If you’re in love with my healthy Crack Chicken, you’re really going to love this cheesy chicken casserole. It’s so easy to pull together in your Instant Pot, Crockpot, or even on your stove top. This great recipe has all the same flavors as the traditional version, but cleaned up so you can enjoy it without the guilt.
Take me to the Healthy Crack Chicken and Rice Recipe
My readers come from all levels of experience in the kitchen, and I receive a ton of questions about my recipes.
To better serve all of my readers, I’ve made a commitment to put a lot of helpful information in all of my posts. This includes: tips, clarifications, and diet information. Some of these may be useful to you and others may be some that you already know.
If you’d like to skip over the information, please scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find this easy to print Crack Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe!
Ingredients
- Chicken: Chicken has a high protein content, which plays a very important role in sustaining our muscles. Eating chicken is a must for those who want to build strength.
- Garlic: I can’t sing the praises of garlic enough. In addition to being one of my favorite flavors, garlic has anti-inflammatory properties. Boom.
- Onion Powder: It gives you all the flavor of an onion without mincing or large crunchy pieces.
- Dill: Also known as dill weed, this is a green herb with wiry, thread-like leaves that grow in clusters. It has a strong, distinctive taste that is combination of fennel, anise, and celery.
- Parsley: Because of its light scent and fresh taste, parsley can be used in anything from soups to sauces to vegetables, it is also a key ingredient in any ranch dressing.
- Black Pepper
- Brown Rice: Brown rice has more fiber, protein, and nutrients than white rice.
- Chicken Broth: I always grab low sodium chicken broth. You can always add salt after, if needed.
- Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is loaded with probiotics, and can promote gut health. It is a wonderful replacement for sour cream and cream cheese in healthy recipes.
- Cheddar Cheese: Cheese is a particularly tasty way to get 20% of your daily recommended calcium.
- Turkey Bacon: Turkey bacon is a wonderful way to satisfy that bacon craving with less fat, and sodium. If you’d rather, nitrate free bacon is a great substitute.
Recipe Tips
- For Instant Pot cooking: Only use frozen chicken and dry, uncooked rice. This recipe will not work if you substitute with thawed chicken or minute rice because the ingredients won’t have enough cooking time.
- Did you know that you can cook bacon in your Instant Pot? Set your pot to sauté and place your bacon in a single layer. Fry on one side for 3-5 minutes. Flip your bacon and fry 3-5 more minutes, or until fully cooked and the edges have begun to curl. Transfer your bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess grease. Once your bacon is cool enough to handle, chop into small pieces.
- You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe!
- This is a great meal prep recipe! It can be frozen in single servings and reheated in the microwave.
How to make this Crack Chicken Casserole Three Ways:
Time needed: 35 minutes.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add Frozen Chicken
Lightly spray your pot insert with oil. Place frozen chicken in the bottom of your pot.
- Add spices
Sprinkle garlic, onion powder, dried dill, parsley, and black pepper on top of your chicken.
- Add rice
Push frozen chicken breast to one side of your pot, and add your brown rice.
- Add broth
Add your chicken broth on top of your brown rice.
- Pressure Cook
Close the lid and turn the pressure valve handle to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Natural Pressure Release
When the pressure valve drops remove the lid of your Instant pot.
- Shred your chicken
Using two forks (or a stand mixer) shred your chicken, and stir to combine chicken and rice.
- Add Greek yogurt, cheese, and cooked turkey bacon
Add Greek yogurt, cheese, and cooked turkey bacon. Stir well to combine. Top with green onions and additional cheddar cheese, as desired. Serve warm.
How to make this casserole on the stove:
- You will need to defrost your chicken first to make this on the stovetop.
- Heat a large skillet on high heat on the stove. Add the chicken, garlic, onion powder, dill, parsley, and black pepper.
- Add in 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil and stir in your brown rice.
- Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Let the chicken and rice simmer for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.
- When the chicken is cooked (internal temperature reaches 165°F), shred with two forks or using a stand mixer.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. While the chicken and rice are still hot, mix in the cheese, bacon, and Greek yogurt. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
- If you’d like to brown the top of your casserole, preheat the oven to 400º and let the casserole bake for 5 minutes before serving.
How to make this casserole in the Crock pot:
- You will need to thaw your chicken first to make this in a slow cooker.
- Add the chicken, garlic, onion powder, pepper, dill, and parsley to your slow cooker insert.
- Pour the brown rice next to the chicken, and then cover with 1 1/2 cup chicken broth.
- Cover your slow cooker and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours until your rice and chicken are cooked.
- Remove the lid, break apart the chicken using two forks or a stand mixer. Then, mix in the cheese, bacon, and Greek yogurt.
- Let your casserole rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Healthy Eating Plans
Weight Watchers: Each 1 ¼ cup serving (using fat free yogurt and fat free cheddar cheese) of this Weight Watchers recipe has 8 Blue Plan Points | 11 Green Plan Points | 3 Purple Plan Points.
21 Day Fix: For this 21 Day Fix casserole, the entire recipe is counted as: 9 Red Containers, 4 Yellow Containers, and 2 Blue Containers. (Per 1 ¼ cup serving) 2 ¼ Red Container, 1 Yellow Container, and ½ Blue Container.
2B Mindset: This recipe counts as a protein and FFC. Fill your plate with 50% vegetables for a perfect lunch.
Looking for more cheesy, ranchy, bacon-y recipes? Check out these other crack chicken dishes:
- Crack Chicken Pasta Salad
- Healthy Crack Chicken
- Crack Chicken Soup
- Dairy Free Crack Chicken
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Crack Chicken and Rice Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs frozen chicken breast (frozen for Instant Pot method because it takes extra time to cook the dry rice)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dill dried
- 1 tsp parsley dried
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 cup brown rice dry
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium, 2 cups if cooking on the stove top
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt plain, 2%
- 2/3 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 slices turkey bacon cooked and chopped
Instructions
Instant Pot:
- Lightly spray your pot insert with oil. Place frozen chicken in the bottom of your pot.
- Sprinkle garlic, onion powder, dried dill, parsley, and black pepper over your chicken.
- Push frozen chicken breast to one side of your pot, and add your brown rice.
- Add your chicken broth on top of your brown rice.
- Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
- When the pressure valve drops remove the lid of your Instant pot.
- Using two forks (or a stand mixer) shred your chicken, and stir to combine chicken and rice.
- Add the bacon, Greek yogurt and cheddar cheese. Stir well to combine. Top with green onions and additional cheddar cheese, as desired. Serve warm.
Stove Top:
- You will need to defrost your chicken first to make this on the stovetop.
- Heat a large skillet on high heat on the stove. Add the chicken, garlic, onion powder, dill, parsley, and black pepper.
- Add in 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil and stir in your brown rice.
- Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Let the chicken and rice simmer for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.
- When the chicken is cooked (internal temperature reaches 165°F), shred with two forks or using a stand mixer.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. While the chicken and rice are still hot, mix in the cheese, bacon, and Greek yogurt. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Slow cooker:
- You will need to thaw your chicken first to make this in a slow cooker.
- Add the chicken, garlic, onion powder, pepper, dill, and parsley to your slow cooker insert.
- Pour the brown rice next to the chicken, and then cover with 1 1/2 cup chicken broth.
- Cover your slow cooker and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours until your rice and chicken are cooked.
- Remove the lid, break apart the chicken using two forks or a stand mixer. Then, mix in the cheese, bacon, and Greek yogurt.
- Let your casserole rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- For Instant Pot cooking – Only use frozen chicken and dry, uncooked rice. This recipe will not work in the Instant Pot if you substitute with thawed chicken or minute rice.
- Did you know that you can cook bacon in your Instant Pot? Set your Instant Pot to sauté and place your bacon in a single layer. Fry on one side for 3-5 minutes. Flip your bacon and fry 3-5 more minutes, or until fully cooked and the edges have begun to curl. Transfer your bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess grease. Once your bacon is cool enough to handle, chop into small pieces.
I just made in crockpot and checked rice at 2h30 but was crunchy. Chicken was done. Then at 3h I added more chicken stock. I ended up using all 4 cups and at 4h 30 mins liquid gone and rice still crunchy. Bummer! I think I the brown rice has to be cooked separate like others said. Haven’t eaten yet but family made it on InstaPot and really liked. No issues with cooking it all.
Hi Jen, Thanks for your feedback! I prefer cooking rice separately in the slow cooker because results can vary so much. I’ve found that the age of your rice and how it’s stored can impact how it cooks.
Really enjoy this recipe, especially with how simple it is to throw together. I season with Cajun seasoning and a little cayenne to add a kick.