Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken and Rice

The EASIEST set it and forget it Chicken and Rice recipe. Chicken and rice cook up perfectly with garlic, lemon and thyme for an easy, wholesome family meal. This Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice is a family winning meal. 

This is a healthy slow cooker recipe that is so incredibly simple to make and tastes delicious! Feel free to use any bone-in cut of chicken you like and with a few simple pantry staples and a fresh lemon dinner is DONE!

This recipe for Crockpot chicken and rice is easy. It is wholesome. It is cheap. It is gluten-free. And most importantly Lemon Chicken and Rice is delicious!

The rice is cooked to perfection and is richly flavored from the chicken thighs and garlic. The chicken is cooked to perfection and remain perfectly juicy and tender.

Key Ingredients

• Chicken: Feel free to use any bone-in chicken pieces you like–drumsticks, thighs, or breasts. I prefer skinless, so the rice does not get greasy, but you can use skin-on. Just be to not skip searing the meat before adding to the slow cooker.
• Rice: It is CRUCIAL to use LONG-GRAIN rice. Short-grain or minute rice will not cook correctly in the slow cooker.
• Garlic: Garlic gives this chicken and rice incredible flavor. It may sound like a lot of garlic, but it will mellow out as it cooks.
• Lemon: Fresh lemon juice finishes this recipe with the perfect flavor.

How to Make Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

Step One: Sear Chicken

• Liberally season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add in 2 teaspoons oil and heat.
• Cook chicken on each side, for 2-3 minutes or until browned.

Step Two: Add Rice and Chicken to Slow Cooker

• Add rice, chicken stock, garlic, and thyme, to slow cooker.
• Season with salt and pepper and stir.
• Nestle chicken on top of rice.

Step Three: Slow Cook Chicken and Rice

• Cook on high for 1 hour and 30 minutes and then check the internal temperature of the chicken. If it has reached 165 degrees, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and tent with foil.
• Stir the rice. Add in 1/4 cup more liquid if your rice seems dry. Cover and cook for 30 more minutes.

A Few Notes on Crock Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice:

• You can easily remove the skin yourself to save a few pennies. Just pull off the raw skin gently before cooking–it should slip right off.
• Homemade chicken stock is best in this recipe, but a good quality store-bought stock is acceptable. You can even use vegetable stock, but I would not recommend water.
• If you don’t have fresh thyme, use 2 teaspoons dried thyme.
• If you don’t have fresh garlic bulbs, use 1 tablespoon minced jarred garlic.
• You can skip searing the chicken thighs to save time if desired.
• High heat is best for Slow Cooker Rice. I have found that I have mushy and under-cooked rice when cooked on low heat.

More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes

• Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
• Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs
• Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Drumsticks
• Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Chicken from Dinner then Dessert
• Chicken Chili

Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken and Rice

Rice and chicken cook up in a rich broth flavored with lemon, garlic, and fresh thyme. This is an easy set it and forget it crock-pot recipe. 

4.33 from 28 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 366kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• 1 cup long grain Jasmine rice1 cup long grain Jasmine rice
• 8 cloves garlic8 cloves garlic
• 2 cups chicken stock low sodium2 cups chicken stock low sodium
• 1 bunch fresh thyme1 bunch fresh thyme
• 4 bone-in chicken thighs4 bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper1 teaspoon pepper
• juice of 1 fresh lemonjuice of 1 fresh lemon

Instructions

• Season chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Heat skillet over medium high heat. Add in 2 teaspoons olive oil and sear chicken on both sides, 2 minutes per side. 
• Stir together rice, garlic, stock and fresh thyme in slow cooker. Place chicken thighs on top of mixture.
• Cook on high for 2 hours. 
• After 1.5 hours of cook time, check the internal temperature of your chicken. Remove from slow cooker if it has reached 165 degrees. Place on a plate and tent with foil until the rice has finished cooking. 
• Remove thyme stalk before serving and stir in fresh lemon juice.

Equipment Needed

• 6-8 quart Slow Cooker

Notes

• Be sure to use low sodium chicken stock or omit added salt.
• If you would like your chicken thighs to have a bit more color, either sear in 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat on stove before adding to slow cooker, or after cooking, brush with oil and broil for 1 minute. 
• Feel free to use any bone-in chicken pieces you like--drumsticks, thighs, or breasts. I prefer skinless, so the rice does not get greasy, but you can use skin-on. Just be sure to sear the meat before adding the slow cooker. 
• After 1.5 hours of cook time, check the internal temperature of your chicken. Remove from slow cooker if it has reached 165 degrees. Place on a plate and tent with foil until the rice has finished cooking. 
• After the 2 hours of cook time, if you rice is still hard, add in 1/4 cup additional liquid and cook for additional 20-30 minutes. 
• You can easily remove the skin yourself to save a few pennies. Just pull off the raw skin gently before cooking--it should slip right off.
• If you don't have fresh thyme, use 2 teaspoons dried thyme.
• If you don't have fresh garlic bulbs, use 1 tablespoon minced jarred garlic.

Nutrition

Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 1460mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 10.7mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg

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