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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!
Could you use thighs instead and do you think it would change cooking time? Also thinking of using spinach instead of broccoli. Do you think I should reduce the water if I do this?
Hi Stephanie,
I think this recipe would be just fine as is using the thighs and broccoli without any adjustments:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi! How can I make this a vegetarian dish?
Hi Saira,
You could try replacing the chicken with veggies like mushrooms, I have not tested this though! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
The first HBH recipe that I didn’t like. At first I thought I just added too much lemon juice, but I think the apple cider just didn’t work for us with this one. If I made it again I’d probably use chicken broth instead.
I used the slow cooker method and my chicken turned out super tender and falling apart, so I decided to shred it instead and mix it into the final product. The orzo took almost twice as long to cook and didn’t cook evenly (which may be due to my slow cooker) so some of it was over or under cooked.
Hi Megan,
Thanks for making this dish and sharing your feedback. So sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed! I appreciate the feedback, please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
One of my all time favorites!!! I loved it so much more in the Instapot, and I used the chicken broth 😊
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Have an awesome weekend! xT
If you make this in the Instant Pot, do you take the chicken out before you make the orzo/broccoli?
This was good, a little sweet for our tastes. I’ll use chicken broth versus apple cider next time and think it will more suited to our taste.
Hi there! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe! Thank you for giving it a try! xT
This was amazing. After reading reviews, I opted for the stovetop method. I did turn on my broiler for the chicken at the end, but I’m not sure it was necessary. The dish came together quickly and easily, but the flavors were complex. We loved it! Thanks for another home run!
Thank you so much Lynn! xT
Followed the recipe to the letter. Chicken was dry and the orzo mushed all together even though I took it off heat when it was done. The wine gave everything an odd bite to it that didn’t quite work. Worth a shot, it sounded like it would be yummy!
Hey! I’m so sorry about that! Thank you for letting me know! xT
This sounds amazing! Do you think risotto would work instead of orzo? Gluten free over here and would love to be able to adapt this recipe. Thank you!
Hi there! I haven’t ever tried this recipe with risotto so I can’t say for sure! xT
I’ve made this twice now; fell in love with it the first time. The first time I made it stovetop, the second time in the crockpot. The stove top turned out better than crockpot for me, I usually don’t like to pan sear meats but I loved the crusty texture it gave the chicken while it was still so juicy inside! I subbed in most of the orzo with rice and it turned out so creamy..I also decided pretzel rolls would complement this meal well. That they did!🥨🧈
Thank you so much Laurel! So glad you enjoyed this orzo recipe! xT
There are some misses here. It’s A LOT of apple cider vinegar. It overpowers the potential of the dish. Additionally, coconut milk is a horrible option. Vinegar and coconut, in hindsight, not good. At this point, I can’t tell what the dish is meant to taste like. I’ve made a few of your recipes, but this one feels like it needs to be adjusted.
Hey there! So sorry for the confusion! This recipe calls for apple cider, not apple cider vinegar! Hope this helps! xT
hi mil
i tried this but it seems like too much apple cider? i used 2 1/2 cups, tastes a bit tangy.
not sure if you know what you’re doing
Hi Beth,
Sorry to hear this. Why did you use 2 1/2 cups of apple cider? The recipe only calls for 1 cup. I hope this helps! xx
what an insane thing to say. who is this mil you’re addressing? why did you use 2.5x the amount of cider it calls for? why were you so rude? good luck in life, beth
Do we take the chicken out after browning on the stove top option? It’s says serve chicken over orzo. But if we leave the chicken in pan while orzo is cooking, it’s going to be mixed in right?
Hi Millie,
I leave the chicken in while the orzo cooks, but it would also be just fine if you removed it:) Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This was delicious and very much husband-approved! I used whole wheat orzo, which turned out great. Instead of apple cider, I used the chicken broth option and added in some apple cider vinegar for extra flavor. Will definitely make again and might try chicken breast tenders instead of the bigger chicken breasts next time.
Hi Dani,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and I appreciate you making it! xT
Sadly would not make again. Used the slow cooker method and maybe it was due to the size of my slow cooker but it took forever to cook down and I ended up throwing out the orzo as it became one gloopy, stodgy mess. The chicken did taste delicious so I kept that and incorporated it into another recipe.
Hi Victoria,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it didn’t work for you! What size is your slow cooker? Let me know how I can help! xx