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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 made this using the slow cooker method. The orzo came out great. But the meatballs were very dry and dense. Next time I’ll add a little milk and an egg.
Hi Joyce,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear the orzo worked for you, sorry about the meatballs! xx
Would another pasta or grain work instead of orzo?! I live in a small town and none available right now
Hi Karla,
Arborio rice would also be a great option! I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I am prepping to make this dish tonight for a dinner party… I want to do the stovetop method as my slow cooker is quite small and I don’t think would fit/evenly cook the meatballs. In the Stovetop method… do you remove the meatballs from the skillet at any point? or do they stay while the butter browns and orzo cooks?
Hi Sarah,
No need to remove the meatballs, you can follow the instructions as written:) I hope this turns out well for you! xx
I was in a hurry and decided to try this as a stovetop recipe and wow – it was amazing. It all came together in under 30 min and the flavors were so delicious. Highly recommend this!!
I am making on the stove tonight, can I ask if you left your meatballs on while cooking onion, browning butter, cooking orzo etc.? I’m a bit confused on stovetop instructions since its not mentioned but the other methods remove the meatballs before cooking orzo.
No need to remove the meatballs:)
Hi Karen,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for making it and sharing your feedback:) xx
I did the crockpot method. I read enough reviews beforehand to know the risk of dry meatballs so I made them larger than called for and cooked them for about 2 1/2 hours on low. These changes resulted in retention of their moisture and I thought the flavor was great, although I did have to add a ton of salt (as is often the case with proteins to begin with).
Now, the orzo. A few commenters noted that in the crock pot it becomes a gloopy, gelatinous mess, and they were right. It was almost inedible and my husband and I are EATERS with…well, let’s not say NO standards, but fairly low ones. We ended up tossing most of it which was incredibly annoying because for some reason orzo is hard to find right now.
I highly recommend Tieghan revisit this recipe’s crock pot method and help the readers by fixing it.
Hi Raquel,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Glad to hear your adjustments helped with the meatballs. Again, so sorry about the orzo, I am not sure why this is working for some and not for others! I’ve looked at the recipe and made adjustments, sorry for the trouble! xT
I made this stovetop, followed the recipe, perfect for a fall dinner. I will make it again this weekend in a crockpot for dinner before a Halloween Party. I love orzo
Hi Therese,
Happy Wednesday! I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was a winner! 🤩
I love Tieghan’s recipes and really wanted to like this one, but I have to agree with other commenters that this was was a miss for me… I followed the slow cooker directions and the meatballs ended up really dry and the flavor of the orzo and the meatballs didn’t really complement each other in my opinion. I’ll still try other recipes in the future but this one wasn’t my favorite!
Hi Jamie,
Thanks so much for making this dish 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
The Instant Pot instructions were a bit confusing. It doesn’t say what to do with the garlic after it’s removed. Was I supposed to remove the meatballs while the orzo cooked? They seem to get in the way so the orzo isn’t covered by all the liquid.
Hi Julia,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! No need to remove the meatballs and the garlic is just removed in step 3, it had already done its just and infused the flavors into the dish. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Delicious! . I tweaked it a little. Chop up the onion n used chicken broth instead of water. Definitely will make it again.
Hi Kathy,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that this dish was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
Enjoyed this recipe. I used the crock-Pot instructions, but was unsure what to do with the onion after removing the meatballs. I wanted to make sure that there wasn’t a better way of utilizing them. Thank you for all of your great recipes!
Hey Kim,
Happy Wednesday! I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was a winner! 🤩 You can just serve the onions as is:)
Made this! It was really really good. I wasn’t fond of taking the meatballs out and putting them in broiler. They seemed a tad dry but oh my…the flavor was amazing. It will definitely be made again.
Hi Gayle,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Made this recipe tonight! I made a few changes but nothing drastic. I substituted sun dried tomatoes for fire roasted tomatoes (just not a fan of the sun dried tomato taste and texture). Instead of adding a cup of water to the orzo, I added a cup of chicken broth and later added a half cup of water as it needed a little more liquid. I wasn’t sure what to do with the oven. After skimming a few reviews, I opted to finely chop the onion and throw it in the crockpot with the meatballs and I left it there while I cooked the orzo too. I used a tablespoon of minced garlic as well so I didn’t remove once it was time to broil the meatballs. I cooked 2 hours on high in the crockpot. It took about 8 minutes on broil for me to get it crispy. I melted butter in the microwave with dried rosemary and used a basting brush to butter the meatballs once it was done. The orzo in the crockpot took about 45 minutes to cook to the point we like it (we have an older crockpot so that could be part of it?). Overall, the meatballs were a little dry but when combined with orzo, it was tasty! I also added salt to the orzo while it cooked!
Hi Mel,
Happy Tuesday! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback and what worked well for you! So glad that the recipe was enjoyed overall!! xx
The instructions for the slow cooker make zero sense. I am so confused, after cooking the meatballs in slow cooker for 4 hours on low, I then need to remove them to then cook the rest?????? Like whhhhhhat
Hi there,
I like to get a nice char on the meatballs and pop them in the broiler:) If this is something you don’t want to do then you can skip this step or choose one of the other cooking methods. Please let me know if there is anything else that you need help with! xT
This was so delicious! I made it using the Instapot instructions. Slight differences from the recipe I made were: used Chardonnay for the wine, made the orzo separately based on other comments I read, and rough chopped about 4 large cloves of garlic in place of the garlic that is noted to be removed. It will definitely be added to my recipe box!
Hey Alex,
Perfect! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you, I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
I love the recipe but I would like to know how 878 kcal compares to calories.
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe Laura!! It’s 878 calories:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT