This Slow Cooker Taco Chicken and Rice casserole makes dinner incredibly easy, with uncooked rice cooking right in the pot alongside tender chicken and plenty of bold taco flavor. Just dump everything into one appliance in the morning, and by dinnertime, you'll have a cheesy, comforting meal ready to serve.
Easy Slow Cooker Taco Chicken and Rice at a Glance
- 🧄 Flavor & Texture: Savory, zesty, cheesy, and tender with classic taco flavors.
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: Chicken, rice, tomatoes, peppers, onion, taco seasoning, and cheese.
- ⏱️ Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes.
- 🍴 Servings: 4
- 🥗 Dietary Info: Protein-packed chicken and rice meal.
- 🍚 Best Served With: A fresh salad or vegetable side.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, prep the vegetables ahead for easy assembly.
- ❤️ Why You Will Love It: Easy, flavorful, and made all in one slow cooker.
Summarize and Save This Content On
I've made this cheesy taco chicken and rice enough times to know exactly how I like it, and I've got the timing down so the chicken stays tender while the rice cooks through.
I use my 6-quart oval slow cooker because everything fits nicely and cooks evenly. I love scooping the finished chicken and rice into a tortilla or taco shell for an easy change of pace.
If you're looking for more slow cooker casserole recipes, you should try my slow cooker ham casserole and my crockpot chicken broccoli rice.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
"This is so easy and delicious! We will definitely be making this often!"
-Sharlene
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a true one-pot dinner: There's no precooking with this recipe; all of the ingredients go straight into the slow cooker.
- Made of low-cost pantry staples: All the components are simple, inexpensive pantry items you may even have on hand. You can make satisfying meals without breaking the bank!
- Great for meal prep: It refrigerates, freezes, and reheats well, making it a deal recipe for weekly meal prep.
Ingredients
- Rice: You'll want long-grain, uncooked rice for this Mexican crockpot chicken and rice. Instant rice cooks way too fast to be cooked in a slow cooker and will turn mushy.
- Chicken: I add whole chicken breasts straight to the pot and shred them before serving. If you prefer, you can cut the chicken into bite-size pieces before cooking it.
- Diced tomatoes: The juice is used as part of the cooking liquid along with the broth, so don't drain it. You can use any kind of canned diced tomatoes that you want. Rotel works (you'll need 2 cans). I love it in this salsa con queso!
- Cheese: Any shredded cheese is great here, including fiesta blend and cheddar. I went with Colby Jack for mine. You don't need to wait to add the cheese; I add it right on top of the chicken before I turn on the crockpot.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Chicken thighs: Swap in the same weight of boneless, skinless thighs. They're more forgiving than breasts, but give them an extra 30 to 60 minutes on LOW.
- Beef or chorizo: Brown a pound of ground beef or chorizo and drain it well before stirring it in with everything else. Since the meat's already cooked, you only need to cook the rice. Check it at 4 hours on LOW.
- Vegetarian: Use two cans of drained black beans in place of the chicken, along with vegetable broth + an extra ¼ cup of it to make up for the juice from the chicken. Skip the cheese or use a vegan shred to make it fully vegan.
- Spicy: Trade the diced tomatoes for a can with green chiles, or add a diced jalapeño with the peppers.
- Brown rice: Use long-grain brown rice, not instant, and bump the broth to 1½ cups total. Cook on LOW only, 7 to 8 hours. HIGH leaves the grains chalky.
How to Make Taco Chicken and Rice in the Slow Cooker
Ensure your ingredients are measured, chopped, and ready to go before you start adding everything to your crockpot
Step 1: Layer the ingredients. Stir the rice, broth, tomatoes, and veggies in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then, lay the chicken breasts on top.
Step 2: Add seasoning and cheese. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken and then add the shredded cheese.
Step 3: Cook and shred the chicken. Now you can cover the pot and cook it for 6-7 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Once the chicken and rice are fully cooked, shred the chicken.
Step 4: Serve. Give it all a good stir before serving with chopped cilantro and a drizzle of green jalapeño sauce.
Expert Tips
- Look for doneness cues: You'll know the dish is done when the chicken shreds easily, the rice is tender, and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Fixing firm rice: If the rice is firm or feels undercooked, add ½ cup of warm broth and continue to cook for another 30-45 minutes.
- Leave the lid alone: Avoid opening the lid during the main cooking time. Opening it too much will release the heat, allowing it to waste time coming back to temperature. This can lead to uneven cooking.
- Storing the leftovers: Put the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating help: You may use the microwave to reheat your leftovers. It should take about 2-3 minutes on high, stirring halfway. Add a splash of broth or water to loosen the rice, if needed.
Try my taco rice casserole if you are looking for more one-pot or pan Mexican dinner recipes!
Serving Suggestions
- Taco bowls: Enjoy build-your-own taco bowls for dinner! Serve with sour cream, your favorite hot sauce, corn, and Instant Pot queso dip.
- Leftover ideas: Enjoy the leftovers warm with chips, or as a filling for tacos or burritos.
- Side dishes: Southern pinto beans in the crockpot and Mexican corn casserole are some of my favorite side dishes to pair with this Mexican chicken and rice, creating the perfect comfort meal.
Slow Cooker Taco Chicken and Rice Recipe FAQs
Rice can turn mushy in a slow cooker for a few reasons, but the most common is too much liquid or cooking it too long. Slow cookers trap moisture, so rice can continue absorbing liquid throughout the cooking process and become soft or mushy if the ratio is off.
Yes, but keep in mind that brown rice takes longer to cook and may require additional liquid. For the best results, start with 1½ cups of broth and add more towards the end, if needed.
Partly. You can chop the onion and peppers and keep them in the fridge a day ahead, but don't add the rice and broth until you're ready to cook. Uncooked rice sitting in liquid overnight absorbs it and turns gummy in the slow cooker. Cooked leftovers keep beautifully for 3 days.
More Easy Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes
Do you like slow cooker dinner recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Video
Slow Cooker Taco Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts 2-3 chicken breasts
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 large peppers chopped
- 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, canned not drained
- 1 cup long grain rice uncooked
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 pkg (1 oz) taco seasoning or 3 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup cheese shredded (if desired)
Toppings (Optional)
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced
- 2 cups lettuce shredded
- 1 cups cheese shredded
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Add the uncooked rice, diced tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, red pepper, green pepper, onion, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Place the chicken breasts on top, sprinkle with taco seasoning, and top with 1 cup shredded cheese, if using.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender.
- Remove the chicken and shred it with two forks or a meat-shredding tool. Return it to the slow cooker and stir it into the rice mixture.
- Spoon into bowls and top with diced Roma tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and shredded cheese. Garnish with cilantro and sour cream, if desired.
Video
Notes
- The taco chicken and rice is ready when the chicken shreds easily, the rice is tender, and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Keep the lid closed during the main cooking time. Opening it releases heat and can slow the cooking process, which may lead to unevenly cooked chicken and rice.
- To keep the rice from turning mushy, measure the liquid carefully and avoid overcooking. Slow cookers trap moisture, so the rice continues absorbing liquid as it cooks and can become soft if there's too much liquid or it cooks for too long.
Sharlene says
This is so easy and delicious! We will definitely be making this often!
Karin and Ken says
Glad to hear it! It’s in our rotation too. All the best. Karin