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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.
The taste is delish. But there was too much liquid at the end. I think I should not have added that cup of water
Hi Shannon,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry about the extra liquid! Glad you enjoyed the flavors:) xT
I’m a huge HBH fan… I followed the recipe to a T… we were hugely disappointed! Overpowering apple cider vinegar and lemon flavour. I typically love both but this was not good.
Hi Marina,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed!! This recipe actually calls for apple cider, not vinegar:) Let me know if you try again using the apple cider, I think that will help! xT
In stovetop recipe, you did not tell us to remove the chicken after it was cooked. So the later instruction to serve the chicken over the orzo made no sense. It was all cooped together in the pot and took waaaay longer to cook than instructed. Tasty, though.
Hi Leigh,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear this took longer than expected. In the stove top version, I did not remove the chicken:) Let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
I’ve made this 3x – it’s delicious! BUT I have tried it three different ways and have never had the mustard stay on the chicken and not just stick to the pan. Maybe I’ll put it on after pan searing next time I make this. Great flavor and a crowd pleaser for sure!
Hey Aspen,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad you have been enjoying it! I would try adding the mustard after searing and see if that helps! xT
I had issues with this in the instant pot. When I seared the chicken, the mustard stuck to the pan. I should have stick my instincts and put the mustard in after the sear. To not overlook the chicken, I took it out before cooking the orzo. My sauté function was super hot, so I had to keep scraping the pan to prevent the orzo from burning on. We were still able to eat it, but it’s got a weird flavor.
Maybe bitter from all the burning to bottom of pan?
Hi Allyson,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear you had some issues with the instant pot method. I think a little more olive oil might have helped a bit. Let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
I wouldn’t recommend this recipe. We tried this twice (1x apple cider / 1x chicken broth); sadly it missed the mark for us which we very surprised about since we are die hard HBH recipe fans. We aren’t going anywhere though bc there are so many other PHENOMENAL HBH recipes. 🙂
Hi Sandra,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback:) So sorry it wasn’t enjoyed either time! Thanks for making so many others! xx
I wouldn’t recommend this recipe. The flavor was okay but the chicken ended up very dry. It tasted very rich, and everyone agreed. If you do decide to make it, I would use chicken thighs, and broth instead of juice. You could even skip the cream also.
Hi Sarah! I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe! Thank you for letting me know! xT
Going to make this tonight but using Arborio rice instead of orzo to make it gluten free. Will also be using crockpot method. Should I just substitute the rice for the orzo using exact directions? Just want to make sure it comes out great.
Hi there! I haven’t ever tried this with arborio rice so I can’t say what would be the best method to sub that! So sorry! xT
Made the stovetop version of this, just used more apple cider and some chicken stock instead of wine (didn’t have a bottle opened) and it turned out so delicious ! I used chicken thighs, added some sautéed onions and more broccoli for personal preference and it was great! Adding it to my recipe rotation!
Thank you so much! Sooo happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 xT
Did the stove top version with half and half instead of cream. It was great! Found the directions to be very accurate.
Thank you so so much for giving the recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
Made this tonight using the Stove Top directions and it turned out perfect! Very yummy and a perfect stick-to-your-ribs meal for a cold winter night.
Only thing I subbed was half and half for the cream because it’s what I had on hand. I also took the chicken out and cut it up when done then stirred it back in so it was easier to serve my family.
Hey Christy,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your feedback! xT
Followed the recipe as written (except the broiling) – good flavor! Only issue was a lot of liquid in the crock pot when it was all done, which was unexpected. In hindsight, I wouldn’t add the water when I added the orzo, and I think I still might’ve needed to drain some liquid off (as is, I drained about a pint off). Would make again!
Hey Ali,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and your review, so glad it was delish! Sorry about the liquid! xT
I followed this to a T and the chicken was very dry after broiling. Prior to broiling it was already tough. We did not love this recipe and it makes quite a bit. We salvaged the leftovers by pairing the orzo with bratwurst (it is still Fall, after all) which worked with the Dijon flavor.
Hey Jennifer,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Tieghan, this is SO delicious! I was devastated to realize I was out of parm when I started pulling out the ingredients for this but was already committed to making it. It was still amazing but for anyone who might be avoiding cheese or for other reasons cant have it, this is still great! My husband and I both loved it. He’d never heard of your blog (blasphemy!) So he started looking up more of your recipes and he’s excited to try others. And we’ll def make this again- with parm!
Hey there,
Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you! Thanks so much for making it and your feedback! Happy Thanksgiving! xT
This was super yummy and both my kids went back for seconds. We all really enjoyed it and it was relatively easy to make for someone who doesn’t cook daily. We did the crockpot option and the wine left the orzo bitter. I’ll try it again on the stovetop, but that’s the only thing I wish I knew how to change. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Trisha,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your feedback! Sorry to hear about the orzo! xT