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Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo. Turning a meatball and pasta dinner into an easy slow cooker meal. We’re using white wine, creamy Dijon mustard, garlic, herbs, parmesan cheese, and orzo. Then adding in some vibrant spinach and sun-dried tomatoes for veggies, flavor, and a pop of color. This slow-cooked chicken meatball dinner is a delicious meal to come home to at the end of the day. And the best part? It’s the easiest, cozy fall-winter dinner to prepare. Directions for the Instant Pot and stove-top are provided!
I know I’ve said something like this before. But when a recipe I’m not sure about works out so well, I get incredibly excited! When I had this idea, at first I didn’t want to make it. I was honestly scared it would end disastrously. But after some pushing from mom, I decided to just go for it.
I kept asking her about the recipe, “should I make this”? I think I asked her 3 days in a row until she finally said, “Tieghan, MAKE THE MEATBALLS”! Finally, I listened and I sent her a text a few hours later to thank her for the encouragement. The recipe turned out better than I’d imagined and more importantly, it was so delicious.
Here are all the easy details
To be honest, I may only want to make meatball recipes in the crockpot from now on. This was so easy and almost mess-free.
Start with the meatball mixture. I make mine using ground chicken, Italian seasoning, dijon, and parmesan cheese. Just mix everything together in a large bowl and roll it into meatballs. Then place them in the crock-pot with a little olive oil to prevent any sticking.
Next, pour over white wine, add an onion, and a whole head of garlic. Cover and slow cook. Since these are meatballs, they can cook quickly on high for a couple of hours or cook them low and slow all day. Either is great and the meatballs are never dry. The wine will add moisture to them.
When the meatballs are cooked, pull them out along with the garlic cloves, then set them aside on a baking sheet.
Add the orzo to all the yummy broth in the crockpot. Now simply cover and cook a few minutes longer, until the orzo is al dente.
Meanwhile, I love to add butter to the meatballs and garlic and toss on some rosemary. Then place the sheet pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp them up.
What happens is that the butter browns around the meatballs, garlic, and rosemary. I then chop up the garlic and rosemary and toss them back onto the pan with butter. Then toss the meatballs with the garlicky butter to finish. This step is optional, but I think it really adds flavor.
When the orzo is finished, stir in the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, then add the cream and parmesan, stirring until the orzo becomes very creamy.
Serve the garlic butter meatballs over the orzo, then drizzle any butter left on the pan over top.
So simple and quick with barely any clean-up and minimal hands-on time too.
What I love most about this recipe is the fact that it’s a complete all-in-one dinner. You have your protein, your carbs, and even your vegetables. You can serve this up on busy weeknights, but it’s equally great for those upcoming holiday dinners with friends and family.
Looking for other slow cooker meals? Here are a few ideas:
Creamy White Bean Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bacon.
Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with 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!
Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 878 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
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, pork, or turkey
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 head garlic, top trimmed off to reveal the cloves
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 cups dry orzo pasta
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or canned full fat coconut milk
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- 1. Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, dijon, and 1/2 cup parmesan to a bowl. Season with salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs). Add olive oil and place the meatballs in the bowl of your crockpot. 2. Pour over the wine and 1/2 cup water. Add the onion and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1-2 hours.2. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the meatballs and garlic from the slow cooker and place on a baking sheet.3. Crank the heat on the slow cooker to high. Stir in the orzo, 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 spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, cream, and 1/2 cup parmesan.4. Arrange the butter and the rosemary around the meatballs and garlic, then broil 1-3 minutes, until crisp. Peel away the garlic skin, then chop and mix with the butter and rosemary on the sheet pan. Toss the meatballs in the butter. 5. Serve the meatballs over the orzo.
Instant Pot
- 1. Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, dijon, and 1/2 cup parmesan to a bowl. Season with salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs).2. Set the instant pot to sauté. Add olive oil, then add the meatballs to the instant pot and sear until browned, about 5 minutes, Pour in the wine and 1/2 cup water. Add 1 chopped onion. Cook 5 minutes, then add the butter, garlic and rosemary. Let the butter butter, another 2-3 minutes. Cover and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.3. Once done cooking, release the steam. Set the Instant pot to sauté. Remove the garlic. Stir in the orzo and 1 cup water. Cook 6-8 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. Stir in the spinach, tomatoes, cream, and parmesan.4. Serve the meatballs over the orzo.
Stove-Top
- 1. Add the chicken, Italian seasoning, dijon, and 1/2 cup parmesan to a bowl. Season with salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs).2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, then add the meatballs and sear until browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1 chopped onion. Cook 5 minutes, then add the butter, garlic and rosemary. Let the butter butter, another 2-3 minutes. 3. Reduce the heat to medium. Pour in the wine. Stir in the orzo and 1 1/2 cups water. Cook, stirring often, another 6-8 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. Stir in the spinach, tomatoes, cream, and 1/2 cup parmesan.4. Serve the chicken over the orzo. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on October 10, 2022
My meatballs were very dry! And my orzo tasted good but was nowhere near as “saucy” as yours! Not sure where I went wrong!
Hi Meghan,
Thanks so much for trying this dish! Which cooking method did you use? It’s hard for me to say without knowing how you cooked this dish. So sorry to hear that the meatballs were dry! Let me know how I can help:) xx
Made it on the stovetop and it was delicious! Added an egg to the meatball mixture and baby mushrooms to the sauce. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Hey Laura,
Thanks for your comment and trying this recipe! I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great day:)
This is a delicious recipe!! I did read the comments and added an egg to the meatball mixture which was a good addition. I started with the Insta pot directions and it worked perfect until I added the orzo. The orzo stuck to the pot a bit so I transferred to a pan on the stove – worked great! My family loved this for dinner.
Hi Kaitlyn,
That’s fantastic to hear! Thanks for trying this dish and your comment, love that it was enjoyed! xT
Like another reviewer mentioned, the orzo took a little over twice as long to cook as the recipe states (for the stovetop version). This means I had to add more liquid as well throughout the orzo cooking process. As for the meatballs, I did my own thing. I used ground Turkey, added an egg and some finely cubed bread then Italian seasoning and lavender to it. They came out incredible! I didn’t have spinach so used chopped chard. All in all, it was okay, but I might be better off cooking the orzo separately following the orzo bag directions than adding it in to the mix. I did find the seasoning lacking just a bit (besides the meatballs which were well seasoned) I think due to the additional liquid situation.
Hi Alexa,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing what worked well for you! Glad to hear the recipe was enjoyed overall, sorry about the orzo! xx
I made it on the stove top because of the comments. I have a few questions – for the stove top, (1) do you chop or quarter the onions? (2) do you still cut off the top of the garlic and put it in whole or chop the garlic (this is what I did). I only used half the orzo based on comments. Overall, thought it was delicious. I’ll definitely make it again, but may try the crock pot method for comparison.
Hey Sarah,
I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your review:) For the stove top, you are going to chop the onions and I just trim the top off the garlic, but you could totally chop it too! xT
Made this according to the recipe and while I’m a HBH junkie, this was disappointing. The meatballs were incredibly dense and dry, despite being cooked in wine. I suspected they needed breadcrumbs and/or egg and I was correct. The orzo was DELISH and exactly as I expected. But would not make the meatballs again.
Hi Taylor,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback! So sorry about the meatballs! Have a great weekend! xx
Want to make this. On Instant Pot #3. Did you mean to say remove meatballs and other ingredients? It just said remove garlic.
Hi Denise,
All of the instructions are correct, you can follow each step as written:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Dinner tonight! Thanks for including a crockpot, instant pot, & stove top version… I did mine on the stovetop and it was yummy!
Hi Rachel,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was a hit! xT
I’m making this tonight but I don’t have orzo. Could I use a different pasta??
Hi Anna,
Sure, another mini noodle like stars would also work well for you here! Let me know how the recipe turns out! xx
I made the stovetop version – I would recommend using 50% of the orzo (only 1 cup vs 2). I found the orzo to meatball ratio was a bit too much with two and it also took forever to cook the orzo in the pan I used, I had to add a lot more liquid.
Otherwise awesome recipe with excellent flavor! Loved it
Hi Andrea,
So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for giving it a try! Thanks for sharing your recommendation for the orzo:) xx
Made this and it was so easy and delicious. Used ground turkey (that was what I had on hand) and came out great. I have tried several creamy pastas with sun dried tomatoes lately and this was the only one that my family asked for again! Finally!
Hi Cass,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for giving it a try! xx
For the stove top, do I keep the meatballs in the pan while adding the onions, cooking the orzo?
Hi Erin,
Correct, no need to remove the meatballs for the stove top version. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I’m about to make the stovetop version and have a question! Do I need to remove the meatballs after I sear them? Or leave them in while the orzo cooks?☺️
Hi McKenna,
You do not need to remove the meatballs for the stove top version:) Let me know how this dish turns out for you, I hope it’s a hit! xT
Super comforting & yummy! Easy weekday meal. A little confused in the crockpot version, it says remove garlic and meatballs to broil. I think you should remove the onion as well. I left it in with the orzo, still came out ok!
Hi Sasha,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback! You could totally remove the onion as well:) Glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Excellent! Super easy to make and extremely tasty! I did add mushrooms and used thyme instead of rosemary. Thank you so much for a wonderful meal! P.S the use of the whole bulb of garlic is just outstanding in this dish!
Hi Erika,
That’s fantastic to hear! Thanks for trying this dish and your comment, love that it was enjoyed! xT
Can I use beef instead of chicken
Hi Abbie,
Sure, that will work well for you! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
For the slow cooker, are you supposed to pour out the liquid before cooking the orzo?
Hi Annabel,
Nope, no need to remove any liquid, you can follow all of the instructions as written:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! I hope you love this dish! xx
Made this recipe this afternoon for my family, it looks, smells and taste great! Wow, I can’t believe I did it! Thank you so much for this recipe it’s 10/10. Only think I did different is I use ground Italian chicken sausage. I mixed sweet and spicy 😋
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! 🙂 xT