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:
Gather all ingredients.
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.
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).
Stir together apple butter, chicken stock, Worcestershire, and chicken bouillon in a 6-quart slow cooker bowl. Place meatballs in sauce mixture.
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.
Transfer meatballs and sauce to a platter; insert each meatball with a toothpick and garnish with chopped thyme.
