Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken and Rice
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Saucy chicken, rice and veggies come together so easily right in the crockpot. Sure to be a weeknight staple!
I’m having a complete love affair with my slow cooker this winter season. Seriously. I have been using it almost daily.
Because at the end of the day, you can really make anything right in your crockpot, like this teriyaki chicken and rice.
Now this is a great way to use up those lingering veggies and/or the leftover rice from the night before, although you can even sub cooked brown rice or quinoa here.
Just throw it right into your slow cooker and let the veggies soak up that homemade teriyaki sauce for a few hours. That’s it. It’s just way easier/quicker/healthier than takeout – duh!
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 8-ounce can diced water chestnuts, drained
- 2 cups cooked rice
- ¾ cup teriyaki sauce, homemade or store-bought
- 2 heads butter lettuce
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Place ground chicken, bell peppers, onion, water chestnuts and rice into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in teriyaki sauce.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or high heat for 1-2 hours.
- To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Delicious! I used “boil-in-bag” brown rice (yields 2cups!). We ate it (family of 3) for 4 days! Put a little soy sauce on your lettuce wrap…everyone loved it and I’ve shared it many times as I’ve made this several times!
Family really loves it. I’ve made it half a dozen times since it’s is so easy for a weekday meal. For those with mushy rice, try using extra long grain rice and a liner for the crockpot. Recipe failed for me once, when I forgot the liner and my local grocery store substituted their brand of regular long.
I followed this recipe to a tee and it still came out mushy after slow cooking for 3 hours. I used two-day old jasmine rice. I will try basmati rice next time since the flavor is actually very good and I would love to give it another shot. Maybe it would also work with just slow cooking the meat and veggies and then pouring it over steamed jasmine rice.
Could this be frozen for later use?
Freezing sounds like an amazing idea but unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Can you cook this in an instant pot? If yes, what changes need to be made. Thanks!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
What is the serving size that was used for the nutrition facts?
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
Can I use cooked quinoa instead of cooked rice?
Yes, absolutely!
I just added this all to the crock pot and stirred it in and realized I didn’t cook the rice. Ahhhhhh, what can I do? Maybe add some water? Please help.
Oh no! Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I followed the recipe using basmati rice and set the slow cooker to low for 4 hours, and my dish turned out mushy. (My rice wasn’t sticky when I made it.) This dish tasted good though, just didn’t look as good as the picture.! I’d like to give this recipe another try. I think next time I won’t let it go as long as I did this time in the slow cooker, or maybe I will add the cooked rice the last 30-min or so of cooking.
What is the serving size?
About 1-2 cups.
Do you mean 2 cups of rice when it’s measured uncooked or 2 cups of rice when it’s measured cooked?
The recipe calls for 2 cups cooked rice.
Hi Aneeta,
Did you ever figure out the answer? I think Chungah’s response could be read either way. Thanks
Are you people really that slow… 2 cups of cooked rice is 2 cups of cooked rice… If it was 2 cups of uncooked rice it would say 2 cups of uncooked rice.
Is it necessary to cook the chicken before putting it in the slow cooker? I always wonder the purpose of cooking beforehand because some recipes (not just yours) require cooking meat before putting into slow cooker and others don’t. Thanks!
To get the most flavor out of your meal, it is best not to add raw meat straight in the bowl of the slow cooker. Browning the chicken on the stovetop before adding it to the slow cooker will add a wonderful caramelized flavor you just can’t achieve from the slow cooker.
Could I sub hoisin sauce for teriyaki sauce?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Very nice! I didn’t have water chestnuts, so I chopped up cashews instead. I then added some Hoisin sauce so it would be a tad sweeter. I liked this recipe! Thank you for sharing it.
came out super mushy do not put cooked rice into the slow cooker.
If I half the recipe for 4 servings, how long should i cook in the crockpot?
Cooking time may have to be reduced as needed but unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
I made this last night with a few changes. I didn’t have any chicken mince, so I diced some thighs, and added some broccoli and carrots, also I misread the recipe and browned the onions with the chicken. I used 1 cup raw parboiled rice and a bit under 3 cups of hot water and left it all to cook on low for about 5 hours. It was really nice ad the rice was nicely cooked and not mushy at all.
I have used this recipe, however, i cooked the rice separate, did not add it to the slow cooker at all. When the chicken mixture was done, I stirred in the rice along with a few splashes of soy sauce. It was delish and the rice was not at all mushy since I added it last. I like things nice and easy so I actually used minute rice and followed the microwave directions for that. also, this recipe is delish with out the rice, I just spoon the chicken mixture onto bib lettuce and wrap them up like a burrito, then dip them in a dipping sauce such as teriyaki. This recipe has such endless possibilities! Thank you for posting, I make it all the time!
This recipe was not good. Followed the directions exactly and it came out mushy and flavorless. 3/4 cup of teriyaki was not nearly enough sauce.
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well. However, I understand that we all have different taste preferences, and I really appreciate your honest feedback.
Also, you can always add more teriyaki sauce as needed – isn’t that the beauty of home cooking?
This recipe is awesome! It is for sure a staple at our house!
I’m planning on making this tonight, but wasn’t sure how much sauce the linked recipe makes, is it enough to yield the amount needed for this recipe or does it need to be doubled?
Yes, it should yield enough, but you can always double the amount as needed if you need more sauce.
I am in the midst of making this one tonight. I didn’t have ground chicken but a pork/beef blend. I browned it and then I put it in a colander and ran hot water over it to get rid of the fat…all else is true to form…right now it’s smelling very nice for a mid February day in Nova Scotia…kind of comfort food but a bit lighter 🙂
I have noticed that (perhaps because of my uber draining of the ground beef) that I have had to add about a half cup of water to the mix…starting to kinda bake on….that I put down to my ministrations with the beef.
At the end of the day this was a really filling and yummy dish…Thanks again
Just finished making this with pork, added carrots and diced bamboo. Way better than takeout!!
Soooo yummy and lovely comfort food.
I love slowcooker dishes. You throw everything in the bowl and off you go.
This one is easy and actually really lovely, eventhough when it was finished I was a bit like hmm.. is this it?
The addition of the green onions was really nice, and I decided on beansprouts as well (leftovers from my cheater pho) or the extra crunch and some srichacha for the spice.
I think next time I might add some pineapple to it too, love a bit of pineapple.
Thank you!
Can this been made into a freezer meal?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Would it be okay to use uncooked rice in this recipe? I am really concerned that the rice would be overcooked after simmering in a slow cooker for a few hours. I know in a previous comment you said you didn’t think mushy rice would be an issue but I just can’t imagine that it wouldn’t be. I know if I cook my rice too long on the stove it’s mushy, so what would be the difference?
If you prefer to use uncooked rice, you may need to make various adjustments to ensure there is enough liquid for the rice to cook through completely. As always, please use your best judgment.
Are we using cooked rice or uncooked rice? I’m just thinking if I used cooked and have it on low for 3-4 hours, the rice will get real mushy. No? Just wondering. Thanks.
Melisa, the recipe indicates “2 cups cooked rice”. A mushy consistency should not be an issue unless sticky rice is used.
Do you have any suggestions on what type of rice to use?
I recommend using basmati rice.
My first try at this turned out mushy…didn’t look at all like yours!!! Could I have left it in the slow cooker too long?? It was still tasty but the consistency wasn’t that appetizing. 🙁 Help!
Perhaps but it can also depend on the type of rice as well. What kind of rice did you use?
jasmine pre-cooked rice.. 🙂 ?
What a great idea! I love teriyaki but hate how long it takes the rice to cook. This solves my problem. Definitely trying it out soon!
Yummy! That looks and sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing, you’ve been pinned! 🙂
Did you drain the water chesnuts??
Yes!
This sounds super delicious. I’m off to the grocery to get what I need to make this . I’m looking forward to this meal. Thanks
I cannot eat peppers. Is there another veggie you would suggest to substitute and give it taste?
Broccoli and/or carrots would be great substitutes!
I add tri color pepper strips, and leeks often. I also use ponzu soy, wuth lime.
I don’t have a slow cooker. How can I modify to cook on stove? What is sodium content?
Thanks!
Iris, you can cook on the stovetop by sautéing the veggies first, stirring in the rest of the ingredients as you see fit.
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, it is best that you use free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information.
Chungah merry christmas thanks for all you share there are very few we dint like !
75 yr old granny naking your delious menus
Yum – thank you.
2lbs of chicken with 2cups cooked rice seems like a lot of chicken & not much rice?