Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Butter Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 small Granny Smith apple , about 6 ounces
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 0.5 cups panko
• 1 large egg
• 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 0.75 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 0.5 teaspoons black pepper
• 1.5 cups apple butter
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 0.75 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• decorative toothpicks

Instructions

1. 1

   Gather all ingredients.

2. 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. 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).

4. 4

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

5. 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.

6. 6

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