Description
Slow cooker parmesan herb chicken orzo brings together tender chicken, creamy pasta, and savory cheese in one pot that does all the work for you. Your dinner table gets a comforting, restaurant-quality meal that’s ready when you walk through the door.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Pasta and Dairy:
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Aromatics and Seasonings:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Lay your 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts flat in the slow cooker.
- Whisk together 1 cup chicken broth, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 2 minced garlic cloves, and salt and pepper to taste in a separate bowl.
- Pour your broth mixture directly over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook your chicken on low heat for 6 hours until it’s tender and cooked through.
- Transfer your cooked chicken to a cutting board and shred it into bite-sized pieces.
- Add 1 cup orzo pasta and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese directly into the slow cooker, stirring to combine with the remaining sauce.
- Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes until your orzo reaches tender consistency.
- Return your shredded chicken to the slow cooker and fold it in gently to distribute throughout the dish.
- Top your finished dish with fresh parsley right before bringing it to the table for serving.
Notes
- Pound your chicken breasts to an even thickness so they cook uniformly without some pieces drying out while others stay undercooked.
- Shred the chicken while it’s still warm, as it becomes much easier to pull apart than when it cools down.
- For a lighter version, swap the heavy cream with Greek yogurt or half-and-half, stirring it in after the chicken finishes cooking to prevent curdling.
- If your slow cooker runs hot, check the orzo around the 20-minute mark since it can turn mushy if cooked too long, and add it straight from the box without rinsing.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Slow Cooked Chicken
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 504 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 435 mg
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 42 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg