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Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo. Turning a meatball and pasta dinner into an easy slow cooker meal. We’re using white wine, creamy Dijon mustard, garlic, herbs, parmesan cheese, and orzo. Then adding in some vibrant spinach and sun-dried tomatoes for veggies, flavor, and a pop of color. This slow-cooked chicken meatball dinner is a delicious meal to come home to at the end of the day. And the best part? It’s the easiest, cozy fall-winter dinner to prepare. Directions for the Instant Pot and stove-top are provided!
I know I’ve said something like this before. But when a recipe I’m not sure about works out so well, I get incredibly excited! When I had this idea, at first I didn’t want to make it. I was honestly scared it would end disastrously. But after some pushing from mom, I decided to just go for it.
I kept asking her about the recipe, “should I make this”? I think I asked her 3 days in a row until she finally said, “Tieghan, MAKE THE MEATBALLS”! Finally, I listened and I sent her a text a few hours later to thank her for the encouragement. The recipe turned out better than I’d imagined and more importantly, it was so delicious.
Here are all the easy details
To be honest, I may only want to make meatballs in the crockpot from now on. This was so easy and almost mess-free.
Start with the meatballs. I make mine using ground chicken, Italian seasoning, dijon, and parmesan cheese. Just mix everything together and roll it into meatballs. Then place them in the crockpot with a little olive oil to prevent any sticking.
Next, pour over white wine, add an onion, and a whole head of garlic. Cover and slow cook. Since these are meatballs, they can cook quickly on high for a couple of hours or cook them low and slow all day. Either is great and the meatballs are never dry. The wine will add moisture to them.
When the meatballs are cooked, pull them out along with the garlic, then set them aside on a baking sheet.
Add the orzo to all the yummy broth in the crockpot. Now simply cover and cook a few minutes longer, until the orzo is al dente.
Meanwhile, I love to add butter to the meatballs and garlic and toss on some rosemary. Then place the sheet pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp them up.
What happens is that the butter browns around the meatballs, garlic, and rosemary. I then chop up the garlic and rosemary and toss them back onto the pan with butter. Then toss the meatballs with the garlicky butter to finish. This step is optional, but I think it really adds flavor.
When the orzo is finished, stir in the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, then add the cream and parmesan, stirring until the orzo becomes very creamy.
Serve the garlic butter meatballs over the orzo, then drizzle any butter left on the pan over top.
So simple and quick with barely any clean-up and minimal hands-on time too.
What I love most about this recipe is the fact that it’s a complete all-in-one dinner. You have your protein, your carbs, and even your vegetables. You can serve this up on busy weeknights, but it’s equally great for those upcoming holiday dinners with friends and family.
Looking for other slow cooker meals? Here are a few ideas:
Creamy White Bean Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bacon.
Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 878 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, pork, or turkey
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 head garlic, top trimmed off to reveal the cloves
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 cups dry orzo pasta
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or canned full fat coconut milk
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- 1. Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, dijon, and 1/2 cup parmesan to a bowl. Season with salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs). Add olive oil and place the meatballs in the bowl of your crockpot. 2. Pour over the wine and 1/2 cup water. Add the onion and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1-2 hours.2. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the meatballs and garlic from the slow cooker and place on a baking sheet.3. Crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Stir in the orzo, and 1 cup water. Cover and cook 20-30 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente. If the orzo needs more liquid, add additional water. Stir in the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, cream, and 1/2 cup parmesan.4. Arrange the butter and the rosemary around the meatballs and garlic, then broil 1-3 minutes, until crisp. Peel away the garlic skin, then chop and mix with the butter and rosemary on the sheet pan. Toss the meatballs in the butter. 5. Serve the meatballs over the orzo.
Instant Pot
- 1. Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, dijon, and 1/2 cup parmesan to a bowl. Season with salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs).2. Set the instant pot to sauté. Add olive oil, then add the meatballs to the instant pot and sear until browned, about 5 minutes, Pour in the wine and 1/2 cup water. Add 1 chopped onion. Cook 5 minutes, then add the butter, garlic and rosemary. Let the butter butter, another 2-3 minutes. Cover and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.3. Once done cooking, release the steam. Set the Instant pot to sauté. Remove the garlic. Stir in the orzo and 1 cup water. Cook 6-8 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. Stir in the spinach, tomatoes, cream, and parmesan.4. Serve the meatballs over the orzo.
Stove-Top
- 1. Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, dijon, and 1/2 cup parmesan to a bowl. Season with salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs).2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, then add the meatballs and sear until browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1 chopped onion. Cook 5 minutes, then add the butter, garlic and rosemary. Let the butter butter, another 2-3 minutes. 3. Reduce the heat to medium. Pour in the wine. Stir in the orzo and 1 1/2 cups water. Cook, stirring often, another 6-8 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. Stir in the spinach, tomatoes, cream, and 1/2 cup parmesan.4. Serve the chicken over the orzo. Enjoy!
Made stove top version. No orzo to be found in my podunk town so I used rice and used chix broth instead of water. Did risotto style by adding more as it was absorbed to help it be creamier. My family’s preference would also be for less Italian seasoning in meatballs. A little overpowering for them. Overall, pretty easy and tasty!
Hey Jill,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
I was excited about this recipe, but it did not turn out very well. The meatballs need some sort of binder – they were loose and fell apart when I poured the wine in the slow cooker. I followed the recipe exactly and somehow the meatballs still turned out dry, as others have said. The orzo turned out mushy. I will try again, but definitely going to make some amendments next time.
Hi Jill,
Thanks for trying the recipe out and sharing your feedback! Let me know if you have better results next time and what works well for you! xT
Excellent! Love how this is a “twist” on your skillet version. Which is one of our family favorites!
Hey Missy,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
HBH recipes are on our table every week!! So simple… so flavorful. I didn’t change anything! Thank you Tieghan ❤️
Hey Donna,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
There were some minor issues here, but I don’t think I can blame HBH for that. Tieghan seems to prefer lean meatballs as I have noticed several meatball recipes do not call for the addition of binders like bread, breadcrumbs, and egg. I appreciate the health aspects here and will do that sometimes, but we’ve tried a few that way and find that we prefer binders in our balls, particularly in the fall and winter when we tend to eat richer foods anyway.
So, I used ground beef, added about one-half cup of plain breadcrumbs, and half an egg (okay, I doubled the recipe for my big fam and used one cup bc and one egg). I also followed the stovetop directions and found that when stirring in the spinach and cream at the end.. 1. It wasn’t dry, but kinda pasty, so I added a splash more cream and a splash of chicken broth. 2. Despite ‘wetting things up a bit’ I regret leaving the meatballs in the orzo mixture as they broke up when cooking and stirring the orzo (a lot of stirring is required as this tiny pasty likes to gather at the bottom of the pot, which will cause scorching, and very uneven cooking.)
It was still quite delicious, and this recipe will be added to our rotation list. However, I will treat the meatballs differently next time either by baking them completely (with some browning from the boiler), or, by pan-searing them, then, when the orzo is cooked, cream and spinach have been stirred in, right at the end, I can throw the mostly cooked meatballs right on top, cover the pot, remove from the heat, and let them cook without stirring. I do prefer using my dutch oven over the crock pot, and this vessel is very good at retaining heat, so I’m sure carry-over cooking will perfectly finish our tender meatballs.
So, again, no fault of HBH… this is just me cooking (as another famous internet chef would say.) With some minor changes, we can perfect this recipe while cooking it with my preferred method and tools. And, perhaps leaner, firmer meatballs would not have broken up, and that’s how this recipe is written. Thanks for another great one Tieghan!
Hi Melissa,
Wow!! Thank you so much for your kind message and all of these notes, I am sure they will be helpful for others who are making this dish! I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed:) Thanks again and have a great week! xTieghan
I’m reviewing the crockpot recipe before making this. Do you pour the liquid over the meatballs while they’re raw? Do they not break apart?
Hi Kayla,
Yes, that is correct, you shouldn’t have any issues with them breaking:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
I was concerned too… they did not break apart even though I cooked them longer for ease of schedule. This was delicious!!
Thanks so much Donna!
Similar to other reviews, my meatballs were so dry and I followed that part of the recipe exactly in the crockpot. I read the reviews before I had to start the orzo so I improvised a bit and cooked it on the stove top but it was still just not great. Overall it was ok but I wouldn’t make this one again.
Hi Adrienne,
So sorry to hear this recipe did not work out for you! I appreciate you giving it a try, again so sorry! xx
I’ve had this saved for a while and finally made it tonight for my family. It was a huge hit, so easy to make, and delicious! My kids approved!
Hey Teddi,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
This was so good! Did the stovetop version. Will definitely be making again. Thank you! Love your recipes
Hey Corey,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Very disappointed trying this recipe. The meatballs dried out when I put them under the broiler (for 3 minutes). The orzo was mushy as others have stated.
Hi Kate,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Please let me know if I can help in any way! xx
Loved it! Added a little lemon to the orzo. Reminds me of some of the other recipes with orzo and sun dried tomatoes. Love!
Hey Erin,
Fantastic!! Love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:) xTieghan
Yummmmm! My picky eaters even cleaned their plates.
I made on the stove top. I took the meatballs out after the butter step. Other than that I followed the exact recipe.
Hey Sarah,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Hi Tieghan! I am making this right now. What do you do with the onion after it’s cooked?
Me, too! I’m thinking cook the orzo with them?
Yes, the orzo gets cooked with them, you don’t need to remove them:)
Hi Amanda,
You can serve it, the onion should be super soft and easy to cut, or toss it since the flavors have already infused! I hope it’s delish! xx
Made this as the stovetop version and it was terrific! Added leeks and zucchini for a little extra veg.
Hey Sandra,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xT
My 12 year old made this for us tonight following the stovetop top directions 🙂
Turned out so great! We weren’t sure what to do with the meatballs after browning so we just left them in with the orzo-I think this cause a little longer cook time for the pasta.
Overall simple enough for the kiddo and yummy enough for the whole family!!
Hey Missy,
Awe, that’s so awesome!! I am so glad this recipe turned out well, thanks for sharing your feedback! xTieghan
I loved the concept of this, but it just wasn’t as expected. the chickenmeatballs did not brown up under the broiler even after extended time. the orzo was great at first but turned to mush – I had it in the crockpot on warm when finished, but it dried out fast. overall it was a bummer. maybe it’s best to eat right away and it would be better?
Hi Beth,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! The broiler should crisp the meatballs, I’m shocked they didn’t burn for you, too long in the broiler could do that! How long did you allow the orzo to sit? So sorry!! xx
If I do the stove top version, what do I do with the garlic after cooking it? I don’t leave it in do I?
Hey Sarah,
You can pull it out, it’s infused the dish by the end of the cooking time:) I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT