Chicken with apples & honey cook together in this easy recipe. Perfect for Rosh Hashanah, make this in your slow cooker or Instant Pot.

PIN FOR LATER
Updated 2019

the sauce
Pairing Apples & Honey
This is a food blog not a religious one, but this recipe was created with Rosh Hashanah in mind. If you are interested in learning more about Rosh Hashanah, Google can teach you way more than I can. I’ll just say that Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. One of the food customs of is to dip apple slices into honey to express hopes for a sweet and fruitful year. Apples & honey is as simple combination that pairs well with proteins like chicken, beef, or fish. In this particular recipe, chicken.

before (slow cooker)
Apples & Honey Sauce
This recipe is all about the sauce. It’s a combination of broth, honey, unsweetened apple sauce, and a few simple spices. Taste the sauce before you pour it into the slow cooker or Instant Pot; if you want it sweeter, add more honey. If you add potatoes (see note below), you might find that your food is not fully submerged in the sauce. This is okay. Trust me there’s plenty of liquid in there, no need to add any more liquid.

after (slow cooker)
Use Any Cut Of Chicken
As with a lot of my recipes, you can use your favorite cut of chicken with this recipe whether it be chicken legs, thighs, or even breasts. What you see in the pictures are bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are my go-to with slow cooking or pressure cooking but I understand that’s not the case for everyone. Below are a few notes about the using different types of chicken:
- If you use chicken breasts, be aware that white meat is easy to overcook & dry out. When it’s done cooking, I suggest you turn off the appliance or remove the food immediately. Don’t let the chicken sit in the appliance on the warm setting because it will continue to cook.
- If you use skinless chicken meat with the pressure cooker, you do not have to saute the meat first. Add the meat directly to the pressure cooker raw.
- If you use skin-on chicken, whether you’re using the slow cooker or pressure cooker, you have the option to broil the chicken afterwards to crisp the skin. When the chicken done cooking, remove it from the appliance, place it on a baking sheet & then under the broiler for a few minutes.
What Type Of Apple To Use
Your preferred apple! I like to use a sweet apple like gala or red delicious. If you prefer tart apples, use something like a granny smith. You can peel the skin off the apple if you want to but I never take the time to do so. When dicing the apple, try to dice it into even pieces.
Other Rosh Hashanah recipes you might enjoy:
Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Matzo Ball Soup
Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Brisket (Low-Carb, Paleo, Whole30)
Slow Cooker Brisket In Tomato Sauce (Low-Carb, Paleo, Whole30)
Adding Potatoes
To make this more of a complete meal, one thing you can do is add potatoes. If you are using a large slow cooker, you can add up to 2 pounds of potatoes. When I add potatoes to this a waxy potato like red potatoes. Waxy potatoes are best for slow cooking or the pressure cooker because they hold their shape during the cooking process. If you use a non-waxy potato like russet or even sweet potatoes, cut them in larger chunks than usual. This will help them not turn to mush.

chicken with apples & honey with potatoes
I use a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot to make this recipe.

PIN FOR LATER

Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Chicken with Apples & Honey (Paleo)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken, any cut (see blog post)
- 1 large apple, diced
- 1/3 cup onion, diced
- 1 tbsp oil (for pressure cooker)
Sauce:
-
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
-
1/2 cup honey
-
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
-
1 teaspoon salt
-
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-
1/2 teaspoon cumin
-
1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- If using potatoes, add those to the bottom of the slow cooker. Add chicken. Spread diced apples & onion on top of the chicken.
- In a small bowl, mix together sauce ingredients until well blended. Pour sauce on top of chicken.
- Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute. Once hot, add the oil. If you’re using skin-on chicken: add the chicken and sear, few minutes on each side until browned. Remove chicken from the pressure cooker. If you’re using skinless chicken, skip this step.
- Add onions (and more oil if needed) and cook 3-5 minutes until soft.
- In a small bowl, mix together sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce into the pressure cooker and deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon.
- Add chicken back into the Instant Pot. Add apples (and potatoes if using) on top.
- Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook 10 minutes.
- Quick release pressure.
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This dish tasted amazing the night I made it, and even better a few days later.
It’s definitely worth making a second, third, etc. time!!!!!!!!
★★★★★
I’m making this now and the favors smell amazing. Sure this will be a hit.
I made this last year & loved it! My Grandma is still jealous hehe.
★★★★★
Help! I am in the middle of cooking this recipe in my instant pot and now see the recipe never says when the apples go in.
🤦🏾♀️ Apologies I’ll update that. You can add them when you add the potatoes.
Can I put all ingredients together in pot the night before?
Sure! Just make sure you put the pot in the refrigerator:-)
Hi, how long should you cook this with an instantpot?
I haven’t made this yet in the Instant Pot but thanks for putting it on my radar, it will be updated soon!
Wondering what kind of apples & potatoes were used
Gala & red potatoes.
I wish I had the patience to cook because this looks delish. My boyfriend does all the cooking in our household 😛
That’s why slow cooking is perfect! You don’t need patience. Set-it-and-forget-it:-)
What a cool spin on a traditional Rosh Hashana custom! I bet you Grandmas everywhere will make this, and then claim it as their own!
This looks so delicious! I make an apple chicken dinner that my kids love so this twist with the honey, potatoes and onions take it to the next level! Yum!!
I would love a sweet and tangy suce .Its perfcet for me .Loved this recipr.Fruits and protein are a favourite with me too.
So many of my favourite things in one dish! I’m salivating reading this and will definitely have to try it out!
Omg I can just imagine how this taste! Looks way too good. I need to try to make this asap!
This looks deelish, and like such a hearty meal! I’m not the best chef, but I’m willing to give this recipe a shot because it looks so good!
Yummy! I was just thinking I needed a good chicken and apples recipe for the crock pot. I am definitely pining this one!