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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’m going nuts! I am in the middle of making this but where the heck is the butter and rosemary for the stove top method??
my husband and I are literally arguing over this right now over the pan! lol! We just agreed to do the butter and rosemary separately in a small sauce pan and drizzle over the plates at the end.
I used ground turkey (93%) and the stove top method. Meatballs tended to stick to the pan. I was surprised there wasn’t any binder to hold them together. I added an egg but they were still crumbly. Good flavor though. Might need to add some bread crumbs or something to give them more integrity. Did you have this issue?
Hey Steven,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out! So sorry to hear about your meatballs! I never really have an issue with the meatballs, but you could certainly add egg and breadcrumbs to help bind them together! I hope this helps! xTieghan
I made the stovetop version and I loved the orzo! I made roasted cherry tomatoes instead of sun-dried and added some basil. Delicious! We did find the meatballs to be dry though. I would definitely make the orzo again!
Hey Paige,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am thrilled to hear that the orzo was enjoyed, so sorry to hear about the meatballs! xx
It was good but lacked seasoning. I will make again but add more salt, pepper, and seasoning to the meatballs. I cooked in the Instant Pot – hard to cook that many meatballs at once. Might try on the stovetop next time.
Hey Kerry,
Thanks so much for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love it! If there is anything that I can help with please let me know! xTieghan
I made this tonight in the instant pot. I do not recommend this method. Everything stuck to the bottom of the pot. The liquid was off for the orzo, had to keep adding more for the pasta to cook properly. It did taste good, but clean up was not fun. I would make again but probably on the stove top.
Hi Lisa,
So sorry to hear you had some issues with the instant pot method! Was there anything you adjusted? Please let me know how I can help or if you try it again on the stove top! xT
So tasty! We really enjoyed it! Only thing is my meatballs came out harder than I expected. I used a meatloaf blend with pork. Any thought on why mind were harder? Was it the meat I used instead of ground chicken?
Definitely making it again! Maybe I cooked it too long…
Hey Molly,
Thanks so much for making this dish, I’m so glad it was enjoyed!! Sorry to hear about your meatballs…what do you mean by a meatloaf blend? Was there anything added to them besides the meat? Let me know how I can help! xT
In the Instant Pot method. Do you leave the meatballs in when you add the orzo in Step 3? It doesn’t talk about removing them in step 2 or 3. I did though!
I just did the instant pot recipe and left the meatballs in throughout the whole recipe.
(Apparently in the crockpot recipe it says to remove the meatballs when you remove the garlic.) So I’m assuming that is when you are supposed to remove the meatballs.
No need to remove the meatballs for the instant pot:)
Hi Lisa,
No need to remove the meatballs, that’s why it’s not mentioned:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
When do you do the rosemary/butter in the stove top method?
I added it to cook the onions in. Not sure if that was right. Everything was delicious, as usual! But please advise of where to add the butter in on the stove top instructions.
Hey Mallory,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! So sorry, I’ll fix that! xx
I would also love to know when to add the butter in the stove top version! I can’t seem to find that mentioned in the instruction
Hi Amie,
So sorry for any confusion, you are going to brown the butter in step 2 for the stove top! I hope you love the recipe! xx
The meatballs are so flavorful and delicious! I have tons of ideas to pair them with other pastas. I used Sauvignon Blanc wine and it kicked up the flavor tremendously.
I did the crockpot method and had no issues. I cooked the meatballs on high for 1.5 hours and they were perfect. I chose not to broil them and set them aside to add back in to the crock pot after I finished preparing the pasta. I did have to scoop out some of the cooking liquid out of the crockpot before adding the cream to get the sauce consistency where I wanted it to be. Great work, Tieghan!
Hey Anna,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
It says 878 calories per serving? Is that supposed to be accurate? Because it seems a little high for what the recipe involves.
Hey Patrick,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
I see thyme in pictures but not in the recipe ?
Hi Marilyn,
If you would like to add some thyme go for it!! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xxT
Are the sundried tomatoes the dried ones in the plastic package or the oil packed ones in a jar? Thank you!
Hey Melanie,
I used the sun-dried tomatoes in a jar:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xT
Hi there! Any gluten free suggestions if we can’t get GF orzo? Thank you!
Hey Lila,
Arborio rice will also work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This looks delicious! If I wanted to add more vegetables, what would you suggest?
Hey Casey,
Thanks so much! Zucchini and mushrooms would be great to add! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Girl. Love this recipe. LOVE this blog so much, every time I come here I click on every advert. Then I try a new recipe and we all love it.
Awe, thanks so much for your kind message Jennifer! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! xT
Just made this using stove top directions–agree with other reviewers, the recipe should be rewritten and adapted for stovetop. Definitely suggest browning meatballs and make orzo in its own pan. I didn’t after reading HBH response to question and orzo was sticking to bottom of pan, needed at least 3/4 C more liquid and final dish was not creamy at all–probably could have benefited from that elusive butter step.
Hi Carrie,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues. Did you follow the stove top instructions? Please let me know what I need to adjust! xx
What can you sub for the sun dried tomatoes if you aren’t a fan?
Thanks and excited to try this!
Hey Sarah,
Zucchini and mushrooms would also be great in this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the dish! xT
Definitely cannot cook the orzo in the slow cooker. You end up eating all the gluten water. It ruined the entire dish. I would could the orzo about half done, then sauté it in the sauce until done. The chicken was too dry and tasted like sawdust. I would try the pork instead.
Hi there,
Thanks for trying 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! xTieghan