussels next time.
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks so much for your kind message and following along, I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks so much for making it! xT
I’ll start by saying I love the ease of HBH recipes – most dry ingredients you have on hand already and there is an inherent simplicity that makes them approachable, especially on week nights. This recipe is absolutely delicious, but there are some gaps in how it is prescribed:
1.) Altitude – a general thought I had is if this plays a factor in cook times in recipes across the board
2.) The rice and chicken seem to need different cooking times – I was pressed for time so I used the high option on my crock pot. Based on other comments, I monitored the chicken closely and decided to pull it earlier which helped
3.) Broiling – absolutely adds depth of flavor, but needed more like 7 min than 1-3. Additionally, to maintain more of the butter for serving on top I did create an aluminum foil “boat”
4.) Lastly, maybe I’m just the (literally) slowest sous chef on the planet but I tend to find that prep time estimates aren’t realistic – that’s not HBH specific, by my own personal problem apparently
Hi Erica,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Thanks for sharing your feedback! Altitude shouldn’t affect anything with this recipe:) Your broil might have been lower than mine needing extra time. We all work differently in the kitchen:) xx
The recipe tastes great but the instructions are faulty. I followed the stovetop instructions without any variation. The liquid took over an hour to boil off the rice. I even added extra rice when I lifted the lid after the initial 15 minutes. Next time I will adjust the rice to liquid ratio because this recipe should be quick and it simply was not.
Hi Hannah,
So sorry to hear you had some issues with the rice! What kind of rice did you use? That might have made a difference! Please let me know how I can help! xT
This turned out amazing! I read the reviews and after also messaging Tieghan decided to add an extra cup of chicken broth! It kept the chicken breasts extra moist! My family loved it so I will totally be making again!
Hey Victoria,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this dish, I love to hear that it was a hit! xT