Did you know you can convert all kinds of recipes to cook in the slow cooker? This one started out as a skillet meal. I didn’t have time to cook it right before dinner, but I did have a few minutes earlier in the day to put ingredients in the slow cooker.
The ingredients are a bit odd – Italian dressing and maple syrup. Not your usual combo, but it makes for a flavorful sauce with a hint of sweet.
This recipe couldn’t be easier and the results are delicious too. Perfect for fall or any season, really!
Maple Apple Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
- 3 apples sliced
- 1 onion sliced thin
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Put chicken, apples and onion in the slow cooker.
- Stir the dressing and syrup together and pour over the other ingredients.
- Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
How often do you use your slow cooker?
What an interesting and fun change for dinner. The picture makes the odd ingredients look really good!
This looks fabulous! It so happens that I have apples in the freezer that need to be used. I just found one of next week’s meals. Yay!!! Thanks!
Sounds super good and simple! Thanks!
That looks so good. I’ve bookmarked this page. Definitely going to try this. Love slow cooker meals. Toss it in before work and bam…when you get home it’s done! Different twist on a chicken meal too. Not the same ol’ same ol’.
I’m so glad to see the photo of the finished product because it sure is a strange combination of ingredients! I am always looking for new ideas for my slow cooker, especially on hectic weeknights. I am saving this one to try very soon.
Jennifer
About how many would this serve? What size crock pot would be best?
Lyz, the recipe serves about 6 people. I use a 6 qt. crock pot, but it would also fit in a 5 qt.
thanks for getting back to me so quickly!
The recipe was a hit! Only thing was that the cook time was a little off. The chicken was done after 3/4 hours at low heat?? I just put the cooker on warm and it turned out great!
Hi Tiffany ~
Looks good….
I have an off the wall question….I noticed your onion is sprouting…..I think someone told me that if they are sprouting you shouldn’t use them so I am wondering if I have been believing an old wives tale all these years! 🙂 I am guessing you used that onion because you showed it. Let me know!!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!
🙂 Linda
I’ve never heard that about onions before. I always use them when they’re sprouting, as long as they haven’t gone bad. Interesting.
Linda, I asked your question on the Eat at home facebook page. I was curious what others thought. Here’s the link
After seeing this, I thought why not try the same type of thing but, use mango-ginger vinaigrette and chili sauce for chicken? I sliced a sweet onion into the bottom of my crockpot, threw in some diced dried mango and diced crystallized ginger, seared four chicken breasts and put them in on top, then mixed the mango-ginger vinaigrette, chili sauce and a little bit of Ken’s no-sodium sesame-ginger marinade (slightly under a cup of liquid) and poured it over the chicken. Tasted great and the sauce has a real kick to it.
Trudy, that sounds fantastic!
Do you think balsamic dressing would taste good instead of Italian?
Jenn, I think it would. The flavor would be different, but I think it would be good. If you try it, let me know!
i made this last night and i used ceasar dressing ( its was all i had) and it was delicious. i will be making this in my rotation.
Tried this for dinner tonight. I loved it! I added some rice with a cup of water in the last hour. It made the rice taste fabulous also.
Could I use chicken thighs and if so, how long would I cook and what quantity of thighs – sounds like a great recipe but we are a “thigh” family. Thanks for your help. PS – I use a lot of your recipes and enjoy them.
Theda, yes you can use chicken thighs. The amount and cook time should be the same as for chicken breast.
Your slow cooker ideas are so yummy, but if you would post the size of slow cooker to use with each recipe, we sure would appreciate it. There are so many sizes out there, and I’m sure that cooking times must vary with the sizes. Thanks.
Nancy
I was a little skeptical at first when my husband suggested to make this meal but we made it anyway and I’m so glad we did. It was fantastic! We used some apples that weren’t during off season for apples so it wasn’t as tasty as I know it will be now that apples are in full force (October). I’m excited to try this again but with a really tasty apple like a honey crisp, jazz, envy or pink lady apple! I know it will be finger licking good. Thanks for this recipe, Tiffany!!!
I want to make this recipe what type of apples do you use for the recipe , they look like honey crisp , but can you also use delicious .
June, I just use whatever type of apples I have. I wouldn’t use Honey Crisp, just because they’re so expensive and cheaper apples are just fine for this recipe.
I want to try this meal later this week. I have fresh cranberries. What do you think of adding them in with the apples? Anything special I would need to do?
Mollie, that sounds fantastic to me! I don’t think you’d need to do anything special, but you may want to add the cranberries towards then end of cooking. Maybe about an hour before it’s done. That might keep them from taking over the whole dish.
Hi Mollie, I’m interested in trying this recipe but don’t have any Italian dressing. What do you think about either rasberry vinaigrette or creamy balsamic dressing? And I have honey dijon dressing and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Which do you think would be best? Thanks for the tasty sounding recipe! 🙂
Dawn, I think I’d go with the raspberry vinaigrette. I think it would work better than the creamy versions for this recipe.
Thank you so much, I’m gonna give it a try with some black and red pepper. We like spicy here! Sweet and spicy might just make a great mix. 🙂
If you do decide to use rice is the minute rice OK to use?
Dona, I’m not sure if you mean to add the rice to the crockpot? Or just serve this alongside rice. If you serve the rice as a side dish, minute rice will work.
Can you add the minute rice in the crock pot? Or would the consistency of the rice become too mushy?
I think it would be too mushy if you add it to the crockpot. You’d need to go with long grain rice so it would hold up, but still add during the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.
Did you use frozen chicken?
I have used frozen for this before.
Hi there. Just wondering if I could use pearl onions. Thanks for the great sounding recipe!
Pearl onions would be fantastic!
This looks so delicous! The question I have is that we are empty nesters, so I crock pot cook for two. What would the cooking time for just two chicken breasts be on low? Thanks, can’t wait to try this!
If you’re using a smaller crockpot, the cooking time should be about the same. But if you’re using a size that the recipe doesn’t fill even half full, you’ll need to reduce the cooking time by at least an hour.
This looks delicious. I’m going to make it very soon. I was wondering what you would think would be good accompaniments for this dish. Mashed potatoes and broccoli?
Mashed potatoes and broccoli would be great. Sweet potatoes go well too. Enjoy!
I read this wrong the first time and thought it said ham instead of the chicken. First of all, do you think ham would work, or would it be too sweet, also would you use the same size ham as chicken? (1 1/2-2 lbs.)
I think ham would be fantastic! And yes, that amount of ham should work fine. Let me know how it turns out.
I have to say, I’ve made this a few times now, and it is one of my favorites!! It’s so simple, and yet tastes so amazing! I usually pair it with a simple oven roasted rosemary potato. Thank you for this amazing addition to my cooking repertoire!
In the video you said it was pork the first time. Did you do this with pork? I’m sure it’s fine either way.
Yes, I’ve made it with both pork and chicken. It works either way.
Are your cool times from frozen? 5-6 hours frozen? I want to make this today but my pork chops were just bought
*cook