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Slow Cooker Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo. Turning a classic dinner recipe into an easy slow cooker meal using white wine, creamy Dijon mustard, fresh herbs, parmesan cheese, and orzo. I even added in some vibrant broccoli for added vegetables and color. This slow-cooked chicken dinner is a hearty and delicious meal to come home to at the end of a busy day. And the best part? It’s the easiest dinner to prepare. You simply can’t go wrong with a dinner like this herby chicken and creamy orzo.
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Breaking out a slow cooker recipe today and it’s not even October. Yes, it may be a bit early. But I’m pretty sure that most of us appreciate a good slow cooker dinner almost any time of the year. They’re just so easy!
This is one of those dishes that I’ve been wanting to make for the longest time now. But I told myself to hold off until the autumn days started to set in. It’s just so cozy and perfect for fall. It’s creamy, herby, a touch buttery, and has the BEST flavor. I love the fact that the chicken and orzo are cooked together in the slow cooker. It makes everything come together effortlessly.
It’s loosely inspired by my French wine and mustard chicken, but it’s made with a few additions…that I think, make it even better!
This is perfect for this time when the days might be warmer, but the nights are cooler. It’s going to be great all fall and winter long. Plus, you can easily package leftovers in an airtight container to keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, you could even pop this in the freezer for a last minute meal.
Here are the details
As you can imagine, this is really simple. Just place the chicken in the crockpot and rub it with olive oil and that mustard. Then add a ton of fresh thyme, sage, and garlic.
Now, pour in the wine and apple cider, then add some shallots.
I love to use apple cider in this for a slight air of warming fall flavor. It pairs so wonderfully with the white wine, herbs, and mustard. I know it sounds odd, but trust me, the apple cider adds such a nice flavor.
At this point, just cover the crockpot and cook. You can speed things up by cooking on high, or go low and slow. Alternately, you can use the instant pot, but I do prefer the crockpot method.
When the chicken has cooked, pull it out and set it on a small sheet pan.
Now the orzo
Here’s where the orzo comes in. Add the orzo to all the yummy broth in the crockpot along with some broccoli. Now simply cover and cook a few minutes longer, until the orzo is al dente.
Meanwhile, I love to add a little butter to the chicken. Then throw it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp up. This is totally optional, but I do think it adds to the dish.
When the orzo is finished, add in a touch of cream and parmesan too.
And now serve it up!
So simple and quick with barely any clean-up and minimal hands-on time.
The simplest dinner, and so great for busy weeknights…hearty, creamy – and so freaking good!
Looking for other slow cooker meals? Here are a few ideas:
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese
Lastly, if you make these Slow Cooker Mustard Herb Chicken and 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!
Check out our How-To Video:
Slow Cooker Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 shallots, quartered
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 cup apple cider or chicken broth, (do not use vinegar)
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups dry orzo pasta
- 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
- 1/3 cup heavy cream or canned full fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- 1. In the bowl of your slow cooker, rub the chicken with the olive oil, mustard thyme, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over the wine, cider and lemon juice. Add the shallots. Cover and cook on low for 3- 4 hours or on high for 1-2 hours. 2. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker place it on a baking sheet. 3. Crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Stir in the orzo, broccoli, 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 cream and parmesan.4. Place the butter on the chicken, then broil 1-3 minutes, until crisp. Serve the chicken over the orzo. Enjoy!
Instant Pot
- 1. Set the instant pot to sauté. Rub the chicken with the olive oil, mustard thyme, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken to the instant pot and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Pour in the wine, cider and lemon juice. Add the shallots and butter. Cover and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.2. Once done cooking, release the steam. Set the Instant pot to sauté. Stir in the orzo, broccoli, and 1 cup water. Cook 6-8 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. Stir in the cream and parmesan.3. Serve the chicken over the orzo. Enjoy!
Stove-Top
- 1. Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Rub the chicken with the olive oil, mustard thyme, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken to the pot and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium. Pour in the wine, cider and lemon juice. Add the shallots and butter. Cover and cook 10 minutes. 2. Stir in the orzo, broccoli, and 1 cup water. Cook, stirring often, another 6-8 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. Stir in the cream and parmesan.3. Serve the chicken over the orzo. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
So glad I didn’t let the bad reviews dissuade me from trying this. It was easy and delicious. I used the crockpot (low) and thighs instead of breast, but didn’t have any issues with dry chicken or mushy orzo. Recommend!
Hi Raisa! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
I don’t know what everyone else is talking about!! This recipe was delicious. Made it for myself and 4 other roommates and we loved it. We did it on the stovetop and it worked perfectly. Used broth instead of cider and simmered everything a few minutes longer to marry it all together but it was great.
Hi Addie! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xTieghan
I usually love all the HH recipes. I did this recipe in the slow cooker, and used the chicken broth and it was still too acidic. Per the reviews I did not do the orzo in the crock pot and used the liquid from the crockpot to cook it over the stove and added the broccoli in after. I cooked the chicken for an hour less than recommended and it still turned out dry, so I didn’t even broil it or it would have been inedible. Adding water at the end to the orzo would have diluted the flavors so I skipped that and used chicken broth.
Again, love all your recipes but this one just wasn’t our favorite.
Hi Lindsay! I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out the way you hoped! I really appreciate the feedback 🙂 xTieghan
I made this last night, was very excited about trying it out because the description was very appealing. But man, definitely was not as good as it sounds. The acidic flavor was hard to ignore. The wine + apple cider vinegar + lemon…well I know now definitely too much! Maybe cook it with 1/4 cup of vinegar instead? I’m not sure. Just trying to figure out what to do with the all leftovers because it’s not something I’m running to warm up and eat. I did add baking soda to reduce the acidic flavor and it helped a little bit. I’ve made so many of your dishes and they are so wonderful, but this one was a bust for me. I’ll definitely still keep trying your recipes though!
Says apple cider vinegar, not sure how vinegar got in there. Just apple cider
Hi Maria! I’m so sorry this recipe wasn’t what you’d hoped! Thank you for the feedback and for letting me know what went wrong. I hope you’ll still enjoy other HBH recipes 🙂 xTieghan
Made this tonight with the slow cooker method and it was delicious! The orzo cooked perfectly. I didn’t have any issues. Will definitely make again!
Hey Sara! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week! xTieghan
I made this tonight for my husband and I. The chicken was dry. I wouldn’t make this again 🙁
Hey Suzanne! I’m so sorry about that! Let me know how I can help improve this recipe. Have a great day! xTieghan
I made this tonight for dinner and it was incredible! I never know what to make and your recipes are saving me! Also, made the pumpkin scones for dessert-bellys are full and it feels right! Lol
Hey there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week! xTieghan
I tried the slow cooker method which was unfortunately not successful for me. I had similar issues as other reviewers with things cooking very unevenly. But I would try it again in my Dutch oven maybe with chicken thighs instead. It did smell amazing!
Hey Anna! I’m so sorry about that! Is there anything you did differently in this recipe? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
This is one of my favorite dishes I’ve made from your site! It was delicious. I mad this stovetop instead of the slow cooker, which may have something to do with my outcome. I had no issues with the orzo. We ate with a little extra broccoli to get in our greens. Will be in my weekly recipe rotation!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Made this for our Friday night family dinner. Was worried about it after reading some comments, but everyone enjoyed it! Chicken was so moist and orzo was creamy. It was delicious. Followed the directions and used the crock pot. Will make again.
Hey Christine! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂 xTieghan
The chicken was delicious however, the orzo in slow cooker made it very mushy, like porridge. I wouldn’t cook it in the slow cooker again. Adding coconut milk instead of heavy cream also did not go well with the mustard flavor
I made this last week and was so disappointed and agree with other reviewers: There was a sour taste in this dish that made it unappealing. I don’t know if it was the lemon juice or the wine but I followed the recipe as-written and would not make again.
Made this and will do differently next time. The lemon was overpowering so definitely reduce that. To maybe 1/2 tablespoon. I also wouldn’t cook the orzo in the crockpot. Like other reviews it got mushy.
Hello! Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that! I’m so sorry this recipe was not enjoyed! Please let me know how I can help. xTieghan
It was fine. I liked how it was easy to make, but it had a sharp, acidic taste to it.
Hi Anna! I’m so sorry about that, is there anything you did differently in this recipe? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Not flavorful, used cider.
Sadly not one of my favorites! I think there was too much acid in this recipe, maybe half a lemon next time. I used the coconut milk and it didn’t turn out nearly as creamy as I’d hoped. Perhaps if I swap for the cream next time it would turn out better. The chicken was to die for with the broiling and butter addition!