Crock Pot Chicken Stew With Apple And Bacon

The days may be getting a little longer, but our evenings are still chilly.  Coming home to some yummy chicken stew waiting for me in my slow cooker sounds pretty good, especially if it’s topped with bacon - Who doesn’t like bacon?

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 ½ cups peeled, cored, and chopped apples
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups carrots cut into coins
• 2 cups coarsely chopped celery
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• Garnish - 6 tablespoons real bacon bits (slightly warmed in microwave ) or 6 slices turkey bacon cooked crisp and crumbled

Directions:

1. In crock pot combine cornstarch with chicken broth stirring well to dissolve,
2. Add vinegar parsley and garlic and mix thoroughly
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to crock pot
4. Add all remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly
5. Cook on low for 7-8 hours until chicken is cooked through
6. Remove chicken to large bowl and shred, then return to crock pot stirring well to combine all ingredients
7. Serve in bowls and top each bowl with the bacon garnish

Nutrition:  Makes 6 servings of around 1 1/3 cups each.  Each Serving has around

• 225 calories and
• 26 grams protein