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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!
Hi Tieghan, if doing the stove top version how much garlic would you use? Sound delicious, cant wait to try it out.
Hey Maxine,
You’re still going to use the full head of garlic:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe!! xx
Made this on the stovetop this evening for our Valentine’s Day meal. Panicked at first when I saw it was supposed to be a crockpot meal but then was SUPER grateful for the alternate cooking methods. I don’t think I would do this except on the stovetop. The crust from the sear on the meatballs was perfect. I did dice the onions and used pre-minced garlic, which I would do again. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Kati,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a hit! xT
I am so excited to try out this recipe. I was wondering if rice could be used in sub for the orzo and it still use similar liquid amounts and times?
Hey Natalie,
Arborio rice is going to give you the best and most similar results in this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I made this dish last night, it sounded so amazing! The orzo was so good, very flavorful and creamy. The meatballs were a little dense. I pan fried them bc my family likes a crust on meatballs, but I think they needed breadcrumbs or egg to lighten them up. It was a lot of work and my husband didn’t love it enough to warrant me making again (his words!). At least he respects my time! Or maybe I would add some egg or breadcrumbs. My house smelled so yummy so that’s worth something!
Hey Joann,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear it was not enjoyed and you had some issues. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
Made this dish tonight…(stovetop version followed to a tee) OMG delicious 😋 So much flavor…Added it to my 2 lists 1. Will definitely make again & 2. Send recipe to family members 😊 Thank you …Love using simple, fresh ingredients that are not at all hard to find 😁
Hey Donna,
Happy Friday!😁 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Thank you, Same to you AND 3 of your cookbooks I ordered came in the mail today..so excited to dive into them 😊
I did the crock-pot method. The process of this recipe annoyed me, but the food was delicious! I ended up putting the meatballs in the oven while the orzo was cooking because I wasn’t sure they were fully cooked/to keep them warm. Peeling and chopping the garlic while everything else was sitting ready was time consuming. The garlic butter sauce on the pan with the meatballs didn’t really work – not sure if it was too hot already but it didn’t really coat the meatballs or become very saucey. I removed the onions, chopped them, and added them back in which was. A yummy choice, but also a lot of onion. In the end, everyone enjoyed it!
Hey Kristine,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Sorry for any frustration. xx
This was a miss for us. I came to see what I was supposed to do with the giant chunks of onion but I can see now in your pictures you put them on the pan with the meatballs and garlic to broil. That would have been helpful to know. I ended up chopping up the onion and adding them in and they were way undercooked.
Hey Cassie,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Sorry for any confusion on the onion, it really is just going to infuse the dish, but can also be served to your liking, the ingredients do say “quartered”:) xx
This is my third time making this recipe! It has never failed me, and I’ve tried both the crockpot and instapot methods. The dish is so flavorful, but also really easy. I’m a sucker for sun dried tomatoes, so this is obviously a keeper!<3
Amazing!! Thanks so much Chloe, I love to hear that you have been enjoying this recipe and thanks for making it! xx
This is a delicious recipe! All the flavors blend so nicely. We live on a boat part of the year and do not have the Insta Pot or Crockpot so i make it on the stovetop. I can’t wait to have leftovers tomorrow! Thank you Tieghan.
Hey Mary,
Perfect!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
I made these the other night in the crockpot and they came out perfectly. I love how they get crisped up (along with the garlic) under the broiler. It was a easy and delicious meal. Thank you for all these cozy recipes for winter!!!
Hey Cindi,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
When using the Instant Pot, are we supposed to remove the meatballs before adding the orzo (it just says to remove the garlic)? I didn’t do this and my orzo was crunchy and stuck to the bottom.
Hey Michelle,
No need to remove the meatballs from the instant pot. Hmm, how much liquid did you use? Let me know how I can help! xT
I made it in my slow cooker for 3 hours on low. The meatballs were dry. I made tablespoon size meatballs, so maybe make them bigger. I used just one pound of ground chicken and had 16 meatballs at that size. I did add some extra smoked salt afterwards on the orzo because I felt it needed it. But, I liked it! I will try it again with those adjustments or maybe make it on the stovetop instead.
Hi Rosie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback!! Unfortunately, ground chicken can be on the dry side, next time try adding an egg to the mix to see if that helps! Let me know:) xT
I made this in my crockpot. The meatballs were very dry.
Hi Kate,
Thanks for giving this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
I made the stove top version and it was incredible!!!!!! This is absolutely one of my new favorites. I had minor adjustments to the meatballs, added one egg and 1/4 cup of italian bread crumbs. I took out the meatballs and caramelized chopped onions and garlic. Then added the meatballs back in when I added the orzo! Opted for chicken broth instead of wine. Delicious!
Hey Steph,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
I tasted it, then added a lot more garlic butter. 🙂
Hey Nicole,
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed this dish, thanks so much for making it! xx