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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!
I wanted to love it, but it was not good. Used apple cider, coconut milk & put chicken on 4 hours. Taste was off. Sauce was too liquidy. Maybe chicken broth & heavy cream would make it better.
Hi there,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Yummy, light and perfect for a Sunday crockpot kind of day.
Hey Wendy,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Yum! A hit with the fam! I made a few variations: used boneless skinless thighs we prefer white meat, used the instant pot set to meat/stew for more tender meat, baked the broccoli(400 olive oil & s&p till browned but al dente) because I prefer brown broccoli to boiled
Hey Vicki,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Hello! Could I prepare the chicken/spices/ liquids/ shallots the night before and refrigerate overnight to start cooking while I’m at work the next day?
Hi Katrina,
Sure, I don’t see why not! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Hi! Dumb question but is the chicken supposed to be frozen?
Hey Hallie,
You will want to use thawed chicken:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Delicious! Love the apple cider!
Hey Louise,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xT
Wanted to love this but sadly had to throw the whole pot out since it was inedible. Like others mentioned the cider made it sooo sweet and yucky tasting. The orzo did not cook well in the slow cooker. It ended up being under cooked and super mushy/sticky. The chicken was good though.
Hi Katie,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
Broccoli was not done at all after cooking for 35 minutes but couldn’t cook more because orzo was plenty done. Flavor seemed off but not sure how to improve
Hi Danielle,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear about your broccoli. In what way was the flavor off? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Okay HBH, I have to come clean… I could cry over it but hubs really hates herbs, especially thyme. I can probably get away with thee sage but honestly, I am tired of trying recipes where flavor balance is so far off of what’s intended because I just omit the herbs. Obviously, I’m not looking to replicate the flavor of thyme (though, I love it) because then I’d just use thyme. What I’m really asking here is, what other ingredients might balance flavor besides the most hated herbs (thyme and rosemary) that are often called for in HBH recipes? This may seem silly, as omitting or completely replacing called for herbal flavor boosters changes a recipe… I’m just hoping you may have ideas for me on how to mix/balance flavors without the herbs… Please understand that on a personal level, I hate this and miss herbs, but I do have a family to feed and I want us all to enjoy as much as possible. Thanks!
Hi Melissa,
Is it all herbs you don’t want to use? I hate to say it, but there really isn’t much you can do, nothing will really replace the flavor of herbs. So you could use other herbs that your family does enjoy like basil or chives. Please let me know how I can help! xx
What if the broccoli isn’t tender by like 35? SOS
Hi Hannah,
Hmmm is it in large chunks? That could be affecting it. Let me know how the recipe turns out! xT
I made the crockpot version and it was SO acidic is not really edible… a full cup of apple cider was way too much, and I thought so when I was making it but decided to trust the process. I would reduce to like two tablespoons tops, and I really like apple cider!
I did the same thing and I’m trying it right now and even though I used a half a cup of cider and half a cup of broth it’s still very acidic, I’m not liking the flavor at all I’m so disappointed. I was thinking it was too much cider and I almost didn’t use it at all but I didn’t have that much chicken broth left.
I agree that I’d go lighter on the apple cider – the taste was strangely sweet to me (it was a natural apple cider so it wasn’t the sugar content).
Hi Erika,
So sorry to hear this!! Did you use apple cider vinegar by chance? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Could I replace the orzo with something else like wild rice or ditalini? My supermarket is out and I wanted to make this tonight.
I’m trying tonight, too, but using cauliflower rice.
Hey Janet,
Arborio rice would be great for you to use! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Made this last night the flavor was amazing!
used the crockpot method
Notes for next time
Cook the chicken shorter time I did 3 1/2 hours on low ( it was a bit dry)
Little less liquid for the orzo I would like it less soupy
I also added mushrooms bc I had some that needed to be used
Hey Kay,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
I can’t believe the flavor in this chicken! The star of the show! Sadly my orzo lacked flavor. Maybe I under-seasoned. Or maybe I should have used cider instead of broth!! Either way, super good and easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Nicole,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
I used the slow cooker method but transferred to my Dutch oven to finish off the pasta and broccoli, just found it easier to keep an eye on for the right consistency and cooking time on the pasta. I’m also finding orzo hard to snag right now living in a small town with limited stores so I subbed with tiny bow ties, they worked great and this dish is delicious!
Hey Chris,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)