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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 veggies 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.
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.
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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 641 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
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!
In the stove top method, do I leave the chicken in the pot with the orzo? It doesn’t say to remove it but I’m thinking I should?
Ok. You can disregard the question. I removed the chicken and tented it under some foil while the orzo cooked. It turned out delicious! Thank you for the recipe and for including multiple cooking options. Stove top turned out amazing!
Hi Laura,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Hey Laura,
Yes, you will remove the chicken while the orzo cooks. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Unfortunately, this recipe does NOT work! I was looking forward to making this because I am a huge fan but it did not turn out well 🙁
To start, the orzo took about 40min to not be raw, and did not cook properly in the slow cooker. It turned into this weird gloopy, chewy mess. Then, because you have to pull the chicken out of the crockpot in order to cook the orzo, it dried out completely and was so bad.
The flavours on the chicken were awesome and would have made a great recipe if it did not turn out to be the simultaneously under and over cooked mess.
Hi Emma,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
I was very much looking forward to this recipe unfortunately I made my own mistake. I read the part about the code and I thought it mean apple cider vinegar. So that is all I taste. Not sure what to do with the food now. Any ideas? I will be making again in the future!
I meant apple cider not the word code!
Tried the baking soda trick from another comment and it taste great. Will make this again in the future with normal apple cider! Love your recipes!
Ohh so glad to hear this! Thanks for making the recipe!
Hi Ashley,
So sorry tp hear this, unfortunately there’s not much you can do at this point. Let me know if you try it again with the apple cider! xTieghan
Closely followed the recipe. Chicken Breasts were dry and the orzo flavor was just okay. I will not being making this again.
Hi there,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
For everyone who checks the comments after making the cider/cider vinegar mistake like I did, you can offset it with a pinch of baking soda. Start with 1/8 tsp and add to taste. Don’t overdo it. It will fizz up but then settle down.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Catherine!
Will this fit into a 2.5 quart crock pot?
Hi Christine,
I would use something larger, at least a 5 quart pot. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Made the instant pot version and it was delicious! I took the chicken out before adding the orzo and broccoli and then I cooked the orzo for about 10 minutes and it was perfect. Didn’t have white wine so used more chicken stock instead. Great flavor, will definitely make it again!
Hi Courtney,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
I’m a die-hard HBH fan, but I won’t be making this recipe again! The orzo takes way longer than 30 minutes in a crockpot cranked to high. The chicken just sits there and dries out while you wait for the orzo to cook. Then it goes under the broiler and dries out even more? Ick. I ended up shredding the chicken and stirring it into the orzo for the final product. It was ok, but not worth the effort when there are countless other HBH recipes that are fabulous!
Hi Beca,
So sorry to hear you did not enjoy the recipe. Did you remove the chicken while the orzo cooked? This should prevent it from drying out. Please let me know how I can help for next time! xTieghan
Hi, Tieghan! Do you take the chicken out while the orzo cooks and THEN broil it when youre closer to serving (so let it it sit and then broil for texture), or do you broil it and let it sit while the orzo cooks?
Hey Alexis,
You are going to broil the chicken while the orzo is cooking. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Ok, but, the orzo says to cook for 30 minutes and the chicken only goes under the broiler for 2-3 minutes…those aren’t really equal or even close to being equal times! That’s why we are all getting confused about that step.
The chicken will sit on the baking sheet as directed, once the orzo is done cooking you can pop the chicken under the broiler:)
I made this last night and was delicious! Opted for milk vs. cream and no wine ( dry January otherwise I know that would add a nice flavor!) and loved the hint of mustard. Will make again. ?
Hi Suzanne,
Awesome! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
So, the dish isn’t fully complete yet but the orzo is already taking longer in the crockpot than the recipe says! (At 30 minutes, and still undercooked). I also tried a bite and am getting a very sour taste as well. Hoping when I add the parmesan that helps tamper down the taste….
Okay, nope. Nothing helped this ? I was super excited for this recipe, so I’ll try it again. Next time I’ll omit the lemon and wine, they didn’t do anything for the recipe in my opinion.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe!
Hi Shannon,
Did you turn your slow cooker to high? Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
This recipe was so delicious and I had most ingredients on-hand. I did the Instant Pot recommendations – after 6-8 minutes of cooking the orzo it was more under-cooked than I preferred so I added about 1/2 cup water and cooked an additional 4 minutes and this worked well. I used chicken broth and thought it was tasty. Just had it for leftovers for lunch and it might even be better next day. Yum! Also i used some Cipollini onions in addition to the shallots and they were a sweet and delicious addition.
Hi Carly,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xxT
I used Arborio rice instead of orzo. I had to cook it probably double than what is suggested in slow cooker but it tuned out as creamy risotto and delicious. I think using canned artichoke hearts could also be good in this dish. Thank you!
Hi Shawna,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
The flavor of the creamy broccoli orzo is great. We did the slow cooker method and I wasn’t impressed with how the chicken came out. Will try again with grilled chicken thighs.
Hi Elise,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed. xT
Delicious! Honestly haven’t come across a recipe I don’t like. Easy to follow and perfect for a middle of the week recipe!
Making it tonight for the 3rd time!
Hi Kathryn,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! xxT