Cherry Chicken

I was catching up with my sister when she announced excitedly, "Did you know its cherry season?!" We then proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes professing our love for cherries and I explained to her what "the sherries" are (something I won't be explaining here). I all ready had about 2 pounds of the little gems in my fridge, but this got me excited to start working with them. We've been enjoying chocolate cherry shakes and popsicles (recipe coming soon) but today I was feeling something more savory. This recipe is the product of serendipity as I had all of these ingredients on hand and it worked out on the first try. This recipe is super adaptable so let me know any changes you make to it and the results in the comments section. Enjoy!

Cherry Chicken

Gluten Free

1.5-2 lbs chicken thighs or breasts, chopped
20 sweet cherries, pitted and chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or kombucha vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbl honey
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbl tapioca starch
rice or veggies to serve with

1. Pit and chop the cherries into eighths, add to the slow cooker
2. Chop the chicken into small bite size chunks, add to the slow cooker
3. Add the remaining ingredients, except the tapioca starch, to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
4. Turn the slow cooker on high and cook for 2 1/2 hours
5. Once done, carefully ladle out as much liquid as possible into a small sauce pot, it's okay if you get a few cherry or chicken pieces in there
6. Whisk in tapioca starch 1 tablespoon at a time until there are no clumps
7. Place the pot on the stove on high and whisk until thickened and beginning to bubble, it should only take a minute or two
8. Add the thickened sauce back to the chicken
9. Serve warm over rice or add to sautéed veggies

Notes and Substitutions

Frozen chicken broth,
Tip: Make big batches and freeze into ice cube trays for quick thawing

• This would work with other types of meat although it may change the cooking time.
• If you are not gluten free you can use flour instead of tapioca starch, arrowroot would work fine too.
• You can double this recipe and freeze half for later.

Add the ingredients to your slow cooker, stir to combine

Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours

Ladle liquid into a small pot, be careful its hot!

Whisk in tapioca starch 1 tablespoon at a time

Whisk on high for a few minutes until it thickens and starts bubbling

Add the thickened sauce back to the chicken

Enjoy over rice or with stir-fry veggies

What is your favorite way to use cherries?