Crockpot Applesauce Chicken

My husband found this website: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com, "A Year of Slow Cook: Crockpot". It is excellent. I am trying out recipes he is selecting and amazed at the tasteness and quality of the recipes. Here is one we tried tonight and really liked!



Ingredients:
--4 frozen chicken breast halves or thighs (I used 2 of each)
--1 1/2 cups of applesauce
--1 T dried onion flakes, or 1 yellow onion, chopped finely
--1 T apple cider vinegar
--1/4 tsp cinnamon
--1/2 tsp black pepper
--2 cloves garlic, minced
--1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, I used them, and added more to the adult servings)

The Directions.

A 3 or 4 quart crockpot is the best size for this, but I did use a 6 quart. If your pot cooks fast, err on the lower end of cooking time.

Put the frozen chicken pieces into your crockpot. Add the onion (if you are using the dried onion, wait and add it to the applesauce). In a bowl, mix the applesauce, vinegar, garlic, and spices together. Pour on top of the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4.

Chicken and Apples in Honey Mustard Sauce

This is a recipe I got off of a fantastic website, here: www.simplyrecipes.com (the picture is from there, too). I hope I don't get in trouble for posting it! I made it a month ago, and the entire family loved it! I love meat and fruit cooked together, so this is a top recipe for me.

Chicken and Apples in Honey Mustard Sauce Recipe

Preparation time: 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 2 Tbsp seasoned dry breadcrumbs
• 4 4oz chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 small unpeeled apples, cored and cut into eighths (use Golden delicious, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Pippin, or McIntosh apples, seecooking apples chart)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• Fresh parsley

METHOD

1 Whisk cider, cornstarch, mustard, honey, salt and pepper (to taste) in a bowl. Set aside.

2 Spread bread crumbs on a piece of wax paper, lightly coat chicken with crumbs.

3 In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil and add the chicken breasts. Cook over medium heat until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn chicken, add apples, and cook until browned on the other side.

4 Add chicken broth, cover and simmer until chicken is tender, about 15 minutes.

5 With slotted spoon, remove chicken and apples to serving plates. Whisk cider mixture again and add to skillet. Cook and stir over high heat until lightly thickened and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon over chicken and apples, sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with rice. Serves 4.

Below is a picture of how my meal turned out! Really yummy--I think I used Fugi apples.