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I’ve got a new favorite WW friendly slow cooker chicken recipe to share today — Cranberry Apple Chicken in the crock pot. It is light, flavorful, and so easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts simmer with tart cranberries, sweet apples, and apple juice to create a healthy slow cooker chicken dinner that’s perfect for fall or the holidays. I love that it is naturally low calorie and Weight Watchers friendly, yet hearty enough to serve with rice, mashed potatoes, or sweet potatoes for a complete meal.

Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Recipe Ingredients
- How Many Calories and WW Points in Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Chicken?
- How to make Easy Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Chicken, Step-by-Step
- Variations
- Serving Suggestions
- WW Friendly Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Chicken Recipe
- More Easy WW Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Ready for More Easy WW-Friendly Meals?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy and hands-off – The slow cooker does all the work.
- Light but filling – Each serving is under 200 calories and WW friendly.
- Naturally festive – The apples and cranberries make this perfect for fall and holiday gatherings.
- Family-friendly – The sweet and tangy flavors appeal to kids and adults alike.
- Flexible – Works with chicken breasts or thighs, fresh or frozen cranberries, and even different types of apples.

Recipe Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – About 5 ounces each. Boneless thighs also work well if you prefer dark meat.
- Fresh or frozen cranberries – Add tartness and beautiful color.
- Green apple – I use Granny Smith, but any apple you have on hand will do.
- Brown sugar – Balances the tart fruit; swap in your favorite non-calorie sweetener if you prefer.
- Unsweetened apple juice or cider – I love cider when it’s available for extra depth of flavor.
- Minute tapioca (affiliate link) – A classic slow cooker thickener you’ll find in the baking aisle.
- Salt and pepper – To season the chicken and bring all the flavors together.
How Many Calories and WW Points in Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Chicken?
According to my calculations, each serving has:
- Calories: 190
- WW Points: To see your Points for this recipe, track it in the WW app.
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) - Old Plan: 4 PointsPlus
How to make Easy Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Chicken, Step-by-Step
Step 1: Prepare the chicken
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place them in a 4-quart slow cooker (affiliate link).
Step 2: Add the fruit
Sprinkle the cranberries and apples evenly over the chicken.
Step 3: Mix the sauce
In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, apple juice (or cider), and tapioca. Pour this mixture over the chicken and fruit.
Step 4: Cook low and slow
Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Step 5: Serve and enjoy
Plate the chicken with a spoonful of the fruit and sauce, then enjoy hot.
Variations
- Make it savory – Replace the brown sugar with Dijon mustard for a tangier twist.
- Holiday style – Add a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg for a cozy Thanksgiving-style flavor.
- Lower sugar – Use a sugar substitute to cut down on points.
- Different apples – Try Honeycrisp for sweetness or Pink Lady for a balance of tart and sweet.

Serving Suggestions
This slow cooker cranberry apple chicken is light, flavorful, and pairs well with simple sides:
- Grains: Serve over wild rice, brown rice, or even quinoa to soak up the delicious sauce.
- Potatoes: Mashed or roasted potatoes make a hearty, comforting pairing. These spicy roast sweet potatoes or slow cooker mashed sweet potatoes would be especially delightful.
- Vegetables: Steamed green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts, or a crisp side salad all balance the sweet-savory flavors.
- Bread: A slice of crusty whole-grain bread is perfect for mopping up the sauce.
If you’ve made low fat Cranberry Apple Chicken, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

WW Friendly Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 ounces each)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 green apple, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened apple juice or cider
- 1-1/2 tablespoons minute tapioca (affiliate link)
Instructions
- Ideal slow cooker size: 4-Quart.
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with cranberries and apples.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, apple juice and tapioca and pour over the chicken and fruit.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, or until the chicken is tender.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 4 PointsPlus (Old plan) Variations
- Make it savory – Replace the brown sugar with Dijon mustard for a tangier twist.
- Holiday style – Add a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg for a cozy Thanksgiving-style flavor.
- Lower sugar – Use a sugar substitute to cut down on points.
- Different apples – Try Honeycrisp for sweetness or Pink Lady for a balance of tart and sweet.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly Revised & Updated: 600 Healthy, Low-Fat Recipes For Your Slow Cooker
More Easy WW Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
If you enjoyed this Cranberry Apple Chicken, you might also like some of my other WW-friendly chicken favorites:
- My Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki with Pineapple is a sweet-and-savory dish with a tropical flair that works beautifully over rice.
- For something citrusy and bright, try Slow Cooker Cuban Citrus Chicken, full of zesty flavors.
- Fans of Mediterranean flavors will love my Slow Cooker Chicken Marbella, a classic made WW-friendly.
- If you appreciated the simplicity of this dish, you might also like my Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs with Beer and Herbes de Provence. It’s a simple yet elegant recipe that proves how easy comfort food can be both delicious and WW-friendly.
Ready for More Easy WW-Friendly Meals?
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The recipe calls for tapioca. Does this mean tapioca pudding mix? I want to make this tomorrow for dinner.
Hi Beverly, I use Kraft Minute Tapioca in the red, white and blue box. It’s is granulated and without sugar and acts as a thickener. Hope this helps.
The recipe asks for tapioca. Do you mean the tapioca pudding mix?
Just made this for dinner, sadly it is really bad. The only tast is the tart cranberries. The chicken is completely tasteless boiled chicken. I will never make this again 🙁
This is so good! I made it yesterday and everyone loved it! Thank you so much!!!
Thanks for taking the time to let us know. We really appreciate it 🙂
Nutrition facts do not list sugars . What about the cranberries and brown sugar?
Do you think this could be made in an electric pressure cooker? Sounds delicious but everything seems to burn in my slow cooker.
Hi Alyse, I haven’t tried it in a pressure cooker, but I don’t see why not. If you do try it, please let us know how it turns out!
Made this for dinner today. 5 mins of prep before work, served up the most delicious meal when we got home. Served it with new potatoes, broccoli and fine beans. Couldn’t source fresh or frozen cranberries so used dried instead, result = absolutely delicious dinner, the chicken was so succulent. A recipe I will most certainly be making again. Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Heather, glad you enjoyed it!!
Can I substitute another liquid instead of apple juice?
Hi Brooke, Sure. That’s the great thing about cooking, you can substitute to make the recipes work for you and your tastes 🙂 Chicken or vegetables broth would be good choices. Hope this helps.
How essential is the tapioca to this recipe? I have all the other ingredients on hand.
Hi Mandy, It’s not essential but does serve to make the sauce thicker. You could always thicken at the end by adding a slurry of cornstarch and water if you preferred. Hope this helps!
I am excited to try this recipe. I love cranberries and chicken. With sweet potatoes and green beans it will be like Thanksgiving!
Thanks Julie! Hope you like it as much as we did!