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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
I finally finished making this dish & while it is tasty, I loosely followed the instructions for cooking (not sure if my crockpot was malfunctioning, which was part of the reason for deviating). Modifications I made: Chopped up 1/2 onion & minced garlic-sautéed until soft/garlic released it’s flavor, added to crockpot. Used a combo of 1# organic ground turkey, 1/2# grass fed ground beef. Mixed in all seasonings, (was sure to add 1 egg & some seasoned breadcrumbs after reading some of the reviews) & formed meatballs, then browned in a skillet with EVOO, transferred to crockpot, added in liquid (used chicken bone broth), added add’l salt/pepper to taste. Cooked on high for 1:15, then removed meatballs, added 2 cups organic brown rice to the liquid (cooked 45min)-this was where I think my crockpot malfunctioned, as the High Setting was never up to that simmering point, & only par cooked the rice. I ended up using add’l bone broth/H2O to finish the rice on the stove & also put the liquid from the crockpot into another pot, finished that on the stove (added in the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes & full fat coconut milk). I cooked the rice for about 15-20 min, then added that back into liquid, gave it a good stir & poured it over the meatballs.
Hi Michelle,
Happy Saturday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback and what worked well for you! I am so glad it was enjoyed overall! xx
Made this on the stove top method in a Dutch oven and it was soooo good. Diced half of the onion and put in the other half just to add flavor. Also chopped and added the cooked garlic at the end.
Hey Beth,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and truly appreciate you making it! Have a great weekend! 🍁🍂
I had such high hopes for this recipe, but it was a definite miss for us. I followed the crockpot recipe step by step. Using chicken for the meatballs, it cooked for three hours on low. I must say the aromas that filled the kitchen were amazing and added to my anticipation of the end result. Sadly, the meatballs came out very dry and tasteless, not to mention they didn’t “crisp” under the broiler.
I added mushrooms to the orzo, and it came out creamy with a hearty flavor…….just not enough to redeem the meal.
Hi Cindy,
So sorry to hear you had some issues with the recipe and that it was not enjoyed. Thanks for giving it a try! xx
I did the stovetop version and found the directions lacking and/or incorrect. I could find no mention of what to do with the butter or the rosemary. More importantly, I had to use almost 2 cups more liquid than what was called for. Glad I chose to use chicken stock instead of just water, or this would have been pretty bland. I also used ground pork instead of chicken. I can totally see how using chicken would make for bland meatballs. Overall, it was a delicious recipe, but only because I’m experienced enough to know how to make up for the lack of guidance. I don’t recommend this for newbie cooks, until Tiegan fixes the recipe.
Hi Heather,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! The rosemary butter is going to be made in step 2. So sorry, I’m really not sure why you would need so much extra liquid, my only guess is that your heat was much higher than mine. I hope this helps! xx
Unfortunately this recipe was a miss for me. The meatballs were dry despite only cooking them for 1 hour on high in the crockpot. It felt like there was an overabundance of Italian seasoning & yet the meatballs still tasted bland. The orzo also didn’t have much flavor. I love trying new recipes but I don’t think I’ll be making this one again.
Hi Dani,
Happy Friday!! So sorry to hear that this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
This recipe was super disappointing :/ I’ve loved every HBH recipe I have made, but this is my first I truly didn’t like. I think it would be great if I made it on the stovetop, but the crockpot recipe just didn’t work. The orzo ended up becoming a liquidy gluteny mess with no flavor. I was able to salvage the pasta after mixing in some of the rosemary garlic butter. If I make again, I will not use the crockpot.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Let me know if you try the stove top version! xx
I so wanted to like this recipe…thought it had potential. Directions were lacking for stovetop version…but even after reading comments..thought I could make it work. Very disappointed and I’m a seasoned cook and catered for several years.
Hi Gena,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Was there something specific that went wrong? I went back and edited the stove top instructions so let me know if they are still missing something! xT
I made the stove top version and added 4 tbs butter when I added the garlic and onions. I ended up adding more water than recommended, I would use chicken broth in the future. I added a lot of salt and some pepp in the end because it really needed it. The orzo flavor was good, the meatballs were pretty bland. I’m sure they’d taste way better in the crockpot soaking up all those good flavors so I wouldn’t recommended the stove top unless you’re going to make the meatballs differently.
I really wanted to love this recipe, but I was disappointed. Both the meatballs and the orzo lacked flavor. If I were to make this again, I’d try using broth instead of water and wine.
Hi Emily,
Happy Friday! So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! Thanks for making it! xx
Hi Jackie,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for giving this dish a try, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
First time making it and it was delicious! I made sure I seasoned the meat well and it did not disappoint. Will definitely make again.
Hey there,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! 👻
The end result was good for the stove top version, but I do think instructions are missing for this method and I had to wing it. For example, there was no mention of what to do with the butter, so I referred to the other versions and just added it in at the end. There didn’t seem to be enough liquid for cooking the orzo. It also says to serve the chicken over the orzo, but never mentioned removing them, though it did seem tricky to get the orzo to fully cook with the meatballs still in the dish. We liked the final dish but I had to use my instincts quite a lot.
Hey Veronica,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback! I’m definitely going to go back through the stove top version to clear a few things up, sorry for the confusion! xx
Is there butter and rosemary added to the stovetop version and do you broil meatballs? I’m so confused.
Hey Christine,
So sorry for any confusion, you are going to brown the butter in step 2 for the stove top! No need to broil the meatballs, that is just for the slow cooker. I hope you love the recipe! xx
I tried this recipe tonight for my family and it probably is one of my favorite recipes from HBH to date. So delicious, AND easy! It was creamy and flavorful, the orzo came out cooked to perfection, and the brown butter was the final touch that brought this dish to a 11/10! I probably would do it in the slow cooker instead of the instant pot next time (my meatballs stuck to the instant pot a little) but wow, so good and flavorful! Looking forward to the leftovers already!
Hi Isabelle!
Perfect:) I am so glad you family enjoyed this dish! Thanks so much for trying it out and sharing your feedback! Have a great day:) xx
SOOOO good. Will definitely make again.
I added some breadcrumbs and egg to my meatballs. I also threw in some chopped up mushrooms in the orzo.
Hey Kara,
Perfect!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try and sharing you feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
Of probably hundreds of HBH recipes I’ve made I think this is my new fave!! Everything about it is perfection 😘 even my 18 month old wanted seconds and thirds!
Hey Sarah,
Wonderful!🤩 I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
So disappointed!! Made this recipe tonight I was really looking forward to it looks absolutely delicious the way the picture made it but I don’t know where I went wrong? I did the crockpot version and went step-by-step. We used chicken for the meatballs and they were completely over seasoned with 3 tablespoons of Italian seasoning and extremely dry, After cooking them in the crockpot then broiling them I feel that might be overdoing it. Orzo was very bland and soup like as others stated in their comments. The sun-dried tomato give it a little bit of flavor. But All and all not my favorite recipe.
Hi Bonnie,
So sorry to hear that this recipe was not enjoyed! Thanks for giving it a try! I always feel like ground chicken needs to be seasoned well because it can be super bland. You could try skipping the broiling of the meatballs! Again, sorry about this! xT
Disappointed in this one and I generally love all your meals. The orzo came out sticky and glued together. Can’t figure out what went wrong there. On step 3 of the crock pot directions, we couldn’t figure it if you put the spinach, sun dried tomatoes and cream in after the orzo had cooked for 20/30 minutes or at the same time. We put it in at the end of the 20/30 minutes time. It would also be better if the onions were chopped up as it made it hard to eat. Also it was tough to peel and chop a VERY hot garlic clove. The meatballs tasted good, but that was about it.
Hi Christine,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! I added the spinach, cream, and sun dried tomatoes after the 30 minutes of cooking. Again, so sorry! xx
Made this using a crockpot for a weeknight dinner. It got a solid “okay” from my family. The meatballs were dry despite choosing a higher-fat ground turkey; maybe some breadcrumbs or egg could help? I apparently didn’t have Italian seasoning and used a Za’atar blend – it seemed ok. I could see the orzo being really good, but my flavors didn’t meld well. The orzo was also still almost soupy so I wish I added less liquid. Maybe some time reducing for the flavors to blend and liquid to evaporate would have turned this from “okay” to “great”?
Also should add that I didn’t read the recipe all the way through first before I started it. Generally when a meal says crockpot, it’s throw everything in and it’s ready four hours later. That wasn’t the case with this and hubby had to come and do steps 2-5.
Hi Melissa,
So sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out well for you, thanks for giving it a try! Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx