The FA Cup holders have taken the first step on this season's road to Wembley with an undramatic victory - courtesy of a first-half own goal.
It was far from the most convincing home performance of the season although once the visitors from across west London had spent their initial rush of energy, an upset never looked on the cards.
The Chelsea starting line-up looked solid with the added insurance of fit-again Didier Drogba on the bench.
His Ivorian colleague, Salomon Kalou, led the attack in a 4-2-3-1 shape that included Steve Sidwell in midfield; 18-year-old Scott Sinclair on the left and Ashley Cole as captain for the first time.
There was a nervous moment for Rangers' keeper Lee Camp in the first two minutes. Not the tallest, he came for a corner and failed to catch, retrieving the situation by gathering on the ground among a forest of legs.
The Championship side settled down after that moment. Chelsea won another corner soon after but then QPR pushed forward and enjoyed the territorial advantage in the opening 10 minutes, without creating chances.
On 14 minutes, a great Mikel ball wide gave Ferreira the chance to cut round the back. He was challenged from behind on the edge of the area and fell but there was neither an appeal nor a penalty given.
Midway through the first half and with Chelsea by now on top, Wright-Phillips crossed low after his initial corner routine had failed, and although Pizarro stooped, the ball flew across the six-yard area to safety.
A similar ball in from Ferreira on 25 minutes suffered the same fate.
The opener came three minutes later, an inadvertent own-goal by QPR keeper Camp that owed much to the enterprise of Kalou. Cutting down the inside left channel, he found Pizarro who delayed his shot to work inside Mahon before letting fly.
Not the hardest attempt, it hit the left-hand post and then the back left hand of the diving keeper, rebounding in. It had taken 28 minutes to set the ball rolling.
Wright-Phillips, at full sprint, blasted wide of the near-post from an angle on 37 minutes and two minutes later, Kalou could have done better when a Wright-Phillips free-kick found him, the ball striking his thigh for a comfortable save.
One minute before the break came the move of the game so far. The attack originated down the right, Kalou laying Wright-Phillips's pass back to Sidwell who was denied his first Stamford Bridge goal by the width a post as his piledriver cannoned back.
A single-goal lead at the break was a fair reflection of a low-key first 45 minutes.
In the third minute of the second-half, Alex hit a 35-yard free-kick with a characteristic thump, Camp saving low and Sinclair, against the club where he spent the early part of the season, just failing to control the rebound. Kalou then had a shot blocked by a defender.
QPR, having already made a substitution at the break, lost top scorer Buzsaky to injury on 50 minutes, shortly before their best moment - a Rowland volley from the edge of the area that just whistled over the bar. The Rangers skipper then tested Hilario with his side's first on-target shot of the game.
Pizarro had a chance on 56 minutes after racing clear onside down the right but blasting over.
On the hour came the Chelsea cheer of the day - Drogba replacing Sinclair for his first action since the first day of December. Kalou pushed out wide to the left.
Mikel went close from approaching 30 yards before Grant made his second switch, Ballack replacing Pizarro on 71 minutes with the shape switching to 4-3-3.
New QPR signing Fitz Hall became the first booking of the game for scything down Wright-Phillips.
The match continued in the same vein - only sporadic penalty area action and a low tempo to the midfield play. Rangers looked anything but a side with the ideas needed to force a replay.
Joe Cole was Chelsea's final sub - Wright-Phillips withdrawn with 12 minutes to go.
They were 12 minutes of little incident apart from an stoppage-time shot on the run by Drogba, pushed wide by Camp.
Chelsea will discover our fourth round opponents when the draw is made this Monday lunchtime.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Hilario; Ferreira, Ben-Haim, Alex, A Cole (c); Sidwell, Mikel; Wright-Phillips (J Cole 78), Pizarro (Ballack 71), Sinclair; Kalou.
Scorer Camp (o.g.) 28,
QPR (4-4-1-1) Camp; Connolly, Stewart, Hall, Barker; Ainsworth (Agyemang h-t), Rowlands (c), Mahon, Ephraim (Balanta 65); Buzsaky (Lee); Blackstock.
Booked Hall 72.
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