Name: Bacon Apple Chicken Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 375 min
Ingredients: 4 chicken breasts; 8 slices bacon; 1 tsp garlic powder; 2 apples ((peeled, cored, and grated)); 1 cup homemade barbecue sauce

I’d never cooked much before finishing college and getting married. I got a Crock-Pot as a wedding gift and was told that slow cookers were the easiest (and mostly foolproof) way to make a great meal, so I started experimenting. I joke that this was one of my real food recipes before I went real food.

I tried many great recipes that I found on blogs, but this one I invented when trying to use up ingredients that I had on hand.

Bacon Apple Chicken

Fresh apples and smokey bacon intensify the flavors of barbecue sauce and provide a subtle sweetness to this slow cooker chicken recipe. It is such a simple recipe and it always gets rave reviews.

I often put this recipe in the slow cooker in the morning on busy days so dinner is ready to eat when we get home at night. If you have a slow cooker, I’d highly recommend this recipe. It is excellent cold or reheated, so I’ll often make a double batch to have for another meal. I’ve even shredded the chicken after cooling and used it in sandwiches or on salads the next day.

Bacon and Apple Barbecue Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe

Bacon Apple Chicken Recipe

Simple barbecue chicken with flavors of bacon and apple prepared in the slow cooker.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 6

Total Time 6 15

Calories 427kcal

Author Katie Wells

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Servings

servings

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
8 slices bacon
1 tsp garlic powder
2 apples (peeled, cored, and grated)
1 cup homemade barbecue sauce

Instructions

Wrap each piece of chicken in 2 pieces of bacon and place in the bottom of a slow cooker.
Sprinkle with garlic powder.
Mix the grated apple and barbecue sauce and pour over the chicken.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until completely cooked. Can also cook on high for 2-3 hours.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Bacon Apple Chicken Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 breast)

Calories 427 Calories from Fat 191

% Daily Value*

Fat 21.2g33%

Saturated Fat 7.9g49%

Cholesterol 116mg39%

Sodium 1118mg49%

Carbohydrates 13.8g5%

Fiber 1.6g7%

Sugar 8.9g10%

Protein 43.7g87%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

Serve with sweet potatoes or homemade coleslaw.

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How do you cook chicken in the Crock-Pot? Share below!

This bacon apple chicken is made in a slow cooker. The bacon and apple highlight the barbecue sauce for a smoky flavor.

Sources

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

35 responses to “Bacon Apple Chicken”

Jenny

September 4, 2014

I tried this last night and it was a huge hit!! Thanks so much for an easy but wonderful meal. One question tho: Where does the garlic powder come into play? I’ve read, and re-read the recipe, and it’s lists garlic powder as an ingredient, but never states when to actually use it. Thanks again!

Reply
emilia

April 28, 2014

Not sure if this is a problem with my browser, but what are the ingredient quantities for this recipe? How many chicken breasts/apples? Amount of BBQ sauce?

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1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  April 28, 2014
  
  Should be fixed now…. sorry about that! Tech glitch.
  
  Reply
Melissa

April 15, 2014

Hello! I use a fermented ketchup. Where would I find a recipe for healthy BBQ sauce using homemade ketchup?
TIA!

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Deb

April 12, 2014

I just made it with breasts and thighs. I used on piece of bacon on the thighs. The bacon looked yucky out of the crock pot so I put the bacon wrapped chicken pieces under the broiler to crisp them. Super good!!

Reply
Brianne

April 10, 2014

Great looking recipe. I have all of the ingredients on-hand… I’ll be making this for dinner tomorrow!

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1. Brianne
  
  April 10, 2014
  
  Oooh! And I’m excited about this idea: I’m going to cut the sweet potatoes in half and just add them to the slow cooker (on top of the chicken). A one-pot meal!
  
  Reply
Charlene

March 11, 2014

I’m so glad I stumbled across this website. I was just wondering last night if I could put bacon wrapped chicken in the crock-pot. I don’t have any apples :-/ but I’m going to give it a try. Will the bacon be soggy though??

Reply
1. Craig
  
  April 30, 2015
  
  I am wondering the same thing about the bacon?
  
  Reply
Erin Baker

April 26, 2013

Can this be cooked on high also or in the oven to cook it faster?

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  April 27, 2013
  
  Yes
  
  Reply
Christina

March 18, 2013

Thank you so much! This recipe was amazing.

Reply
Jen

December 7, 2012

I *just* discovered your blog last week and decided to give this recipe a try, though I prepared a separate dinner for my vegetarian toddler (she won’t accept or try ANY meat, not even faux meat.) So when the chicken was finished and served my toddler came up to me with curiosity staring at my plate I asked her if she wanted a bite and responding by opening her mouth and judging by her approval (and of course, mine as well) this meal was a delicious success ! I was wondering though if its possible to substitute the chicken for tofu?

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  December 7, 2012
  
  So glad it was a hit! I don’t cook with tofu, so I’m not sure on that… 🙂
  
  Reply
DMama

September 13, 2012

i don’t eat anything with Xioytol in it, not good. Try substituting raisins for sugar in the BBQ sauce. At least that is how I make it without the Bacon. No Bacon, we are bacon free home. Try saute onions and garlic then meat with the sauce just as good lower fat content and no chemicals.

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  September 13, 2012
  
  Good idea on the raisins…
  
  Reply
2. DMama
  
  September 13, 2012
  
  could also add carrots it will add sweetness to the sauce.
  
  Reply
Laura Brodland

July 7, 2012

Katie This was amazing.. One of the few recipes I followed nearly properly. I did use legs and breasts, as I’d cut up a whole chicken. This was quick, easy and super tasty, thanks and thanks..

Reply
Jennifer Beavers Noble

January 29, 2012

I wonder if there would be another way to make this without the bbq sauce. I’m not having sugar anymore due to a bit of a sugar addiction but I loved this so much when I first made it. Any tips?

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  January 29, 2012
  
  You could do more apples for natural sweetness and make your own savory barbecue sauce with just tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, worcestershire sauce, and a little bit of natural liquid smoke. It wouldn’t be quite as sweet but still good…
  
  Reply
Megan Ciampa

January 9, 2012

I’ll be making this for the second week in a row today! It turned out great the first time and I experimented with my own homemade BBQ/ketchup sauce. My 2.5 yr old scarfed it down and immediately wanted it more. It paired great with the sweet potatoes! Thanks for sharing such an amazingly easy recipe.

Reply
Lindsay

November 27, 2011

Is it ok to put the chicken breasts in frozen?

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Abby Dubbe

November 13, 2011

This has been my families FAVORITE dinner since going grain-free! I used pork chops instead of chicken and left the skin on the apples and just cut them into small cubes. It was SO delicious, thank you for this recipe! My family requested I make it for our “Crockpot Christmas” dinner for my 23-member family, do you think cutting the pork and bacon up into cubes and cooking it all that way would work out well?

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  November 13, 2011
  
  It should. I’ve cooked it that way with chicken, so cubed pork should work too..
  
  Reply
Kirsten

October 24, 2011

Could you use turkey bacon as a substitute?

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  October 24, 2011
  
  You could, it is just tough to find one that isn’t packed with nitrates, sugar and MSG. It would work in the recipe though!
  
  Reply
2. Emily
  
  April 8, 2014
  
  Organic prairie turkey bacon is good! No MSG or nitrates, and the only sugar used is honey.
  
  Reply
Donna

October 23, 2011

I cooked a whole chicken yesterday. Sprinkle inside and outside of chicken with onion granules, garlic, turmeric, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and thyme. (I have chopped an onion and sliced about 4 – 5 garlic instead of the granules.) Add about 1/2 cup water and bake on high for 3 1/2 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours. If you have leftover chicken, make a soup with it.

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Veronica

October 21, 2011

Yesterday I put some chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) in the crock pot with salt, pepper, basil, garlic powder, some sundried tomatoes and the olive oil they were packed in. Cooked on high for 2 hours – delicious! Going to try your recipe soon!

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Allison

October 18, 2011

I made the chicken, spinach, artichoke chicken on Sunday as well and it was a BIG HIT! Thanks so much for the idea. My teenage daughter has now declared that she doesn’t like steak. I don’t like fish so I never fix that and I don’t know a lot of different chicken recipes that are both good, healthy and easy (and not dry!) So this is definitely a keeper! Thanks Katie.

Reply
Karyn

October 18, 2011

I love how easy your recipes are. I made the chicken, spinach, artichoke dip the other day – yum! And everyone ate it, including my pickiest eater, my husband.

Reply