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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.
It turned out great! It was even better the next day, I chopped up the chicken and mixed it all together-a delicious casserole for a yummy “warm up” dinner –
Hey Martha,
That’s fantastic to hear! Thanks for trying this dish and your comment, love that it was enjoyed! xT
Making tonight! Is it better to add water when using the cidar or should I use chicken broth with it instead
Hi Lindsay,
You are going to need to add the water regardless of using apple cider or broth:) I hope this makes sense! xT
Love something that tastes a touch different. I love a mustard dish. Had to use grainy mustard and chicken broth instead of wine and it was so good. Oh, and only used 1 cup orzo because even that is too much for 2 people. I just left off the additional water and added a little broth as needed (about 1/4 cup). Can’t wait to make again with the wine. I bet it’s amazing.
Hi Meredith,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing what worked nicely for you! So glad it was enjoyed! xT
Bummed because I was so excited for this recipe! Orzo came out thick and pasty, and chicken was super dry. And I feel like the addition of lemon made it almost too tart? Would love to see this recipe reworked because I feel like it has great potential.
Hi Farrah,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
Do you use boneless chicken breasts with or without the skin?
Thank you
Hi Janet,
I used boneless skinless chicken breast, but you could totally use skin on! Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
What a cozy and easy recipe. I used quinoa instead of orzo (because that’s what I had) and it was super yummy! I did the instant pot version, and the chicken was so flavorful. Will definitely be coming back to this one!
Thanks so much Jamie!! So glad to hear that this dish was a hit and I appreciate you making it! xT
Unfortunately, the chicken breast was dry and the orzo pasta flavor was bland. I used a slow cooker on high setting. Would suggest stove top dutch oven, starting with sautéed chopped shallots or onions, then chopped garlic followed by browning and cooking chicken thighs. The dish needs more seasoning.
Hi Libby,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed! xx
User error – I read this as apple cider vinegar! Maybe for us dopes out there you could include a note in the recipe “NOT vinegar”! It’s cooking away and I will see if it is edible.
Ahhh so sorry about that Sarah!! I can add that to the notes:) My apologies! xx
just reporting in that with the vinegar instead of cider it was very tangy but we actually liked it! we’ll make it again with the cider to compare and contrast : )
Thanks for the update Sarah!
Omg reading this as it’s cooking…I did the same thing…
I did the exact same thing 🤦🏽♀️
I did the same! My 3 year olds face when he tried it said it all!
You didn’t read the recipe when it told you to use APPLE CIDER, why would an addition telling you specifically not to use vinegar fare any better?
Very tasty! The chicken didn’t crisp under the broiler so I cut it up and added to the orzo.
Hi Carol,
Happy Monday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying and your feedback! xT
This sounds amazing! If I use the instant pot, do you keep the chicken in when adding the orzo or remove it?
Hey Adrienne,
You can leave the chicken in the pot:) Let me know how this recipe turns out for you, I hope you love it! xx
Not sure if I missed a step but mine was terrible. The chicken was dry and the orzo was like paste. I usually love all your recepis. O used the crockpot and wondering if it didn’t get hot enough or was I supposed to take out the sauce from the chicken?
Hi Teresa,
So very sorry to hear this!! Did you cook on high or low? No need to remove anything from the sauce:) Let me know if you try again using the stove top! xx
For the stove top method, do you remove the chicken before cooking the orzo or do you cook the orzo with the chicken still in the pot?
Hi Rebeccah,
No need to remove the chicken:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
“One cup apple cider or chicken”. Do you mean actual cider or cider vinegar? And/or chicken broth?
Hi Michelle,
For this recipe you will want to use either apple cider or chicken broth, not apple cider vinegar:) I hope you love this dish! xx
I’m glad I read this because I definitely went out and bought apple cider vinegar! I would highly recommend correcting/clarifying your instructions or put it in the notes!
I also bought apple cider vinegar! What a disaster that would have been!!
Yes, please be sure to use apple cider:) I hope you love this dish, Danielle!
Hi Julie,
Sorry for any confusion Julie! I could go back to the notes and add that it’s not vinegar:)
Really delicious and came out perfect!
Hi Pamela,
Thanks for your comment and trying this recipe! I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great day:)
I made this today in my slow cooker, and it was a huge hit! My husband raved about it and asked to have it put in our dinner rotation. The flavors were so different from what we normally have but so good! The mustard was such a nice addition! I used half chicken broth, half apple cider vinegar. Great recipe!
Hi Stephanie,
Happy Sunday!!🍂 Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your review, so glad it was enjoyed:) xx
I just made this and it is bad bad, the taste of it is just awful, and the orzo clumps into hunks in the slow cooker. I forgot I swore to stop making recipes from this page! Yuck
Hi El,
So sorry to hear this dish was not enjoyed. Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe or anything specific that I can help with? Let me know! Have a great day! xx
This might be a bit controversial, but I replaced the orzo in this recipe with wild rice. I added the rice to the slow cooker at the same time as the chicken. When it was all cooked, I took out the chicken to put it under the broiler, and added some pre-roasted broccoli to the rice mixture. It was delicious, only concern was that the chicken was dry. I’m wondering if perhaps the wild rice absorbed all of the moisture in the slow cooker? Otherwise, the recipe was healthy & delicious perfection.
Hey Alexandra,
Happy Sunday!!🍂 Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your review, so glad it was enjoyed:) Sorry, I haven’t tested this with wild rice, but that certainly could have been a slight issue for the chicken. Glad it worked though! xx