This chicken and rice casserole recipe is designed for a slow cooker. You brown onions and chicken thighs, place in a slow cooker with basmati rice, tomatoes, and stock. Two hours later, it’s done! The seasoning we are using is a shade Middle Eastern, with ground cumin and a touch of cinnamon. It’s a truly wonderful combination. If you haven’t tried it, I recommend it.
The Trick for Making Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice
To make rice in a slow cooker with chicken, you have to drastically reduce the amount of liquid you would normally use to cook rice, otherwise, your rice will be completely mushy. The main ingredients (chicken, onions, tomatoes) release moisture while they cook, which the rice then absorbs. The trick is to figure out the right amount of liquid to add to the rice, considering that it cooks with ingredients that release moisture. Assuming you are adding the amounts of rice, chicken, onions, and tomatoes called for in the recipe, the amount of liquid to add can depend on your slow cooker.
Not All Slow Cookers Are Created Equally
We have learned through experience that different slow cookers come to temperature at different rates, and have tighter or looser lids. So you will likely need to experiment with the timing as well as the amount of liquid. Your slow cooker may require adding more liquid to keep the rice from drying out. The timing in this recipe works for my slow cooker (I use this model), but for yours, you may need to add more or less liquid for the rice to turn out properly. So, don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out as well as you would like the first time. If the rice is mushy, add less liquid the next time. If it is dry, add more liquid the next time.
How to Store and Freeze
You can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days, and leftovers will freeze in a covered container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, and reheat directly on the stovetop with a little bit of stock or in the microwave.
Can’t Get Enough Slow Cooking? Here Are 5 More to Try
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If you are using rice that requires a different amount of liquid to cook, you’ll need to experiment for the right amount of liquid to reduce. Also, different slow cookers come to temperature at different rates, and have tighter or looser lids. So you will likely need to experiment with the timing as well as the amount of liquid. Your slow cooker may require adding more liquid to keep the rice from drying out. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the ground cumin and cinnamon. Let cook for a minute. Add the garlic and cook for half a minute more. Place cooked onions and garlic into the bowl of a slow cooker. (Do not wipe down the sauté pan.) Turn the chicken pieces over and brown the skinless side for 4 to 5 minutes more. When the chicken has finished browning, place the chicken pieces skin-side up in the pot. I suggest checking about halfway through the cooking time to see how the rice is cooking. If it is drying out (could be your lid isn’t tight fitting, or the rice just needs more water), add another half cup to cup of water. Fluff the rice with a fork to serve. Add more salt to taste.
