This Crock Pot Chicken and Rice recipe is Peruvian-inspired and super flavorful. A healthy crock pot recipe full of vegetables, delicious cilantro, fiber-rich brown rice and yummy chicken thighs.
Course Main Course
Cuisine International, Peruvian
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 3 hourshours
Total Time 3 hourshours20 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Calories 377kcal
Ingredients
1smallonion
2clovesgarlic
2-3tspoil
1/2bunchcilantro
1 1/4cupswater
1cupdiced red bell pepper
1cupdiced carrots
1cupdiced celery
1cupshort-grain brown rice
4skinless boneless chicken thighs
sea salt
pepper
1Tbspají amarillo(optional but recommended. A Peruvian yellow chili, often sold pureed in jars)
Instructions
Prepare veggies: Peel and dice onion and peel and crush garlic. Wash, deseed and dice bell pepper. Peel and dice carrots. Wash and dice celery.
Prepare cilantro water: wash cilantro, shake excess water out a little and add to a blender, stems and all. Add water and blend until smooth and more more herb leaves float around.
Prepare sofrita: Preheat a small pan over medium heat, add a dollop of oil and fry diced onion and crushed garlic until nice and brown. If you have, add Peruvian ají amarillo once onions are translucent.
Crock Pot Prep: Add sofrita, brown rice, sea salt, pepper and cilantro water to crockpot and give it a quick stir. Add diced vegetables on top without mixing into the rice. Just smooth out into one layer. Then top everything with salted and peppered chicken thighs.
Cook: Add the lid to the crock pot and seal it. Set the crock pot to high and adjust the timer to 3 hours. Ensure with a meat thermometer that the chicken's internal temperature is at least at 165F.
Serve: Use two forks to shred the chicken and mix everything well together. Season with more sea salt and pepper if necessary and plate.