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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 was so excited for this recipe as I have made and loved many half baked harvest recipes, but this one really let me down. Followed the directions exactly as they were and made this in a slow cooker. The orzo is just gummy and has an undesirable taste – it was inedible to be honest. We kept the chicken but got rid of the orzo.
Hi Kathleen,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, was there anything you may have adjusted? Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Hi! Can I substitute the white wine with a white wine vinegar and chicken stock mixture? I love that substitution for the breaded lemon chicken.
Hey Whitney,
I would skip the vinegar, chicken broth in place of the wine would be great to use. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made the slow cooker version. The flavors were superb! I’d add more broccoli next time. The orzo reminded me of risotto- it was rich and delicious. If I make it again, I would remove the cooked orzo out of the crock pot as soon as it is done cooking because it became super pasty when we went back for seconds (even though I had turned the crock pot off.) Or maybe I’d use rice instead!
On a side note, I thought it was sad the # of people who misread the recipe and used apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider and poorly reviewed the recipe because of their mistake…
All in all, the flavors of the dish were divine. I loved how the chicken took on the flavor of the apple cider. I’d make some subtle changes next time to make it 5 stars 🙂
Hey Emily,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!!? xTieghan
Alot of people are saying this is a no-go Because of the vinegar…The recipe Calls for APPlE CIDER not apple cider vinegar!! That makes a Huge difference ?
I hope you love the recipe Kira!!
This was a hard no for me and my family (including a 15 month old and an almost 3 year old). I didn’t make the apple cider mistake others noted (using vinegar instead of apple cider) but even per the recipe, this came out overcooked and unpleasantly yellow. Even the bright green broccoli came out sad and brownish in the slow cooker. Really wanted to like this because of the ease and ability to prep ahead but definitely can’t recommend.
Hey Nicole,
So sorry this recipe was not enjoyed, was there anything you may have adjusted? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I am a huge HBH fan but this recipe was not one of my favorites. I followed the slow cooker recipe (with apple cider, not vinegar) and the flavors didn’t come together. Also, after cooking the orzo for 25 minutes on high it was still very underdone and I had to move it to the stove to boil and simmer for another 30 minutes. I’d recommend the Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice casserole, which was great and similar cozy feel!
Hey there,
So sorry this recipe was not enjoyed, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
I made the stove top version of this with some substitutions (based on what I had on hand) and it was great! I used chicken thighs instead of breasts, apple juice instead of apple cider, pearl couscous instead of orzo, and spinach instead of broccoli, though I added it at the end. Really easy to mix things up if you don’t have everything on hand.
Hey Christine,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. ? xTieghan
For me – the apple cider vinegar over powered all the other flavors and it was extremely vinegary/acidic. If you make it I’d suggest using chicken broth instead of apple cider vinegar. Can’t help but wonder if that whole cup of vinegar is a typo. Sadly, just doesn’t work.
Hey MaryEllen,
Please note, the recipe calls for apple cider, not apple cider vinegar. Please let me know if you try the recipe again:) xTieghan
Unfortunately I can’t recommend this one. Way too acidic and the chicken was dry.
Hey Melissa,
So sorry to hear this, was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? What cooking method did you use? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Coconut milk ruined it… tastes awful. Bummer because it had such good potential!
Hey Randi,
So sorry to hear this, maybe try it with regular cream or milk next time:) xTieghan
I followed this to a T! It was way to sour for me! An entire cup of vinegar was waaaay to much
Isn’t it apple cider? Not vinegar?
Oh my gosh! I totally did apple cider vinegar also and it’s terribly sour. Oops!
Yes, that is correct Stephanie:)
Hey Sandy,
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, but it calls for apple cider, not vinegar. I hope you’ll try it again with the correct ingredients:) xTieghan
Eeekk – this was a hard no for my family — we spent so much on ingredients and all day cooking — it was such a let down — but we could just not do it. Proceed with caution.
Hey Christine,
So sorry this recipe was not enjoyed, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
This recipe was DELICIOUS! Everything came together so quickly and it had such great flavours. I would maybe add slightly less water to the orzo the next time I make it – but the sauce was lovely!
Hey Amanda,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!!? xTieghan
This recipe was DELICIOUS! Everything came together so quickly and it had such great flavours. I would maybe add slightly less water to the orzo the next time I make it – but the sauce was lovely!
Hey Amanda,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!!? xTieghan
Delicious! I finished it on the stove top because my crockpot doesn’t get really hot..I used boneless/skinless chicken breast and they did fall apart some so would probably use bigger chicken breast with the skin on…loved the cider and wine…so yummy!
Hey Carla,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!!? xTieghan