Apple Cinnamon Roast Chicken

I know, I know. I already posted on roast chicken a couple of weeks ago. But that was bold and edgy Moroccan Spice Roast Chicken. 

Meet his sweet and sassy sibling: Apple Cinnamon Roast Chicken:

But first, can we take a minute to compare the difference between the picture above and the Moroccan chicken? Oy, vey. And I wonder why I don’t get much of a following on this blog! Trust me, folks, the food photography is (slowly) improving. At least I think. And I desperately hope.

Anyway, I almost didn’t post this. Mostly because I had already posted a roast chicken recipe (see above). As a matter of fact, this chicken was almost-sort of- kind of an accident. You see, I needed to make the chicken and I wanted to do something different. And then I noticed the surplus of apples I had in my fridge.

How fortuitous for us, right??

Let’s talk about apples for a second. I LOVE fall, and one of the big reasons is apple season. Nothing makes me happier than a chunky sweater and boots and stopping at the orchard to pick up a bushel of apples and some fresh apple cider…the crisp autumn air whipping at my cheeks and my hands, and the leaves changing color, and…

…oh, right. It’s May. Sorry! Let’s move on, shall we?

One flavor combination I recently discovered is apple and chicken. Yes, I know this is not new. But I’m not normally a fan of fruit in my food, unless it’s dessert, so I tend to shy away from those combinations. But something about apples + cinnamon + succulent chicken just called to me…in all the right ways.

Normally, when I make roast chicken, I use it to make chicken lettuce wraps with butter lettuce, salsa, guacamole, and balsamic vinegar. I wouldn’t recommend that with this chicken – for one thing, it tasted extraordinary all on it’s own. For another, I don’t know how well apples and cinnamon would go with spicy salsa and guacamole and balsamic vinegar. So for this particular chicken, I’d recommend eating it solo – or perhaps with a side of potatoes or couscous.

The best part about this meal – as with any crockpot meal – is that you can throw everything in the crockpot the night before or the morning of, and let that sucker cook all day. I love my crockpot.

As a matter of fact, the first meal we ever ate in my new apartment was crockpot chicken…I didn’t have any furniture, so The Man and I had a picnic on the floor, with paper plates and plastic utensils. Love.

Also? It’s never a bad thing to come home to an apartment that smells of apples and cinnamon and chicken. Just sayin’.