A couple weeks ago I was completely overwhelmed with things to do. I had so much work to do, I was cleaning like a fiend for house guests, I had too many social things on the docket in a very short amount of time, and my husband was out of town for work.
...And I had committed to cooking for our house guests who have eating restrictions. (WHAT WAS I THINKING?!)
It was time to whip up the old trusty crock pot.
I love slow cookers because once you set them, you forget them, and your house smells amazing for hours. It is pretty awesome. I am also absolutely awful at making up recipes for slow cookers. I truly just don't get how to get the right flavors to mix properly when they are cooking slowly for hours. It is a very clear gap in my culinary experience. It's on my to do list.
I turned to Whole Foods for a perfect recipe for the occasion. This slow cooker chicken apple stew was super satisfying, and my dinner guests loved it. They talked about it all weekend. <3
This dish felt perfect on a chilly autumn evening! The Whole Foods recipe is below, but I made some minor tweaks and notes:
- I had purple sweet potatoes, and I swapped one out for one of the normal sweet potatoes.
- Another confession is I am actually notoriously bad at following recipes. I chopped the apples a bit too small, which made it look a bit mushier than I would've liked.
- The original recipe indicated it serves 6-8. I would say it comfortably served 4 with everyone wanting more! (Also, those were big bowls, not the baby one shown! Everyone ate before I took the pics :) )
I think this recipe is a knockout. Especially if you want something gluten and dairy-free! I will definitely be making this again soon!
Slow cooker chicken apple Stew
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 firm, sweet baking apples, such as Braeburn or Gala, peeled and cut into 6 wedges each
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (10 ounces each), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
- 2 tablespoons sliced fresh sage leaves
- 1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Toast fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Cut chicken thighs in half. Add chicken, fennel seeds and all remaining ingredients to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until chicken and apples are very tender, 6 to 7 hours on low or 3 to 3 1/2 hours on high.
Because this came from WF, I have nutritional info:
Per Serving: 300 calories (70 from fat), 8g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 165mg cholesterol, 610mgsodium, 19g carbohydrates, (4 g dietary fiber, 11g sugar), 39g protein.
