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Crockpot Creamy French Onion Chicken and Orzo. This comforting French onion chicken dish is cooked with white wine, herbs, and butter, then served over a creamy parmesan orzo, it’s so delish. And it’s all made in the crockpot for an easy dinner recipe to have on rotation. It’s the perfect hearty and delicious meal to enjoy on busy nights.
I’ve entered my “cozy” mode and it’s in full force this season. Our weather has been beautifully sunny this week, but cold at night. It’s been so chilly that everything in the greenhouse froze over the weekend.
This has me craving cozier fall food. And with the beginning of October this Sunday, I imagine I’m not the only one!
You seem to really enjoy my simple, all-in-one crockpot dinners, so I’ve been brainstorming what new flavors and variations to share with you all.
I have so many great recipes coming up! It’s going to be yummy!
But for today, we have one that everyone will enjoy. It’s like a French onion soup, but made with chicken and served with a side of creamy parmesan orzo.
It is so delicious!
All of the details
Step 1: layer everything in the crockpot
It’s important to layer this dish in order. Arranging the onions on the bottom of the crockpot will ensure they receive the most amount of heat, which is ideal. We want the crockpot to really get the onions very, very soft.
Layer as follows, onions, butter, then chicken. Now, I love to add a sprinkle of thyme and sage. I usually use fresh, but dried herbs will work really well in this recipe. Then add some garlic, salt, and pepper.
Pour over dry white wine and add some mushrooms. Then start cooking. Go low and slow for 3-4 hours or on high for 1-2. Either or is totally great!
Step 2: mix in the orzo
When the chicken is cooked, pull both the chicken and onions out of the crockpot and set on a baking sheet.
Now mix the orzo into the crockpot. Add some water and let the orzo cook.
Step 3: broil the chicken and cheese
Next, add butter to the onions on the pan, and cheese to the chicken. Broil until the cheese is very melty.
During this time, the onions should darken a bit in color.
Step 4: finish the orzo
Mix the parmesan cheese into the orzo.
It will be very creamy.
Step 5: serve and enjoy
Serve the creamy orzo topped with the onions and chicken. I add fresh thyme or parsley too.
Serve this with a bright salad. This pretty harvest salad has been my go-to in the fall. Ooh, and maybe some crusty bread too! Yum!
Looking for other French onion dishes?? Here are my favorites:
One Pot French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions
Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Cheddar Flaky Pastries.
Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup
French Onion and Apple Grilled Cheese
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Creamy French Onion Chicken and 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 Creamy French Onion Chicken and Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 679 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3-4 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups dry orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
Instructions
Crockpot Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your slow cooker, layer the onions, 3 tablespoons butter, and then the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with thyme, sage, garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the wine and broth. Add the mushrooms. 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 and most of the onions 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 cream and parmesan.4. Arrange 3 tablespoons butter over the onions, top the pan with gruyere. Broil 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is melty. 5. Serve the chicken and onions over the orzo. YUMMM!
Stove Top
- 1. In a large soup pot, add the onions and 3 tablespoons butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring every 3-4 minutes, for 10 minutes. Add the chicken, thyme, sage, garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the wine and broth. Add the mushrooms. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. 2. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the chicken and most of the onions from the pot and place on a baking sheet.3. Arrange 3 tablespoons butter over the onions, top the pan with gruyere. Broil 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is melty. 4. Cook the orzo according to package directions. Mix in the reserved mushrooms and any liquid left in the pot. Add the cream and parmesan.5. Serve the chicken and onions over the orzo. YUMMM!
I made this tonight and it was really good! My husband was really impressed because he loves French onion soup. The orzo was cooked perfectly and the Gruyère cheese was the perfect touch! Thank you for the recipe:)
Hey Lyndsey,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for making this dish and your comment! I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
The cook time is not long enough to get the onions even soft. The flavor is just ok but not wonderful. I think if you try the recipe increase the slow cooker time by at least 2 hours to get the onions caramelizing.
Hi Bridget,
Thanks so much for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback, so very sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
This was good. We tried it tonight. I didn’t have wine, so I just subbed a half cup of more broth in its place. I generally do less liquid than crockpot recipes say because ours never cooks it out enough and is too soupy. I also always measure spices with my heart, so there was definitely more than recipe called for ha! The orzo water ratio was spot on!
The flavors were delicious and it was so easy to put together and have ready quickly! Very filling.
Next time, I might sear the chicken just to give it that extra touch!
Thanks a lot, Kera!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for your comment! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! Xx
First, generally a fan and have good success with your recipes! This isn’t a bash on you, just honest experience!
I wouldn’t make this again. All the ingredients are great but we opted for your stove top variation and it did not turn out well at all.
I mean, the flavor is there over all. The flavor isn’t bad. I’m not sure if maybe you haven’t made this on the stove top and just kind of rewrote it based on other similar experiences.
You say to cook the orzo separate and then add to everything else. We had SO much liquid for some reason. I promise we followed to a T. It was just sitting in so much liquid.
The onions, like many others mentioned, were not cooked in a way that was super enjoyable. Yes we broiled it as well. We actually cooked the onions longer at first because the time you instructed was just clearly not enough. So I guess that was the one thing done differently. But still not enough.
Was thinking of coming back to try to crockpot version but after seeing so many comments with issues I will probably just mark this one down as a no-go and move on.
Will say the chicken turned out moist and tasty. And again, the flavors as a whole worked well together.
Again, generally love your recipes! May need to go back and put some more time into this one and then remove this version and repost a new version. That’s all. It happens! You’re human.
Hi there,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback. I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t workout for you! Was there so much liquid in the orzo or the chicken? Again, my apologies that this didn’t work! xx
Made the crockpot version tonight! I have found with crockpot recipes that sometimes you lose the flavor of all the seasonings? Maybe it’s just me but didn’t find this particularly flavorful. It was creamy and I added some truffle paste that made it a little yummier. Very easy to put together!
Hi Margaret,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear you felt the seasoning wasn’t there, maybe try adding those towards the end, that might help! xT
This was an epic fail for me. I ended up with mounds of onions and the amount of sage and thyme used on the chicken was super over powering. The onion to chicken ratio is off. Should you have cut up the chicken after pulling it out of the crockpot? Your onions almost look carmelized in the pictures above. Something went terribly wrong here haha.. won’t be making this again.
Hi Ashley,
Thanks for trying this dish and your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. I did not cut up the chicken after removing from the crockpot. Did you do the broiling step? That is where your onions should caramelize. Please let me know how I can help! xT
Should the chicken have been fully cooked after the time in the crockpot? I had it on high for 1.5 hours and the chicken still looked uncooked in areas
Hi Elena,
Yes, the chicken should be fully cooked after the crockpot cook time. Any chance your chicken breasts were just super large? Let me know how I can help! xT
I am curious if this could be made in the instant pot? How would you do that?
Hey there,
So sorry, I have never tested this recipe in the instant pot so I don’t have the exact instructions for that. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Made this for dinner tonight. I halved the chicken breasts I had since they were so large. Made it stove top style with Dutch oven turned out perfecto. I enjoyed making it and eating it. Thank you, love all your recipes 🙂
Hi Ashlee,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
Can you leave the mushrooms out?
Yes, you can leave the mushrooms out if you are not a fan! 🙂 xT
Hi! Could you replace the orzo with brown rice to make this recipe gluten free?
I really like this, but I thought there were too many onions and not enough mushrooms. This recipe is very creative. I will defiantly make this again.
Thanks for the feedback Cathy! I appreciate it! Have a great week 🙂 xT