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Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice

Published September 14th 2011 Updated January 23rd 2024

This Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice is as delicious as the colors are vibrant. It’s truly a feast for the senses. Serve with your favorite taco toppings for a homemade fiesta any night of the week.

Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken And Rice

Easy Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice Recipe

This slow cooked casserole features boneless skinless chicken breasts rubbed with a blend of spices then nestled into a creamy rice mixture. It’s slow cooked until the rice and chicken are tender. Top it with plenty of gooey cheese and chopped chives or green onion for even more color before servings with pico de gallo or any of your favorite taco toppings.

  • Prepare Slow Cooker – Spray the inside of a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
  • Seasonings – Mix together, lime juice, olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder and garlic salt to form a paste. Rub on all sides of chicken, set aside.
  • Vegetables – Saute the diced peppers and onions in a couple of drizzles of olive oil until beginning to brown. Season with salt and black pepper to your taste. Add butter and minced garlic. Simmer for 1 minute.
  • Deglaze the Pan – To the pan add the chicken stock, scraping any brown bits from pan. Stir in remaining cumin, chili powder plus 1 tsp oregano. Stir well.
  • Filling – Add rice, soup, salsa, cilantro, black beans, corn and chopped cilantro. Mix thoroughly then pour into slow cooker. Arrange chicken breasts on top.
  • Lock Lid in Place – Cook on low for 4 1/2-5 hours. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and sprinkle shredded cheese on top then replace the lid. Keep warm just until cheese has melted. 
  • Serve with a dollop of sour cream or guacamole on the side and garnish with chopped chives or green onions before serving.
Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken And Rice

Hows to Make the BEST Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice Recipe

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice: Boneless skinless chicken breasts, saffron rice, lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, chili powder, garlic salt, red bell pepper, poblano pepper, onion, butter, garlic, oregano, chicken broth, cream of celery soup, chunky salsa, black beans, frozen sweet corn, chopped fresh cilantro, shredded Colby-Jack cheese, chives or green onions for garnishing.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: Slow cooker, cheese grater, skillet, measuring cups and spoons, sharp knife and chopping board.
  • You can adapt this recipe using a different kind of shredded cheese.
  • You can reheat Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice in single servings in the microwave.
  • You can freeze leftovers for up to one month.
Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken And Rice

Slow Cooker Dessert Recipes to Make

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Slow Cooked Fiesta Chicken and Rice

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 hours
Total Time5 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: crockpot-chicken-and-rice, slow-cooked-fiesta-chicken-and-rice
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 632kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil plus additional as needed
  • 2 tsp ground cumin divided
  • 2 tsp chili powder divided
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 medium red bell pepper poblano pepper & onion diced
  • 4 Tbsp butter or light butter
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 10 oz package of saffron rice [I used Mahatma]
  • 1 14 oz can chicken broth
  • 1 10 oz can cream of celery soup
  • 1/2 cup chunky salsa
  • 1 cup cooked black beans rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen sweet corn
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese
  • chopped chives or green onions for garnishing

Instructions

  • Spray the inside of a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
  • In a small bowl mix together, lime juice, olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder and garlic salt to form a paste. Rub on all sides of chicken, set aside.
  • On the stove top saute the diced peppers and onions in a couple of drizzles of olive oil until beginning to brown. Season with salt and black pepper to your taste. Add butter and minced garlic. Simmer for 1 minute.
  • To the pan add the chicken stock scraping any brown bits from pan. Stir in remaining cumin, chili powder plus 1 tsp oregano. Stir well.
  • Add rice, soup, salsa, cilantro, black beans, corn and chopped cilantro. Mix thoroughly then pour into slow cooker. Arrange chicken breasts on top.
  • Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2-5 hours. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and sprinkle shredded cheese on top then replace the lid. Keep warm just until cheese has melted. 
  • Serve with a dollop of sour cream or guacamole on the side and garnish with chopped chives or green onions before serving.

Notes

It’s a good idea to stir this at least once midway through cooking, if possible. I usually remove the chicken breasts, give the rice a good stir, and then replace the chicken. This will prevent the rice from getting too brown around the edges.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1683mg | Potassium: 941mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1709IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 209mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

36 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We had this for dinner tonight and it was a universal hit! Absolutely delicious! We needed a bit more rice, so I added 1/2 cup of Basmati Rice and an extra cup of chicken broth. Served with sour cream, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, and Salsa Verde. Well worth the effort!

    1. You can adjust the heat to your taste by using a mild salsa. Since spice is totally subjective I would say adjust any of the seasonings to your personal taste and it should work well for you.

  2. Wow! This was awesome! Only had to make a few changes. Substituted kidney beans for black beans (black beans really mess with my stomach). The only rice i had on hand was Goya Spanish rice and it worked out nicely in this recipe. I did end up adding another half cup of chicken broth. Used fresh pablano peppers from my garden and added a dash of chipotle hot sauce. Thanks for this recipe! Will definitely make this again!

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