This recipe for Spicy Chicken and Rice Bowls is simple and delicious – plus it’s loaded with protein and fiber, so you can feel good about feeding it to your family.
I LOVE using my slow cooker, especially when I can dump a few ingredients into it in the morning and let them slowly cook all day long. Be sure to check out all of our easy slow cooker recipes!
Related Recipe: Try our Slow Cooker Chicken and Broccoli over Rice!
How to make Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken and Rice Bowls:
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray (this makes for much easier for clean up or you could also use a slow cooker liner).
- Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, enchilada sauce, bell peppers, onion, garlic, smoked paprika, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper; pour over chicken in slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours (or high heat for about 3 hours) or until chicken is fully cooked and vegetables are tender.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred using 2 forks. Return chicken to slow cooker.
- Add cooked rice and beans and stir well. Top with shredded cheese, cover with lid, and let heat through for about 20-30 minutes.
- Divide into 8 serving bowls and top with garnish of choice (sour cream, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, etc.).
Can I use frozen chicken breasts for these rice bowls?
I know that there are many opinions about using frozen chicken in a crock pot – many people worry that if you use frozen chicken, it will spend too much time thawing out in the danger zone (which is when the chicken is between 40-140 degrees). At this temperature, bacteria can grow more rapidly.
With that being said, I usually use frozen chicken in my slow cooker. I always keep frozen chicken breasts on hand and it’s so easy to just toss them in the slow cooker without thawing them.
If you do use frozen chicken breasts, you will want to make sure you do 2 things:
- Increase your cooking time. Because the chicken is frozen, you will probably want to add about an hour on low heat to the cooking time.
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the internal temperature of your chicken is above 165 degrees F. Bacteria will most likely be killed when chicken reaches that high temperature.
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Choosing the right slow cooker for these Spicy Chicken Rice Bowls:
For this recipe, you’ll need a good slow cooker that is at least a 5-6 quart. This one is the slow cooker that I used for this recipe.
Here are a few suggestions to take into consideration before choosing the one that is right for you.
How big is your family? If you have a large family, we’d recommend looking at an 8 quart slow cooker so you can make sure your recipes fit all in one.
We love this 8 quart slow cooker. You can find it in a 6 quart size too!
What are your slow cooker needs? Do you need a self timer while you’re gone at the office all day? Or do the simple high and low settings work for your lifestyle?
Check out these self timer slow cookers and these manual slow cookers to see which one will work best for you.
Related recipe: Love a good spicy chicken recipe? Try our Spicy Honey-Glazed Grilled Chicken – you won’t be disappointed!
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Other Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes to try:
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Slow Cooker Parmesan Chicken and Rice Recipe
Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken and Rice Bowls Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 14.5 ounces Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, 1 can
- 10 ounces mild red enchilada sauce, 1 can
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, (more or less, depending on how hot you prefer)
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 15 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained, 1 can
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup sour cream, optional topping
- ½ cup sliced cherry tomatoes, optional topping
- 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional topping
- ½ cup salsa, optional topping
Instructions
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, enchilada sauce, bell peppers, onion, garlic, smoked paprika, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper; pour over chicken in slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours (or high heat for about 3 hours) or until chicken is fully cooked and vegetables are tender.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred using 2 forks. Return chicken to slow cooker.
- Add cooked rice and beans and stir well. Top with shredded cheese, cover with lid, and let heat through for about 20-30 minutes.
- Divide into 8 serving bowls and top with garnish of choice (sour cream, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, etc.).
Notes
- Increase your cooking time. Because the chicken is frozen, you will probably want to add about an hour on low heat to the cooking time.
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the internal temperature of your chicken is above 165 degrees F. Bacteria will most likely be killed when chicken reaches that high temperature.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.Adapted from Taste of Home
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Would green enchilada sauce be good to use? My family likes that kind better.
Green enchilada sauce would be delicious too!
So delicious!!! Took leftovers and made it into an enchilada bake by adding some additional items and it was so delicious!! Great easy recipe!!!
I am not a fan of brown rice. Will White rice work just as well.
Yes, you can use white rice. It needs to be precooked and make sure you have adequate liquid.