When the wind starts rattling the windows and the fields turn that dull November brown, this is the creamy, comforting bowl my husband asks for without fail. It reminds me of the church basement suppers I grew up with here in the Midwest—nothing fancy, just simple ingredients that stretch to feed a crowd and make everyone feel taken care of. This slow cooker 3-ingredient chicken and rice is as practical as it gets: a bag of rice, a couple cans of soup, and some chicken. By suppertime you have a big white crock full of tender shredded chicken and soft rice swimming in a thick, savory cream sauce. It’s the kind of cheap, stick-to-your-ribs dinner that has seen many farm families through long winters.
Ladle this creamy chicken and rice into big bowls and serve it just the way it is, or with a little black pepper on top. Around here, we like it with buttered peas or green beans on the side to cut through the richness. A simple lettuce salad with a tangy vinaigrette is nice, too, if you have it. Warm dinner rolls or slices of soft white bread are perfect for mopping up the extra sauce, and if you’re feeding a real crowd, you can set out a pan of cornbread to stretch the meal even further.
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Chicken and RiceServings: 8
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3–4 medium breasts)
2 cans (10.5 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked (not instant or quick-cooking)
Directions
Lightly grease the inside of a large slow cooker (5–6 quart) so the rice doesn’t stick too much. This isn’t required, but it makes cleanup easier.
Pour the 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup into the bottom of the slow cooker. Do not add water or milk. Use a spoon or spatula to spread the soup into an even layer.
Add the uncooked long-grain white rice on top of the soup. Gently spread it out so it covers the soup in an even layer, but don’t stir yet. Keeping the rice mostly on top helps it cook more evenly in the steam.
Lay the chicken breasts on top of the rice. If some overlap a little, that’s fine. Press them down just slightly so they make good contact with the rice and soup underneath, but don’t bury them.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours. Avoid opening the lid during this time so the steam stays trapped; the rice needs that steady moisture to get tender.
After about 4 hours, check the chicken. When it shreds easily with two forks and the rice is soft and thick, it’s ready. If the rice still has a little bite, continue cooking on LOW, checking every 20–30 minutes until tender.
Once the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender, use two forks to shred the chicken breasts right in the slow cooker. Stir everything together well, scraping down the sides and bottom so the soup, rice, and chicken form a thick, creamy mixture.
If the mixture seems too thick for your liking, you can gently stir in a splash or two of hot water to loosen it slightly. Put the lid back on and let it sit on WARM for 10–15 minutes so everything settles into a creamy, porridge-like consistency.
Taste and, if you like, add a little salt and black pepper at the table. Serve hot straight from the slow cooker, keeping it on WARM so everyone can come back for seconds.
Variations & Tips
This is a true three-ingredient base, but over the years I’ve learned a few ways to adjust it while keeping the spirit of the recipe. If you prefer darker meat, you can swap in boneless, skinless chicken thighs; they stay especially moist and shred beautifully. For a slightly looser, more spoonable texture, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of hot water after shredding the chicken and stir until it reaches the creaminess you like. If your slow cooker runs hot and the edges dry out, give everything a good stir halfway through cooking and again near the end, then smooth it back into an even layer. To stretch this for an even bigger crowd, serve the creamy chicken and rice over plain buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, or extra cooked rice; that way the rich mixture becomes more of a topping. Leftovers thicken as they sit, so when reheating, stir in a bit of water or milk and warm gently on the stove or in the microwave, covered, until creamy again. If you ever decide to go beyond three ingredients, a sprinkle of dried parsley or a handful of frozen peas stirred in at the end gives it a little color without changing the comforting character of the dish.
