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
It was really yummie. I was a bit stressed reading the negative comments but at least the stove top version was easy and the whole family enjoyed. Thanks again Tieghan for an easy Sunday evening cooking.
This was such an easy recipe and delicious. My chicken was so moist. I actually pounded the meat a little before placing in the slow cooker to tenderize. This is on my list to make again!!!! 🙂
Oooooookay. I don’t like giving a bad review. So, I’ll keep it mild. I’m a food guy. I’ve been in the food service business since 1991. I’ve worked in just about every position in restaurants’ kitchens. I’m not bragging. I just want validate my professional skills. Now, that being said, I’m very disappointed.
We followed the recipe to a “T”. Our chicken was soooooo dry. We made ours in a slow cooker, FYI. Now, here’s what I think happened, I think that there was way too much acid with the cider, lemon juice, wine, and maybe the Dijon mustard. In the slow cooker, all of that acid pulls the fat and moisture out of the chicken and dries it out. When it’s dry in there it starts to turn into “pulled chicken. And, the problem with this recipe is that the timing for the chicken was too long or too short. The chicken was totally dried out and just starting get into the “pulled chicken” phase. But, it was so dry to the point where when you were chewing it, it was almost chalky.
We’re were super bummed. We were drooling over this recipe for days. Tonight we finally got the chance to make it.
I might want to try it again. I just might make some adjustments. But, unfortunately, it’s not on my priority list anymore.
Do you have any insight as to why it was terrible?
I am a huge fan of yours but this was the first meal that disappointed. It was really sour. My family had me recheck the amount of vinegar. 1 cup seems like too much.
But this recipe doesn’t call for vinegar maybe you misread apple cider and thought she meant vinegar?
I think you might have put in Apple cider vinegar instead of actual apple cider – I almost made that mistake. I think regular Apple cider would make this recipe way better and not sour ?
I wish I’d read these comments before making mine. I also used apple cider VINEGAR which now I realize was wrong and it was an awful and horribly sour recipe. I threw the recipe printout away thinking it was that bad to never make again.
Yum, I made in slow cooker and it came out perfectly!
Hi Nancy! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
I made this a couple of nights ago and it was absolutely delicious. However, in deference to my husbands dislike of chicken breasts and broccoli, I did make two substitutions; bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs and fresh baby spinach. He was skeptical about a chicken dish but one taste of this recipe and he was all in. I put the leftovers in a casserole dish, reheated in a 350 oven the next day and everything was as good as the first night. Best compliment, he told me not to lose that recipe! Thanks Tieghan for another winner!!
Hi Judy! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, and so awesome that you put your own little touch on it! Have a great day xTieghan
Delicious! I seasoned with montreal chicken first and browned in cast iron. Then deglazed with the wine.
Pretty sure the people that said it was acidic used vinegar instead of cider. Not acidic at all!
?! You are ABSOLUTELY correct in my case! I read the recipe as apple cider VINEGAR vs apple cider! I am so embarrassed! And very sorry! I’ll update my review right now.
This was delicious and easy. Thank you!
I made this tonight and it was so delicious! I let my chicken stay in the crock pot on the “keep warm” setting for too long, so the liquid was too cool to heat up when it was time to put in the orzo. On top of that, I used frozen broccoli, so that cooled down the liquid quit a bit as well. When I realized the orzo wasn’t cooking fast enough, I dumped it in a pot and boiled it on the stove until the pasta was done. All of the flavors came together wonderfully. Not sour at all, as other reviewers have mentioned, especially after the addition of the cream and cheese.
That’s crazy, I did the exact same thing with the crock pot & used frozen broccoli also. But I left the orzo in the crock pot longer instead of transferring to the stove. Did you pour out the liquid when you removed the chicken? I had that bad bitter taste others described. Ugh, I really wanted to like this!
I made this recipe this week. The first night, it was really good. Very flavorful. The second night, however the leftovers felt lacking. The orzo soaked up all of the sauce and became mushy. It also left the chicken to taste dry.
While I like the idea of making it all in the same crock pot, it might be best to make them separately and put together on the plate.
Bursting with flavor! Definitely on rotation here. Made in slow cooker as written. Chicken was fork tender, orzo creamy and broccoli perfectly cooked. The only thing I will change next time is roasting broccoli and adding on top to avoid color change.
Hi Judy! Thanks for trying out the recipe, I’m so glad it was enjoyed! XTieghan
Overall the recipe was good. I only had 3/4 cup of White Wine and would probably use a little less next time as the finished product was a little winey (is that a word??) for me. I didn’t love having to put the chicken in the broiler and think I would shred it into the orzo next time (for ease and less dishes).
Hi Ellen! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe and for the feedback. I really appreciate it! XTieghan
Would not make again and would not recommend. Very sour/acidic. Just not good. The chicken, by itself, after broiling was edible.
Attempting to update review/delete review. I made recipe either apple cider VINEGAR instead of the apple cider it called for. How embarrassing! No wonder it was icky! Please ignore this review. ?.
We made this last night for dinner it was delicious! Instead of putting the broccoli in the orzo we put it under the broiler with the chicken like one of your Asian meatball recipes, made it crunchy and delicious!
Look forward to making next recipe thank you
Just terrible. We had to get takeout to replace our meal. In 20+ years of marriage there have been maybe 3 times my husband wouldn’t eat dinner. This was one. It was sour. The orzo turned to glue – not right? I cook with orzo a lot. It was acidic and gloppy and just terrible. When she made this on Instagram there was no mention of the apple cider???? The written and social media recipes didn’t line up either. Don’t waste your time or food on this one.
So sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway:)
Had the exact same experience. Thought it was something we did. Our orzo also turned Into a gloppy mess and we use orzo a lot. Thank goodness for leftover Chinese!