Crockpot Chicken with Apples

Crockpot chicken with apples is my favorite way to bring fall into a Tuesday night. Tender chicken thighs simmer with apple cider, pearl onions and fresh herbs, then finish in a glossy Dijon sauce with soft apple slices on top.

The whole house smells like a farmhouse kitchen by lunchtime, and it takes about 15 minutes of hands-on work. My first few batches were stringy, too sweet and full of apple mush, so I kept changing one thing at a time. This slow cooker apple cider chicken is the version that finally works.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It isn’t dump and go. You brown the chicken, deglaze with cider and add the apples last, so the sauce tastes like a sauce.

The slow cooker does most of the work. After a few minutes at the skillet, you set it and leave it.

It’s made for mashed potatoes. The sauce runs into every spoonful, and the leftovers keep for a few days.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Serves 4, which is 2 thighs each. You’ll need a slow cooker, a large skillet and kitchen twine.

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds) – Thighs forgive a long cook much better than breasts do.

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt – This is for Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton, use 3/4 teaspoon, since it’s denser.

1/2 teaspoon black pepper – Just for the chicken.

1 tablespoon olive oil – For browning the thighs.

4 garlic cloves, smashed – Smashed, not minced, so they soften into the sauce.

1 cup fresh apple cider – Unfiltered cider, not apple cider vinegar. They aren’t the same thing.

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth – Low-sodium, so you control the salt.

8 ounces peeled pearl onions – Frozen is fine, and there’s no need to thaw them.

3 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 sprig rosemary and 1 sprig sage – Tie them with kitchen twine so you can lift them out in one go.

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard – A sharp little spoonful that keeps the sauce from tasting like apple juice.

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar – A spoonful at the end wakes the sauce up.

2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water – This is the body of the sauce, so there’s no need to reach for cream.

2 Gala or Honeycrisp apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices – Thick slices hold their shape. Thin ones disappear.

1 tablespoon butter (optional) – For a glossier sauce.

Fresh thyme leaves, for serving – A little green on top.

How I Make It

Pat the thighs dry and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in two batches, about 3 minutes per side, until it’s deep golden. Don’t crowd the pan, or the chicken steams instead of browning. Move it to the slow cooker.

Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic, stirring for 30 seconds. Pour in the cider and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then let it bubble for 1 minute. Pour everything over the chicken. Those browned bits are a lot of the flavor.

Add the broth and pearl onions, and lay the herb bundle on top. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The chicken should be fork-tender, and it should read at least 165°F (74°C) on a thermometer.

Take the herb bundle out. Ladle about 1/4 cup of the hot liquid into a small bowl, then whisk in the cornstarch mixture, Dijon and vinegar until smooth. Pour it back in and stir gently.

Lay the apple slices over the chicken. Cover, switch to high and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, until the apples are tender but still hold their shape and the sauce has thickened.

Stir in the butter, if you’re using it, and taste for salt. Pull the thighs into large pieces with a fork right in the slow cooker so they soak up the sauce. Spoon the chicken, apples and onions over mashed potatoes, and finish with plenty of sauce and fresh thyme.

My “Batch by Batch” Mini Guide

• Don’t cook it all day. Batch one went 8 hours on low, and I came home to dry, stringy chicken. Boneless thighs only need 4 to 5 hours.
• Brown the chicken. Batch two skipped it to save 10 minutes. The chicken looked pale and the sauce tasted like warm juice. About 3 minutes per side builds most of the flavor.
• Deglaze, then add Dijon and vinegar. Batch three tasted strong going in and weak coming out. Scraping up the browned bits with the cider, then adding Dijon and a spoonful of vinegar at the end, brought it back.
• Apples go in last. In batch four I added them with 2 hours to go, and they melted into applesauce. Now they go in for the last 45 to 60 minutes, in thick slices.
• Tie the herbs. Batch five had loose sprigs, and I spent dinner picking rosemary needles out of my kids’ plates. A bundle on twine lifts out in one go.

Helpful Tips

The Best Apples for Crockpot Chicken and Apples

Reach for firm, sweet apples like Gala, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Fuji, because they stay in slices. McIntosh turns grainy in the pot, and Granny Smith can make the sauce too sour. Keep the slices about 1/2 inch thick, since thin ones melt into the sauce, and peel them, because the skins go chewy and dull.

What Is Chicken Normandy?

If you’ve had Chicken Normandy, this will taste familiar. It’s the French farmhouse dish from the apple country of Normandy, where chicken cooks with apples, cider and cream. This easy apple cider chicken leaves out the cream and gets its body from Dijon and a little cornstarch, so it’s lighter but still saucy.

Crockpot Chicken and Apples Cooking Times

• Boneless thighs: 4 to 5 hours on low, or 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high, then the apples for 45 to 60 minutes on high.
• Bone-in, skin-on thighs: 5 to 6 hours on low, or 3 to 4 hours on high, then the apples for 45 to 60 minutes on high.

Slow cookers vary a lot, so check your chicken early the first time you make it.

Why Is My Slow Cooker Chicken Dry, Bland or Mushy?

• Dry or stringy: it cooked too long. Boneless thighs are done in 4 to 5 hours on low. If your slow cooker runs hot, start checking at 3 1/2 hours.
• Bland or too sweet: brown the chicken well, deglaze the pan with the cider, and don’t skip the vinegar and Dijon. Taste and add a pinch of salt at the end.
• Thin sauce: leave the lid off for the last 15 minutes on high so it reduces.
• Mushy apples: they went in too early or were cut too thin. Add them for the last hour only, in 1/2-inch slices.

Variations and Swaps

• Bone-in thighs: use 6 bone-in, skin-on thighs, sear them skin side down until golden, and cook 5 to 6 hours on low. Remove the bones before pulling the meat apart.
• Chicken breast: it works, but it dries out faster than thighs. Shorten the cook to 2 1/2 to 3 hours on low, and stir in an extra tablespoon of butter at the end.
• Creamy Normandy-style: stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream with the butter at the end.
• No cider: use unsweetened apple juice plus an extra teaspoon of vinegar.

What to Serve With Apple Cider Chicken

Mashed potatoes are my favorite, because they catch every drop of sauce. Buttered egg noodles or plain rice work too, and so does crusty bread for the sauce. For a vegetable, roasted Brussels sprouts or green beans are good.

Storing Leftover Crockpot Chicken and Apples

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of broth. The chicken freezes well for up to 3 months, but the apples go soft after thawing, so add fresh ones if you can.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

I like this one because it brings fall in without much effort. A skillet for a few minutes and a slow cooker for the afternoon. Get the apples in late, don’t skip the browning, and let the mashed potatoes catch the sauce.