Don't you love it when you come home after a long day at the office to find a scrumptious dinner ready and waiting? With a few minutes of morning prep, you could arrive home from work to this comforting, cheesy, rich casserole loaded with chicken, rice and broccoli. This is an easy dump-it-in-the-crock-pot recipe perfect for weeknight dinners.
I like to use brown rice in this recipe because I think it holds up better than white rice to the long cooking time. You can substitute any rice you prefer; just realize that the rice may be a bit softer than usual after cooking for so long. You can also substitute other vegetables for the broccoli. Peas, spinach, asparagus or artichoke hearts would all be wonderful in this dish.
slow cooker chicken, broccoli and rice
6
10 minutes
7 hours and 15 minutes
7 hours and 25 minutes
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup long-grain brown rice
2-3/4 cups chicken broth
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 16-ounce bag frozen broccoli florets
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Stir together the rice and onion in the bottom of a slow cooker and spread it out so the mixture covers the bottom evenly.
Stir in the chicken broth.
Place the chicken on top of the rice and sprinkle the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper over the top.
Cover and cook on low heat for 7 hours. The rice should be tender and most of the liquid will have been absorbed.
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Add the broccoli to the slow cooker, cover and continue cooking for about 15 minutes more, until the broccoli is tender.
Stir in the chicken and cheese until the cheese is melted.
Serve hot.