This kid friendly recipe for Crock-Pot Bacon Wrapped Apple Barbecue Chicken will have everyone asking for seconds and thirds! This recipe is so easy!
Slow Cooker Bacon Wrapped Apple Barbecue Chicken
If you are looking for a kid friendly crock-pot recipe for dinner, look no further. This was such a huge hit with my kids that they asked not just for seconds but thirds!
This recipe was inspired by this recipe by Chef In Training for her Slow Cooker Bacon-Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken it was a recipe I had seen on Pinterest and wanted to try for sure. It looked so yummy.
However when I went to make it I was out of lemons and the bottle of lemon juice I had in the back of the fridge had gone bad (or it smelled bad..I didn’t taste it).
So…balsamic vinegar to the rescue.
Really the lemon juice or vinegar is just enough to help the apples from turning brown. There is probably enough acid in the bottled BBQ sauce to omit this if you want. But I thought the balsamic vinegar added a nice flavor.
As I was putting this together I glanced over at my pot of herbs growing in the kitchen window and decided toss in some fresh thyme simply because I thought bacon + chicken + apples would taste good with some thyme.
I went with it…it was good and added a great flavor to the dish.
Equipment Needed For Crock-Pot Bacon Wrapped Apple Barbecue Chicken Recipe:
- 6 Quart, 6.5 Quart Or 7 Quart Slow Cooker
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Vegetable Peeler
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Measuring Spoons
Frequently Asked Questions
A chicken tenderloin is a muscle of the chicken that is located close the the spine. Because this muscle is not used very much in the bird, the meat is a bit more tender than the breast of the chicken. However, in a pinch you can use boneless skinless chicken breast and cut it lengthwise into strips.
We have made this recipe several times using several varieties of apples and have found that any apple that is suitable for baking works the best. Baking apples such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Rome, etc. hold their shape when cooked in the slow cooker and do not turn to mush. We have a Guide To Picking The Best Apples – Canning, Eating Fresh, Baking & More which lists out several other varieties that are perfect for baking with and thus, will be excellent in this recipe.
You really can use any brand of store bought (or homemade) barbecue sauce. Our personal favorite brand is Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce because we just LOVE the flavor and it is easily found in most US grocery stores. If you are trying to watch your sugar/carb count then our favorite sugar-free BBQ sauce is G Hughes Smokehouse Original Barbecue Sauce which is also gluten-free and has just 2 carbs per serving!
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Recipe Collections:
- Entrée Recipes
- Kid Friendly Slow Cooker Recipes
- Chicken Crock-Pot Recipes
- 10 Ingredients Or Less Recipes
- Bacon Recipes
| Rating |
Rate this recipe!
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| Servings | 6Servings |
| Prep Time | 15Minutes |
| Cook Time | 4 - 8Hours |
- 1 - 1.5 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins
- 6 - 8 slices Bacon cut in half
- 4 whole Apples medium, peeled, cored & finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups Barbecue Sauce your favorite brand
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme optional, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
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Ingredients
Servings: Servings
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- Wrap each piece of chicken tenderloin with a half slice of bacon.
- Placed wrapped chicken in the bottom of a 6 quart or larger (it is okay if they overlap)
- In a bowl mix the diced apples, BBQ sauce, balsamic vinegar and thyme (if using).
- Pour apple mixture over chicken.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 8 hours.
- To serve pull chicken pieces out and spoon some of the apple mixture over top.
- Enjoy!
This post was originally published in December, 2019. We have polished it off and given it an update in August, 2021. We hope you enjoy!
Oh this looks so good, what a great idea, thyme is my favorite seasoning for just about everything!
Can this be frozen ahead of time?
I would think it can be frozen before hand. The only trick would be keeping the bacon wrapped around the chicken. But I suppose if you secured it with toothpicks it would work just dandy!