How to Cook Rice in a Slow Cooker
While it may come as a surprise, cooking rice using your slow cooker is just as effective as using a steamer or saucepan. Both white and brown rice cook equally well in a slow cooker, although brown rice takes about an hour longer to prepare. Another option is to mix raw rice in with other ingredients in a slow cooker meal. Instead of cooking rice separately and mixing it into your slow cooker at the end of cooking time, save a step and add raw rice at the start.
White and brown rice cook equally well in your slow cooker. (Image: Hue/amanaimagesRF/amana images/Getty Images)Cook Only Rice
Step 1
Coat the sides and bottom of your slow cooker with 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine to keep the rice from sticking as it cooks.
Step 2
Add 2 cups of white or brown rice to your slow cooker. Pour in 4 cups of water. Sprinkle with two or more pinches of salt, if desired.
Step 3
Cover your slow cooker and set the heat setting to high. Cook white rice for 2 hours and brown rice for 3 hours. Gently stir the rice once during cooking time.
Step 4
Taste-test a spoonful of the rice and cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes, if necessary.
Cook a Complete Meal
Step 1
Spray the sides and bottom of your slow cooker with vegetable oil spray to keep the rice from sticking as it cooks.
Step 2
Add and stir to combine the soups, skim milk or water, 1 Tbsp. of dry onion soup mix and 4 Tbsp. of unsalted butter or low-fat margarine in a saucepan. Heat the mixture on a stovetop over medium heat, stirring once every minute, until the butter or margarine melts.
Step 3
Spray the sides and bottom of your slow cooker with vegetable oil spray.
Step 4
Add 1 1/2 cups of white rice and 2/3 of the soup mixture to your slow cooker. Stir to make sure the soup mixture completely coats the raw rice. Set the chicken breasts on the top the rice, and pour the remaining soup mixture on top of the chicken. Sprinkle the remaining dry onion soup mix evenly over the chicken breasts, followed by paprika to garnish, if desired.
Step 5
Cover your slow cooker and set the heat setting to low. Cook the chicken and rice for about 2 hours, and then remove the cover and stir. Replace cover and continue cooking for an additional 4 to 4 1/2 hours without raising the cover or stirring the rice.
Things You'll Need
FOR RICE ONLY:
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 cups rice
4 cups water
Salt
FOR RICE WITH CHICKEN MEAL:
Vegetable oil spray
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter or low-fat margarine
1 can low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
1 can low-sodium celery soup
1 soup can-full skim milk or water
1 envelope low-sodium onion soup mix
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Paprika
Tip
A 2-quart or 3-quart slow cooker is a good size for cooking rice as a side dish.
Cooked rice will stay warm in your slow cooker for up to 2 hours after you turn off the heat.
