Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice
Try this Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 15.6996000014283 g
- Cholesterol 686.120000117166 mg
- Fat 55.6004000369797 g
- Fiber 2.55000007152557 g
- Protein 252.487600027785 g
- Saturated Fat 31.0196400235358 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1226g)
- Sodium 1439.32000069295 mg
- Sugar 13.1495999299027 g
- Trans Fat 5.42100000191371 g
- Calories 1630 calories
Step-by-step
- Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.
- Scatter chopped onion over top.
- Spoon cream soup over top of that.
- Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.
- A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese.
- Stir to combine.
- Serve hot.
Melted cheddar coats tender grains of rice while rich poultry broth binds the starch and dairy into a cohesive sauce. Achieving this texture relies entirely on managing moisture levels inside the ceramic insert. Chicken breasts release significant water during prolonged heat exposure, which must balance against the pre-cooked rice to prevent mushy grains. Adding starches late in the cooking cycle preserves their structural integrity, ensuring individual grains remain distinct rather than breaking down into a paste.
Adapting for Dietary Restrictions
Modifying this formulation requires attention to emulsification and sodium content. Standard cream soups contain wheat-based thickeners that complicate gluten-free preparation. Substitute a homemade reduction of heavy cream and cornstarch slurry at a one-to-one ratio by volume to maintain the required viscosity without gluten. Dairy components frequently curdle when subjected to seven hours of low heat. Stirring grated cheddar into the vessel only during the final ten minutes prevents the milk solids from separating and oiling off. Low-sodium broths or unsalted butter adjustments help manage the high baseline sodium contributed by canned soup bases.Fresh Versus Preserved Ingredients
Utilizing fresh aromatics like raw Vidalia onions introduces natural sulfur compounds that mellow significantly over several hours of gentle simmering. Preserved or dehydrated alternatives lack these volatile aromatics, resulting in a flatter flavor profile that benefits from an extra pinch of allium powder. Frozen corn kernels can replace canned varieties without altering liquid ratios, provided they are thawed and thoroughly drained first to eliminate excess surface ice crystals that dilute the sauce.
