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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
We really enjoyed this recipe. The only thing we would do differently next time is mix ground pork with either turkey or chicken so the meatballs would be a little less dry. We’ll definitely make this again.
Hey Carey,
Awesome! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear it was enjoyed:) xx
Hi, thank you for this great recipe ~ for the slow cooker recipe, what do I do with the quartered onions after the meatballs are cooked? Do I chop them? Or add them to the broiler with the meatballs and garlic? Onions are not mentioned after the slow cooker part. looking forward to family dinner with this one!
Hi Marguerite,
You are just going to leave the onions in the slow cooker and serve them as is, they will be soft and flavorful and can easily be sliced when served. I hope you love the recipe! xT
I loved this recipe, but made a few modifications for more flavor! First, I only had 1 lb of ground chicken, so I mixed a little ground turkey in as well. Second, I added a few pinches of kosher sea salt to the orzo while it slow cooked. I had to broil the meatballs for a smidge longer (all broilers are different, so just look for that desirable golden brown flavor!) Once I took the meatballs out of the broiler, I added some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes to mix with the garlic butter before lavishing that all over the meatballs. SOO YUMMY. Lastly, and I think this is the *most important* modification – ADD LEMON! It brightens everything up and brings all of those beautiful savory flavors together. Thanks for another great recipe, Tieghan!
Hey Hailey,
I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for trying it out! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you:) xx
What do you do with the bulb of garlic after you remove it?
Hi Toni,
You will add it to the butter, the steps differ depending on which method you use. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
The recipe was so good and easy to follow. I substituted boneless chicken thigh pieces. I also added some more liquid to ensure the orzo cooked properly. Everyone loved it and there were no leftovers.
Hi Gia,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for trying it out! xT
This was so delish. I made in the instant pot. I love that your recipes include the directions for a variety of cooking processes. Thank you.
Hi Rachel,
Of course, happy to share! And thanks for making this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Delicious. My husband said one of the best meals I’ve made. I dare say, I agree. The meatballs were a weeeee dry, I used turkey. Could have used a little more seasoning, and I did add some of my own. But I love a lot of seasoning. They were still good. I used the crockpot method, I was very pleased! Thanks, Tieghan!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and making this dish, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Just made this in the instapot and it’s very tasty! Thank you for sharing your recipes with everyone, I always enjoy them!
Hey Nichole,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Woweee! We are eating this now and I love it. I had hoped to have leftovers for tomorrow but apparently that is not happening.
Not sure about all the negative comments or reviews. I followed everything as written (except I cannot eat onions so they were left out) and the meatballs were very moist, and the orzo cooked perfectly. Everything came together perfectly. I would happily order this in a restaurant!
I love your recipes (and your cookbooks) and how you step out of the box to experiment with ingredients!
Thank you for all your efforts!
Hey Stephanie,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making so many recipes! 👻 I am so glad this recipe was tasty for you, thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
My family loved this recipe. We did the slow cooker version and it turned out great. Only confusing part was figuring out what to do with the onion. I ended up chopping it up after the broil and putting it in with the orzo.
Tip, if your not soaking up the extra garlic rosemary buttery goodness on the pan afterwards with crusty bread…you are doing it wrong.
Hi Tricia,
Amazing!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
I made this today and ended up leaving the meatballs in the crockpot for almost 6 hours while I was working. I used vegetable broth instead of water and shredded Parmesan to the orzo pasta instead of grated. Grated sometimes doesn’t melt as well and can leave a grainy texture on food. I also used three sprigs of rosemary and chopped all of them up and dumped the rosemary butter in with the orzo and meatballs after broiling.
I didn’t love the meatball flavor, I think I may do meatballs a traditional way next time but y’all, the orzo!!!! Omg. Best orzo I’ve ever had. The sun dried tomatoes, spinach, and rosemary was the perfect flavor. So creamy and perfect! So excited for this new found orzo recipe ❤️
Hey Michelle,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing what worked well for you!! So glad to hear that it was enjoyed:) Happy Monday! xx
Loved this! I made this on the stovetop and seasoned the meatballs to our tastes. This was a whole family pleasing recipe!!
Hey Emily,
Happy Monday!! 👻 I am so glad this recipe was tasty for you, thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
After making this dish, I can say that the bones are there. Don’t use chicken for your meatballs, use beef. When making the Orzo, add 3 or 4 big, three finger, heavy pinches of salt. Take the onion out of the sauce before adding the orzo. Broiling will take closer to five minutes. If you use chicken, there is no way to avoid a dry meatball. Don’t do it.
Hi John,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Hope you’re having a great Sunday! xx
My husband and I loved this recipe! I did have to season at the end to liven it up a bit, but thought the flavor otherwise was great! I used bone broth instead of water, but that’s just personal preference and for added protein.
Hi Michelle,
Happy Sunday!!🎃 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
I saw a lot of comments about how terrible this recipe is, but I thought it was pretty good. Flavor was excellent. Orzo pasta wasn’t pasty-very creamy and tender in my opinion. I followed the slow cooker method. I will say you have to watch your slow cooker brand. I have had some that over cooked food even on the low setting. The slow cooker I have cooked the orzo pasta just fine. Next time I might try roasted red peppers in place of the sun-dried tomatoes simply because I don’t care for the texture of sun-dried. They taste great, but the texture bothers me sometimes. Give the recipe a try! It’s good and filling.
Hi Mallory,
Happy weekend! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!! Thanks so much for making it and sharing what worked well for you! xx