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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!
I feel like I need to leave a comment since there were so many negative ones… this was delicious! Made it with ground turkey in the crockpot. I did use chicken broth instead of water, and I transfered the broth to a stove top pot to cook the orzo since I knew my crockpot wouldn’t cook it fast enough. Kids and husband (who doesn’t love ground turkey or orzo) both loved it 🙂
Hey Sarah,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was a winner!🌞 xx
The meatballs were a little dense and dry. Easily fixed by not cooking as long next time. But other than that, this recipe is fantastic! I even used Marsala wine instead of white and it gave it some extra flavor. Very good! Thank you!
Hey Giavanna,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was a winner!🌞 xx
The orzo was soooo gluey and awful, even with added liquid. Meatballs were fine but if all the dozens and dozens of recipes of yours I’ve made I wouldn’t make again.
Hi Ashley,
So sorry to hear this!! Thanks for trying the recipe, please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
Love HBH recipes usually and this was my first slow cooker one and it just didn’t work out. The orzo took forever to cook. The meatballs ended up being very dense and dry. And everything tasted like the wine didn’t cook off at all. Next day leftovers were better flavor-wise, but everything was very rich and gluey. Oh well, onto the next one!
Hi Vi,
Thanks so much for your kind message and giving this recipe a try! So sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out for you! Let me know if I can help in any way! xx
I only used 1 lb chicken (because that’s what I had,.but it made plenty and they were flavorful. I made this on the stovetop and it was a hit! I did need to cook the pasta a couple extra minutes, but then it was perfect! Thank you!
Hey Michelle,
Happy Sunday!😃 Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed:) xT
This was so flavorful! Love the meatballs, they were delicious. I doubled the recipe and The orzo did not turn out as creamy as in the photos, but was still very yummy. I had to add about 2 cups of extra water to get the orzo to cook fully. Next time I’ll add even more and more cream to make it creamier.
I did the stove top version didn’t know how to treat the garlic and if I should put the cloves into the pan after roasting the whole bulb, so I didn’t roast the bulb and just crushed the garlic into the pan and didn’t use as much as the recipe said. I realized that the instructions were more clear in the other cooking methods after I made it, so next time I’ll follow those instructions. I left out the sun dried tomatoes.
Will make again for sure!
Hey Christina,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! Have a great weekend! xT
Oh man. I love HBH recipes but this one just didn’t work out for me. The meatballs were dry, the orzo was destroyed and it just felt like it didn’t come together. Not sure why and no judgement on your other recipes.
Hi Amy,
So sorry to hear this!! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try:) Unfortunately, I am at a loss as to why this recipe is working for some but not for others. Again, sorry for the trouble! xx
If I were to make the meatballs with beef (this is what we have on hand) would you recommend white wine still? Or should I go safe and do broth? Or really switch it up and use red wine???
Hey Margi,
I think you could still do the white wine or broth, both would be great to use! I don’t think I would recommend the red wine for this recipe:) Let me know how it turns out! xx
Made this dish for my family and was super excited! It looked delicious but the taste was VERY bland. Not enough flavor to finish plate full. It also took way too long in my opinion for what it ended up like.
Hi Savana,
Sorry to hear that this dish was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
The pan instructions are not good. The orzo is too crunchy al dente. I feel like there was no proof reading and they did not make it in every way.
The instructions do not include the tips in the blog post about removing the garlic and rosemary, chopping it up and putting it back.
I feel like less care and attention is happening with these recipes.
I am also slightly confused on the instructions for this one…not sure what “Let the butter butter for 2-3min” means? Is it supposed to be “melt”?
Other than that, the main crockpot recipe highlights that melted butter to drizzle on top, however the stovetop and instant pot versions don’t seem to include a way to make that butter sauce. So the butter is just incorporated into the recipe? And the garlic isn’t chopped up and used in those two versions like it is in the crockpot version? Is that right?
Also – if we needed to double the recipe, would you double all the liquid (including the wine)? I remember reading that when alcohol is used in a recipe like this, you don’t double it, even when doubling the recipe.
Thanks for the many options! Looking forward to hearing how to tailor it to match the original!
Hi Anna,
So sorry for any confusion here. Let the butter brown is what that should say:) You can follow each specific recipe as the directions are written:) They vary slightly just based on the cooking method, so they will not be exactly the same. If you double the recipe then yes you will need to double all of the ingredients. You could also use broth in place of the wine. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Made the stove top version tonight for friends, and everybody loved it. Winner!
Hey Beth,
Happy Monday!!🌴 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Some of our family favorites are HBH recipes. I was super excited to try this one. Unfortunately it wasn’t a hit. The meatballs turned out great… I par cooked them in the skillet before 90 min in crockpot. I think the dish was lost in the orzo. It was really sticky and super bland. I even added some of the garlic and onion back into it and still seemed flat. And the texture was like paste.
I also found the directions to be a hard to follow on this one and it wasn’t overly clear what to do with the onion.
Thinking I may try the meatballs again but serve over mashed potatoes with the garlic butter sauce.
Hi Chris,
Thanks so much for making so many recipes and sharing your thoughtful feedback for this recipe! Great idea for how you cooked the meatballs. So sorry to hear about the orzo and confusion on the recipe itself! xx
Meatballs were definitely dry. But overall the taste was delicious! How could we make the meatballs more moist? Also what did you do with the onions? I didnt see them in the photo of the dish but I didnt see where they were taken out.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks so much for trying this dish!! You could try adding an egg to the meatballs next time to see if that helps! The onion can be served or not, totally up to you as it has already infused the dish. xT
I used the crockpot method I couldn’t find orzo in any stores so substituted pearl couscous and that was an excellent choice. I think the texture is close to what orzo would have been. Really creamy and delicious. Our meatballs were also a bit dry although not quite as much as others have described. We enjoyed it, will eat our leftovers, but probably wouldn’t make again.
Hi Holly,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! I’ve never tried it with couscous, so I’m not sure if that would change the recipe or not! Sorry to hear it wasn’t a fave! xx