Description

Crockpot Herb Butter Chicken and Wild Rice is a comforting, hearty dish featuring tender boneless chicken slow-cooked with a wild rice blend and a medley of fresh vegetables and herbs. Enhanced with garlic, sage, and butter, this recipe offers rich flavors and a perfectly cooked rice pilaf that pairs wonderfully with succulent chicken. Versatile for crockpot, instant pot, or skillet methods, this dish is ideal for easy weeknight dinners or lazy weekend meals.

Ingredients

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Base Ingredients

1 1/2 cups wild rice blend (mix wild and brown rice)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
1 cup chopped celery
6 cloves garlic, smashed
8 leaves fresh sage
1 parmesan rind (optional)

Seasonings and Herbs

1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Proteins and Fats

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
4 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)

Liquids

3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

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Instructions

Prepare the Crockpot Base: In the crockpot bowl, combine the wild rice blend, chopped onion, carrots, mushrooms, celery, and dried parsley. Season generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over and toss everything together to coat well. Pour the low sodium chicken broth evenly over the mixture.
Season and Add Chicken: In a separate bowl, toss the chicken breasts or thighs with 1 tablespoon olive oil, dried thyme, rosemary, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated. Place the seasoned chicken on top of the vegetables and rice in the crockpot. Add the smashed garlic cloves and parmesan rind if using. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours until chicken is tender and rice is cooked.
Broil Herb Butter Chicken: About 5 minutes before serving, preheat your oven broiler to high. Remove the chicken and garlic from the crockpot and transfer to a baking sheet. Arrange small dollops of butter and the fresh sage leaves around the chicken and garlic cloves. Broil for 1-3 minutes until the butter melts and the surface gets a slight crisp. Remove the garlic skins, chop the softened garlic cloves and mix the garlic into the melted butter on the baking sheet. Toss the chicken pieces in the garlic herb butter for extra flavor.
Fluff and Serve: Fluff the wild rice and vegetable mixture with a fork directly in the crockpot or transfer to a serving dish. Serve the broiled herb butter chicken on top or alongside the rice and vegetables, drizzling the remaining garlic butter from the pan over the chicken for maximum richness.

Notes

If you don’t have a parmesan rind, you can omit it or use a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese to infuse flavor.
The recipe is flexible for using chicken breasts or thighs depending on your preference for lean or juicier meat.
You can substitute fresh herbs if available instead of dried ones, using approximately three times the quantity for fresh herbs.
For a quicker alternative, you can use the Instant Pot method described in the article, which cooks the dish under high pressure for 20 minutes.
The final broiling step adds a crispy, flavorful finish to the chicken, but can be skipped if preferred for softer texture.
This dish pairs well with a side of steamed green vegetables or a crisp salad for added freshness.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/6 of recipe)
Calories: 420
Sugar: 3g
Sodium: 400mg
Fat: 15g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Unsaturated Fat: 8g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 38g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 35g
Cholesterol: 90mg