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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!
Firstly, I am a huge fan of HBH. My family/friends have enjoyed every HBH dish I’ve made. I love and collect your cookbooks as well. With that being said, this recipe I found lacking. It just didn’t hit the mark as I had hoped. I did add an egg and a bit of milk which prevented the meatballs from being dry. The cream sauce with the orzo just didn’t meet our expectations the flavor was just off and I did make this in my dutch oven. One of the few I would not make again.
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for your kind message and making so many recipes! I’m so sorry to hear this one was not a fave! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Stove top directions need work. They left a lot of questions, like when was I supposed to take the meatballs out? I ended up reading the crockpot directions and tried to fill in the gaps myself. I subbed chicken broth for the wine and used turkey meatballs. Cooked in my Dutch oven and needed a LOT more water/broth than listed to cook the orzo. The recipe was ok but I’m not sure I’d make it the same way again.
Hi Jen,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback. The meatballs do not need to be removed in this version which is why that’s not mentioned:) Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
All 6 of us LOVED this recipe! I appreciated the different cooking methods – stovetop was a success. For the other reviews who were unhappy with crockpot results, please give it a go in a Dutch oven next time. We have what seems to be an orzo shortage in Cincinnati, so I used mini farfalle as a sub & it turned out great. I also used chicken broth instead of water, ground Turkey as the protein, and used 2lbs of meat and upped the other meatball ingredients. Cannot wait to make this again! thanks, T!!
Hi Emily,
I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear this was a hit! Also, thanks for sharing your tips for others using the dutch oven! xx
Made this tonight. I didn’t have Italian seasoning so I subbed for Italian dressing packet and it tasted great. I also used ground turkey. The meatballs cook quick. I checked after 2 hrs on low and they were done. I ended up cooking the orzo and leftover liquid in a pan on the stove. Just keep stirring while it cooks otherwise it sticks. The flavors were great except a little bit too much garlic imo but that’s just me. Husband liked it so it’s a win!
Hey Amanda,
Happy Sunday! 😃 Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
I’m sorry I usually LOVE HBH recipes but this is a total fail. The meatballs are SO DRY ( cooked 3 hrs in the crockpot), the orzo is a paste…. Don’t waste your time.
Hi Carol,
So sorry to hear that this recipe was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! Thanks for giving it a try! xx
We loved the orzo, but the chicken meatballs turned out SO dry. Any tips to remedy that? I did them in the crock pot on low for 3 hours.
Hi Liz,
Thanks for giving this dish a try! So sorry to hear your meatballs were dry. You could try adding an egg next time to see if that helps! xx
do you have a substitute for the wine?
Hi Eve,
Totally, broth would also be a great option here! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xx
Delicious!
I replaced the orzo with Rotini (since that’s all I could find) and it came out amazing! – I also baked the meatballs at 400 degrees in the oven for 18 min, then transferred them to the instant pot afterwards. ( I was hungry and couldn’t wait 2 hours lol)
Overall amazing! 🙂
Hi Jade,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx
This recipe was a flop! I did the stovetop version and the amount of fat in everything might actually give me diabetes. The Orozo was still hard once done and the meatballs had little to no flavor. The recipe also called for a head of garlic but never said what exactly to do with it. Do not recommend.
I used 1 pound of chicken so I only did 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and 1/2 tablespoon Dijon and about 1/3 cup cheese. I cooked everything else according to the crockpot directions. The meatballs needed much longer in the oven to cook all the way, but then were dry. The orzo was just total paste, inedible. I didn’t even add the spinach or cream. My fault because I know better than to try and cook any pasta in the crockpot or instant pot, but I figured I’d give it a go. I just cooked some capellini and made a Romano cheese sauce and put the meatballs with that. 🤷🏼♀️
Hi Melinda,
I appreciate you trying this dish and sharing your review. So sorry to hear it wasn’t the best, let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
This recipe needed surgery! We managed to save the orzo with more parm, wine and salt, but there was no coming back from the Italian sawdust balls. I’m pretty forgiving, but this recipe was a hard no.
Hi Lori,
So sorry to hear this recipe did not work for you! Thanks so much for trying it out, let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
My meatballs turned out very dry and just awful tasting. 3 Tbs Italian seasoning seemed a lot but I went with it. I didn’t make the kids finish and I threw out the leftover meatballs. I’ll make something else to eat with the leftover edible – but not thing special orzo.
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for making this dish 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
Hi! Excited to try this. Do you think this is better in the crockpot versus stovetop? I can see the water and wine soak and infuse in the crockpot differently/longer than they would on stovetop, so curious if you prefer one method or the other!
Hey Erin,
I love the crockpot method just because it’s easy and cooks all day to make the house smell amazing, but both turn out great! Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
I am a huge HBH fan, however this recipe was not a hit in our house. The meat was dry and the dish was quite bitter, unfortunately.
Hi Allison,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if I can help in any way! xx
I’m super disappointed. I don’t know what we did wrong. My daughter made the meatballs. They were in the crockpot on low most of the day.
My meatballs dried out 😩. The orzo didn’t have much flavor so we added some spices. My daughter said it tasted like pasta water before the spices. 🤷🏻♀️
Hi Natasha,
Oh no!! So sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you! Was there anything you may have adjusted? Let me know how I can help! xx