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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
We really liked the coziness of this dish, and how easy it was to make. I didn’t have enough wild rice so subbed some farro, which worked well, though I had more liquid remaining than id Been hoping for. Nice to be able to use the instant pot!
Hey Erica,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! So glad the farro worked for you!! xx
The chicken and mushrooms were delicious, but I had to make polenta to go with it because the rice didn’t cook at all in the crockpot. I would definitely recommend using a different cooking method, or perhaps a quick cooking rice added in later if using the crockpot.
Hey Andrea,
So glad to hear the flavors were enjoyed, so sorry to hear about your rice! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try! xT
This was amazing!! I made woth exact ingredients and amounts in a Dutch oven with the skillet instructions up to #4. Once I added back the chicken, I covered and put in oven on 375 for 35 minutes and it was perfect!
Hey Brandee,
Perfect!! I am so glad to hear that this dish was tasty for you, thanks for sharing what worked well and giving the recipe a try! xTieghan
I made the skillet version tonight – oh my gosh!! Delicious! This will be added to my rotation – thank you!
Hey Cindy,
Happy Wednesday!! I am delighted to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Unlike many of the comments above mine, this cooked perfectly for me! I made it using the skillet method. Everything about it is delicious, cozy, and warming on these cold days!
I used the Whole Foods wild rice mix btw.
Good to know!!
Hey Sarah,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:) xTieghan
Made this recipe and didn’t have any issues with the rice being soupy like a lot of the comments. I did use a Minnesota based wild rice and brown rice combination. I would rather use this wild rice blend for thanksgiving over a regular stuffing! It was fantastic!!! The chicken did come out dry. I did slow cooker on low for 6.5 hours and everything turned out great. No soupy rice mess. Amazing flavor AND my house smells so cozy and warm.
Hey Lexi,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx
The chicken turned out dry and rice mushy so maybe try some different cooking times
Hi Caroline,
Happy Wednesday! So sorry to hear you did not have a great experience with this recipe. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xTieghan
I was really excited about this and followed the recipe exactly for my crockpot. The rice turned out very mushy. The flavors were good, but the rice texture was a no go.
Hi Loren,
Happy Wednesday!! So sorry to hear about the mushy rice, I’m not sure why this is happening! What brand of rice did you use? Glad the flavors were there:) xx
I was excited to see you do a crockpot recipe (though it looks like you have others as well) however, the flavor was really strong. Nothing wrong with your recipe just that I am realizing I’m not a huge thyme and rosemary girl, so it’s really over powering. Again, agree with the others as well that the rice is mushy – but I don’t mind that as much as the spices. I just need to pay attention. But if you like those heavy spices, nothing wrong with this!
Made this one in the skillet.. after I put everything together I sat down and read some reviews and my heart sank a little with the rice issues. After the first 15 minutes I lifted the lid and saw lots of liquid and thought “nooo!” But I shoved it in the oven for the extra 15 min to hold onto some hope that it would turn out.
Juuuust in case I made some extra rice.. when the timer went off and I opened the oven it was like half baked harvest magic! Fluffy cooked rice to perfection!
Bit of a roller coaster ride with this one but very good in the end! Will definitely make again!
Hey Kate,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
Hey Jessica,
So sorry to hear you did not enjoy the flavors in this dish, thanks for giving it a try! I have lots of slow cooker recipes:)
https://gewicht-weg.today/recipes/?_recipe_preparation=slow-cooker-recipes
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Taste is delicious but the reviews about the rice being mush are true. Hope this can be resolved. And definitely pare back the herbs as even taken down by 1/3 it’s pretty strong.
Hey Rachel,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I’m sorry to hear you had issues. Unfortunately, this has been working well for some, mushy for others, and hard for others so my only guess is the variations in slow cookers or rice that are affecting this dish. So sorry! xTieghan
I just made this recipe last night in the crockpot on low for 5 hours and it was amazing !! The depth of flavor from the sage, thyme and rosemary is apparent. Next time, I’m going to skip the broiling part and just do it for like 350 for 2 minutes. I felt the broiling dried the chicken out a little bit. Other than that, another home run per usual from your website ! Will def be making it again !
Hey Amanda,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
I made this is my slow cooker but I wasn’t happy with the results. The time, at least for my slow cooker, should have been more like 4 hours on high. I cooked it 3.5 hours and the carrots/rice were still not soft.
Probably wouldn’t make again although the chicken was good…just not outstanding like most of your recipes:) I’m still a huge fan though:)
Hey Allison,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making so many recipes!! So sorry to hear that this one was not enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try! xT
I tried the crock pot version and it was a fail. The chicken was okay but rice was soggy mush with unappealing flavor.
Great flavor, but mine was complete mush and the chicken was so overcooked. I cooked on low for 5hrs
Hi Michelle,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I’m sorry to hear you had issues. Unfortunately, this has been working well for some, mushy for others, and hard for others so my only guess is the variations in slow cookers or rice that are affecting this dish. So sorry! xTieghan
Hi Erika,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it did not turn out for you! Please let me know if I can help in any way! xT
Dinner last night! Outstanding. I would change a few things next time. Less butter for sure. I did the skillet version and it took WAY longer than the recipe said. The rice took over an hour to absorb the liquid. Next time I’ll start sooner, or do the crockpot method. I paired it with HBH Kale Bacon Salad Maple Candied Walnuts. So so good!
Hey Megan,
Fantastic!! I truly appreciate you making this dish and sharing what worked well for you, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
I made this for this evenings dinner on the stove and was amazing 👏 I made it with bone in thighs for added flavor 😋 I do agree with other posts that 45 minutes on the stove for the wild rice 15 minutes in the oven an 10 minutes to rest…came out absolutely delicious 😋 I think the key is patience and all flavors come together…I am always so thrilled with the results. Thank you…for these amazing recipes.
Hey Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback!! So glad to hear that it was a hit:) xT