Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Butter Meatballs

Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Butter Meatballs

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

Ingredients

• 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.
2. Peel the apple and discard the peels. Grate the apple on the largest holes of a box grater to yield 2/3 cup. Place the grated apple in a large bowl.
3. Add the chicken, panko, egg, salt, thyme, poultry seasoning, and black pepper to the bowl with the grated apple. Mix until just combined. Shape into 18 balls (about 2 tablespoons each).
4. Stir together the apple butter, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken bouillon in a 6-quart slow cooker bowl. Place the meatballs in the sauce mixture.
5. Cover and cook until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce thickens enough to coat the meatballs, about 2 hours on HIGH or 4 hours on LOW, stirring halfway through. Stir in the butter until melted and season with additional salt to taste.
6. Transfer the meatballs and sauce to a platter; insert a toothpick into each meatball and garnish with chopped thyme.