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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 added vegetables 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. Plus, you can easily package leftovers in an airtight container to keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, you could even pop this in the freezer for a last minute meal.
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!
This post was originally published on September 27, 2021
Making this dish this week, is there a particular red wine that pairs well with this?
Hey Bill,
I would do a Cabernet Sauvignon. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
First let me say I love your blog and most of your recipes!!!! This one missed the mark for me, however. If I attempted again I might skip the fresh sage and only use half the lemon juice as the finished product had sort of a bitter, acidic flavor. I also would recommend either mincing the shallot or omitting because while I love shallot, the large pieces of shallot were a bit off-putting. Better luck next time!!
Hey Jennifer,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry it was not enjoyed. xTieghan
Nm, crisis averted and read comments ?
Hope you love the recipe!
I made this in the instant pot and it turned out great! Instead of wine/cider I did just shy of one cup broth and a splash of apple cider vinegar. I also cooked brown rice ahead in the instant pot and tossed it back in the pot with the chicken after sautéing it/before doing the high pressure cook for 6 minutes.
Hey Meagan,
Wonderful! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
Made this recipe tonight after drooling over it for weeks and it was AMAZING! This was my first time cooking orzo and it turned out perfect by just simply following the instructions. I used the slow cooker method and the only thing I changed was chicken thighs over chicken breasts because that’s what I had in the fridge! Love your recipes so much!
Hey JJ,
I love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
For the stove top version, should the chicken be removed before adding the wine, cider, etc. or should it stay in the whole time?
Hi Christina,
You are going to keep the chicken in the pot. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Thanks!! It was delicious. I went through with the stove top version using my le creuset dutch oven and did 1.5x the recipe based on the number of people I was cooking for. I only used the juice of half a lemon just based on personal preference. Because I increased the recipe portions I needed to cook the orzo for 15-20 mins and used around 1.5 – 2 cups of water. I kept adding as needed until it was cooked through. As I kept adding time to the orzo I worried the chicken would over cook but it was so good! The chicken was cooked perfectly and was moist and tender from cooking in the liquids. Based on reviews, I used 1/2 cup of apple cider and 1 cup of chicken broth using a bouillon cube. I also roasted my broccoli in the oven and had it on the side only because my stepdad doesn’t like broccoli but it paired perfectly with the dish.
Only small things I would change is adding a little more heavy cream and chopping the shallots instead of quartering. I added a couple more small pours of heavy cream than the recipe said because it looked like it could use more based on the consistency and color but I think it could have even used a little more to make it extra creamy! Based on 1.5x the recipe I would do probably 3/4 cup.
All in all great dish and easy to make. My whole family loved it.
Hey Christina,
I love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xTieghan
When you say apple cider, you mean ACV, correct?
Hi Meg,
Nope, you do NOT want to use apple cider vinegar here, just drinking apple cider. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This recipe looked great but I was a bit disappointed. I followed the instructions and the taste was too acidic, I guess due to the lemon juice and the wine. The texture of the orzo was also rubbery, while the chicken was unfortunately dry.
Hi Fiona,
So sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
I made the crock pot version and it was incredible. Used the low crock pot setting and timing to cook the meat. I used boneless pork chops as a sub for chicken and they were perfect: Tender and really good after a few min in the broiler with butter and a little parmesan sprinkled on top. I used chardonnay and high quality apple cider for the liquids. Delish with the lemon at the end. Also, I highly recommend adding some roasted garlic if you have some in the fridge — it really boosts the flavor. The key to avoiding mushy orzo is to make sure your crock pot gets up to high temp and the liquid is VERY HOT before you add the pasta and allow it to cook. Also, don’t stir the orzo too much while it cooks. I didn’t need all the extra liquid at the end. Add it as you watch the orzo cook as needed.
Hey Katie,
Awesome! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xTieghan
SO tasty, will make again but with some adjustments. I made the stove top version – cooked the chicken in the dutch oven, then removed and finished it in a covered pan on the stove. I also did half broth, half apple cider and I liked the flavor combination. After cooking down the broth with the shallots, I had to add an additional 2 1/2 cups of water to the orzo and cooked it for an additional 20 minutes until it was done. It all came together really nicely though, we loved the flavors.
Hey Lauren,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
Made this in the crockpot and it was fabulous! I was a bit nervous given all of the mixed reviews. I doubled the recipe and cooked on high temp for 2 hours. Removed the chicken and put in a baking dish with foil over the top to prevent it from drying out. I stirred the pasta frequently and added water as needed. Would definitely make again!
Hey Elle,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
I was hopeful this recipe would be amazing…I read through all of the reviews, used half apple cider (not vinegar), half broth, used a smaller crock pot (3.5 qt) to help keep chicken from drying out on the low setting, added only 1/2 cup of water vs full cup of water to the orzo, and it was still an unsuccessful recipe. As others said, chicken was still quite dry and the flavor of the orzo is a bit off. I even checked the chicken after 2 hours on low, and it was already at 185 internal temp. The timing then also becomes off because you have to cook the orzo for 30 min at least, but then only broil the already overcooked chicken for 2-5 min. This is my first recipe from this site, and I’m going to give the white lasagna soup a shot since I can repurpose some of my leftover ingredients from this recipe. However, I would not recommend trying this one.
Hey Emily,
So sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, but with all of those adjustments I would assume that it would not turn out well. If you try it again, I would follow the recipe as is. xTieghan
Another delicious meal!!! I used the instant pot method, used broth instead of wine and cider and I love this sooo much! This is definitely going into the regular rotation!
Hey Candace,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
I’ve had this bookmarked for a while and I am glad I read through the reviews before making. I used the stovetop method. Browned the chicken in a dutch oven until a little crispy and then removed the chicken and deglazed the pan with the chicken broth. I didn’t have wine or apple cider on hand. Added the onions and butter, cooked for a bit, scraping up the brown bits. and added the chicken back in. Subbed oat milk for heavy cream. It was very good; my husband gave it a perfect!
Hey Jillian,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
First recipe of yours I made. Friends rave about your recipes. I’m sorry to say my family didn’t like this at all. Made in my crock pot. Chicken overcooked and mushy after 3-4 hours. Orzo had too much liquid at the end and lemon/apple cider overpowered any other taste. My kids said it made them pucker….
Hey Gretchen,
So sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
This was a huge hit in my house! Definitely in our rotation. Love all your stuff!!
Hey Kim,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan