This delicious crockpot marry me chicken orzo is a convenient and healthy spin on the viral recipe. The sundried tomato and herb cream sauce is made with no heavy cream and then blended with spinach, chicken, and orzo for a nutritious and delicious dinner that is all prepped in your crockpot!

One dinner recipe that consistently takes over social media is the viral “marry me chicken” recipe… and for good reason! Smothered in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce, this chicken recipe is bursting with flavors and comes together quickly for an easy weeknight meal.

Beyond a flavorful bite, marry me chicken can also be prepped and served in a variety of ways. From the classic marry me chicken one pot recipes to marry me chicken pasta, you really can serve these familiar flavors in a way that you know your own family will love!

If you are looking for a new way to serve the viral recipe then you need to try my delicious crockpot marry me chicken orzo. The creamy sun-dried tomato sauce is loaded with chicken, spinach, and orzo and this entire dinner comes together in your crockpot so it’s ready to enjoy when you get home.

In contrast to the traditional recipe which calls for heavy cream, my marry me chicken with orzo recipe is made with whole milk and greek yogurt instead to preserve the creaminess you know and love of marry me chicken but add a bit of protein and cut down on fat! We love a good health twist!

Let’s get to the recipe:

Why you’ll love this marry me chicken and orzo:

I think you’re going to love this delicious take on marry me chicken because it’s:

Filled with family friendly flavors: The creamy sauce is full of sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, and some Italian seasonings for a family friendly dinner recipe. If needed, skip the red pepper flakes to fully remove any spice that your younger family members may not appreciate.
Served with orzo: Marry me chicken is generally just a saucy chicken served with sides of choice but I wanted to make this meal fully balanced in one recipe. While some people serve it as marry me chicken pasta, I prefer pairing my marry me chicken with orzo for a lighter bite.
A crockpot recipe: As a busy mom, I’m always looking for new ways to make “dump and leave” dinners that are ready when I get home from my day. After just a few prep steps, you’ll have this crockpot chicken recipe ready to enjoy in no time.
Made with no heavy cream: Creamy marry me chicken with no heavy cream? Absolutely! While you can make this recipe the traditional way with heavy cream, I swapped out the heavy cream for whole milk and some plain greek yogurt. Trust me, you’ll love it.
Fully customizable: You can easily make this recipe with chicken thighs, more veggies, or customized seasonings to fill it with the flavors you prefer.

I love this easy crockpot recipe and I think you and your family will too!

Ingredients you’ll need:.

To make this marry me chicken crockpot recipe you’ll need:

Chicken breast: I used two large chicken breasts and lightly seasoned them with salt and pepper.
Chicken broth: You’ll need about 1 cup of chicken broth and you can use low sodium or even bone broth if preferred.
Sun-dried tomatoes: This is key to our flavor filled sauce! I highly recommend buying them already chopped.
Onion: Finely diced
Minced garlic: Added to taste.
Tomato paste: Whatever brand you prefer.
Red pepper flakes: Optional but a (small) dash of red pepper flakes is highly recommended to a slight spice.
Plain greek yogurt: I used low fat greek yogurt but you can use any fat % you prefer!
Whole milk: I highly recommend using whole milk for the extra creaminess. Swapping it for a lower fat option could compromise the creaminess of your sauce.
Shredded parmesan: This will be added to the sauce and for serving!
Spinach: It will cook down alot so you can really add it to taste.
Orzo: I added just enough to make this recipe filling and balanced without making this recipe a full pasta recipe. You can always add more orzo if you would like!
Seasonings: You’ll need salt and pepper for your chicken, Italian seasoning, and some basil (either dried or fresh)

That’s all you’ll need for this crockpot dinner recipe!

ingredients to make marry me chicken and orzo in the crockpot.

Step by Step Instructions:

Alright, now let’s get to the best part about this crockpot marry me chicken recipe… and that it how easy it is to dump it in our crockpot and leave it. We love easy dinners with minimal clean up!

Here’s how you’ll make it:

1) Add your two chicken breasts to your crockpot and lightly season with salt and pepper. Then pour in your drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes (remove the oil), red pepper flakes, diced onion, tomato paste, garlic and chicken broth. Lightly stir everything.

Cook on high for 2-3 hours or until your chicken is fully shreddable.

how to make marry me chicken pasta in the crockpot.

2) Remove your chicken from the crockpot, place it in a bowl, and thoroughly shred it using two forks. Place the shredded chicken back into your crockpot.

how to make marry me chicken orzo in the crockpot.

3) In a small bowl, whisk together your whole milk and your greek yogurt until it combines into a thick liquid. Pour that into your crockpot then add your Italian seasonings, basil, orzo, parmesan cheese, and spinach. Stir everything until it's mixed and mostly submerged into your broth.

4) Cover and cook on high for another 45 minutes to 1 hour or until your orzo is softened. Stir well to fully mix in the orzo and serve topped with parmesan cheese and additional basil. Enjoy!

Swaps, substitutions, and serving suggestions:

This marry me chicken pasta recipe is going to be a hit when it’s made as written but you can certainly play around with the recipe as well.

Here are a few of my suggestions:

Swap out the chicken breasts for chicken thighs: Marry me chicken is typically made with chicken breasts but you can certainly make marry me chicken thighs as well! Using chicken thighs in the crockpot may adjust your cooking time slightly so keep an eye on it.
Use the heavy cream: I have made this marry me chicken with heavy cream and without the heavy cream and both ways are delicious. If you want to make the traditional marry me chicken recipe, remove the whole milk and yogurt and use heavy cream instead.
Swap your carb: Marry me chicken and orzo is a delicious and balanced way to serve your dinner but you can sub the orzo for other pasta option like noodles or penne.
Add more veggies: Add extra spinach, mix in some chopped kale, chop up some mushrooms, or even dice zucchini for an extra veggie boost.
Add some spice: I kept the spice very mild in this recipe to keep it family friendly but you can definitely add more red pepper flakes if you want some extra heat.

The options are endless!

two bowls of marry me chicken and orzo with parmesan cheese and herbs.

Recipe FAQ:

What if I want to use heavy cream?
1. Easy! Instead of using the milk and yogurt combination for your creamy sauce, simply add 3/4 to 1 cup of heavy creamy. Heavy cream will also do a better job of masking the spice from the red pepper flakes so you can adjust your portion of spice as well.
Can I use a milk alternative instead of the milk and yogurt?
1. You can certainly try it out but I do find that the extra fat in real milk and yogurt better mimic the mouthfeel of regular heavy creamy. If you make it with an alternative, choose one that has a higher fat percentage for best results!
How long can I store marry me chicken with orzo in the refrigerator?
1. These leftovers will stay good in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days which makes it perfect for meal prep!

Other easy dinner recipes to try:

If you love the convenience of this crockpot recipe then you’ll probably love some of these other dinner recipes I have on the blog that come together quickly and are easy to make:

BBQ Chicken Flatbread

.

Get the recipe

One Pot Unstuffed Pepper Skillet

Get the recipe

Crockpot Salsa Verde Shredded Pork

Get the recipe

*These blogs may contain affiliate links. Any purchase made through my links gives me a small commission and supports Lauren Twigge Nutrition