Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Butter Meatballs

4.0
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These chicken meatballs are perfectly tender with a delicious fall flair.

By
Jasmine Smith
Jasmine Smith
Jasmine Smith
Jasmine Smith is a Recipe Developer & Tester with 10+ years experience working in the culinary industry. She is a recipient of James Beard Foundation: Women in Culinary Leadership Program. You can find her work in Southern Living, Food & Wine, Health Magazine, and other publications. You can follow her cooking adventures on Instagram @jazzy_the_princess.
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Published on October 21, 2024
Tested by
Liz Mervosh
Liz Mervosh
Tested by Liz Mervosh

Elizabeth Mervosh is a recipe tester and developer for Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in Birmingham, Alabama. She creates and fine-tunes recipes for brands including Southern Living, Real Simple, Food & Wine, People, and EatingWell.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Butter Meatballs on a plate with herbs next to a bowl with more meatballs
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
2 hrs
Total Time:
2 hrs 20 mins
Servings:
4 (serving size: 4 to 5 meatballs)
Jump to Nutrition Facts

This cozy slow-cooker dish pairs tender chicken meatballs with a rich, warmly-spiced apple butter sauce to create the perfect fall dinner or crowd-pleasing appetizer. Best of all, it’s incredibly easy to make—just mix, shape, and let the slow cooker do all the work for a delicious, low-effort meal.

“I love a cocktail meatball, but could never get into the sweetness of the classic jelly meatball,” said recipe cross-tester Liz Mervosh. “These apple butter meatballs have the perfect amount of sweet and savory flavors. Also, the flavor combinations are surprisingly delish!”

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 4 (serving size: 4 to 5 meatballs) servings

  • 1 small Granny Smith apple (about 6 ounces)

  • 1 pound ground chicken

  • 1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs)

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish

  • 3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 1/2 cups apple butter (such as White House®)

  • 1 cup chicken stock

  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 3/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • decorative toothpicks

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients.

    Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Butter Meatballs ingredients on a counter

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  2. Peel apple; discard peels. Grate apple on the largest holes of a box grater to yield 2/3 cup. Place grated apple in a large bowl.

  3. Add chicken, panko, egg, salt, thyme, poultry seasoning, and black pepper to bowl with grated apples. Mix until just combined. Shape into 18 balls (about 2 tablespoons each).

    Raw meatballs shaped on a parchment lined baking sheet and meat mixture in a glass bowl

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  4. Stir together apple butter, chicken stock, Worcestershire, and chicken bouillon in a 6-quart slow cooker bowl. Place meatballs in sauce mixture.

    Raw meatballs with sauce in a slow cooker

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  5. Cover and cook until meatballs are cooked through and sauce thickens enough to coat the meatballs, about 2 hours on HIGH or 4 hours on LOW, stirring halfway through. Stir in butter until melted and season with additional salt to taste.

    Hand stirring meatballs with sauce in a slow cooker

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  6. Transfer meatballs and sauce to a platter; insert each meatball with a toothpick and garnish with chopped thyme.

    Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Butter Meatballs in a white bowl on a marble counter

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Butter Meatballs on a plate with herbs next to a bowl with more meatballs

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

566 Calories
21g Fat
62g Carbs
32g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 566
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 21g 27%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 185mg 62%
Sodium 880mg 38%
Total Carbohydrate 62g 23%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Total Sugars 43g
Protein 32g 64%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 68mg 5%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 1035mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.