Next Post
Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Maple Icing.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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
I’m planning on making this dish next week I was wondering if anyone has tried it with frozen broccoli?
Hi Laura,
You could certainly add some if you like. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Thanks, Tieghan! Great recipe. I went a little off book when I went the Instant Pot method and decided after the chicken was cooked I would cook my orzo and veg under pressure as well. Pasta is hard to do without getting a burn notice. Still turned out creamy and tasty. I had a huge lemon so I should have used my head and only used half the juice. Looking forward to making this recipe again in the slow cooker.
*Gluten Free Orzo is very hard to find so I thought I’d mention I found GF orzo at Sprouts under the Jovial brand!
Hi Stacy,
Thank you so very much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!??
First, the chicken turned out great. It’s always hard for me to not overcook it, and doing 90 mins soaking in the liquids on high in the crockpot and then 5 on broil was perfect.
However, I went the apple cider vinegar route and it was much too vinegary for our liking. I think if I were to do it again, I’d try the broth instead and maybe add some mushrooms.
Hi Bethany,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am glad you enjoyed the chicken. The recipe calls for apple cider, not apple cider vinegar:) xTieghan
This was delicious! It was tangy with the wine and the cider but we loved it. I used half breasts and half thighs and instead of broiling them, i took them out before adding the orzo & broccoli and shredded them. Once the orzo was finished cooking, I added the shredded chicken back in with the cheese and heavy cream and ate it like a thick pasta stew. A squeeze of lemon at the end was a great addition! Thank you.
Hi Sarah,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
I used broth instead of apple cider which was good but I ended up with a lot of liquid at the end. I probably didn’t need to add the additional 1 cup of water with the orzo. I had a lot of liquid in the crock pot after removing the chicken. I would probably omit the white wine if I made it again. The wine flavor was pretty strong.
Hey Katie,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry it was not enjoyed! xTieghan
Ugh I wanted to like this … followed the instructions but used chicken broth instead of cider to avoid the sweet orzo situation. The orzo still ended up tasting funny. I learned I don’t care for the combo of shallots and Dijon. So overall this just wasn’t what I had hoped it would be. Will continue trying others though!!
So sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe Callie, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Just made this on the stove top and it was delicious! Not too sweet and came out perfect !
Hi Kayla,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays!? xx
I didn’t love the cider flavor when I made this the first time. It was much too sweet for our taste. I made it again using broth and it was amazing. This would be so good with mushrooms too. So savory and creamy. A great weeknight solution. Will be on our menu a couple times this winter especially busy days.
Hey Lindsey,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try again, I’m glad to hear it was enjoyed the second time around! xTieghan
I made this as the directions stated. I have made so many recipes from HBH and loved them all so I was surprised how much I didn’t like this orzo. I had to cook it much longer than the directions and the flavor was just really off. I don’t know if it was because I used the apple cider or if my shallots were larger.. but the flavor of the chicken was really good. I’m going to practice tweaking the orzo, but I will definitely make the chicken portion again..just maybe with rice or roasted broccoli
Hi Kristen,
So sorry this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
I followed the recipe exactly but my husband and I both felt that the orzo had a really odd (not great) flavor. What did I do wrong?! The chicken was good, but the orzo had a really strange after taste! The only HBH recipe I’ve ever disliked! I’m assuming I did something wrong LOL
Hi Korin,
So sorry to hear this! Was there anything you may have adjusted? It’s hard to say without being there! xTieghan
Want to make tonight. If you use boneless skinless thighs how would you change timing in crockpot? Also wondering about timing if you use chicken thighs with bone in? Thanks so much!
Hi Amy,
You can use the same timing for both types of chicken. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Great recipe! I made a few changes due to what I had on hand and it was still good. I used chicken broth over wine and cider/broth and peas over broccoli. It was very hearty and filling. I used the slow cooker, and it was so easy. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Hey Virginia,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made this recipe and then read the reviews and should have done the opposite. Can you PLEASE UPDATE the recipe to reflect that one should not use Apple Cider Vinegar? Most people will assume, like I did, that the recipe is calling for ACV not the cider drink. A lot of people commented and they were corrected in the comments – – why not update the actual recipe to be as specific as possible since this seems to be a recurrent point of confusion.
Hi Monique,
So sorry you used the wrong ingredient, but I am not sure how else you would like me to write apple cider? If the recipe called for ACV, then it would say “apple cider vinegar”. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Made this for dinner last night and my whole family loved it! My mom and I made sure to prep all of the ingredients ahead (mise en place) so that we were ready to go, as I have often found that Tieghan’s recipes come together rather quickly (not a complaint at all!). We did the Instant Pot method and were a bit confused on whether to leave the chicken in while we did the orzo or to remove it, in the end we decided to remove the chicken after releasing the steam and set it on a plate while we cooked the orzo. Because the recipe comes together so quickly, we did not have an issue with the chicken being overcooked or cold. We opted to do half a cup apple cider and half a cup chicken broth, I think this gave it the perfect savory & sweet flavor. Overall, we would totally make this again!
It seems like that most people who have experienced issues with this recipe have misunderstood the ingredients – Tieghan calls for apple cider, NOT apple cider vinegar. I can only imagine how acidic the recipe would turn out if one used a whole cup of vinegar instead of apple cider or chicken broth. Make sure to read the ingredients and instructions clearly, and definitely do your mise en place!
Hey Shelby,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Delicious
Thanks so much Emily!
Not sure what the other comments are talking about on this. This is a fantastic recipe, just made it tonight! Fiance agrees it was a hit! Other comments mentioned it was too acidic, the chicken was dry and there was not enough broth for the orzo… I do not agree on any of this! The chicken was very tender, the broth was not too acidic and was plenty of broth for the orzo. The shallots were delicious in this. Saw a lot of comments about the chicken becoming cold while the orzo cooked… nothing a little tin foil cover can’t fix folks!
Started making HBH recipes over a year ago and will not stop, any recipe of Tieghan’s is absolutely delicious and I challenge everyone to still make this recipe even with the other comments. The addition of the apple cider in here was delicious! A win in my book!
Hey Olivia,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! Thanks for your kind message and making so many recipes:) xTieghan