Step 1: Prep your ingredients

Start by chopping your chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. They don’t have to be perfect, just small enough to cook evenly and be bite-sized when it’s done. Then, chop up half an onion. If you’re like me and get teary-eyed chopping onions, try chilling it in the fridge for 10 minutes beforehand—it helps!

Step 2: Mix it up

In your crockpot, toss in the chicken, minced garlic, salt, pepper, onion, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and uncooked brown rice. Stir everything together until it’s well combined. The rice will look a little soupy, but don’t worry—it’ll soak up all those flavors as it cooks.

Step 3: Set it and forget it

Cover the crockpot and set it to cook on high for 3.5-4 hours. Resist the urge to peek too often! Every time you lift the lid, you’re letting out heat and extending the cook time.

Step 4: The cheese finale

Once the rice has absorbed all the liquid and the chicken is tender (you can check by fluffing the rice with a fork), stir in your shredded cheddar cheese. The heat from the dish will melt it perfectly in just a few minutes, turning everything creamy and delicious.

Step 5: Time to serve

Spoon the chicken and rice into bowls or onto plates, and serve warm. You’re done!