My Homemade Chicken Apple Sausage recipe is an easy way to make your own fabulously fresh sausage right at home ~ it freezes beautifully, too, so be sure to make extra so you can enjoy it anytime.
Chicken apple sausage is something our whole family can agree on, it’s been a favorite here forever. We buy it at the grocery store and order it in restaurants all the time, so I’m thrilled to be able to make it myself. And frankly, even though I love it, I’m always a little uneasy eating sausage in general because of the high fat content, and possible additives like nitrates, etc. This simple recipe takes care of all that and lets us indulge worry free!
There’s really no mystery about making sausage, it’s essentially ground meat that has been mixed with various spices. If you don’t want to fuss with casings, you can form patties like I did. When you make it yourself you can control the quality of the meat, and the amount of fat. I used regular ground chicken from my grocery store, and mixed it chunky bits of apple and onion, lots of fresh cracked black pepper, and a nice amount of fresh sage for an easy but really delicious flavor. I was actually surprised at how ‘sausage-y’ these tasted, and I think that’s largely due to the seasonings.
TIP: If you want to taste test your sausage mixture, pinch off a small bit and cook it in a skillet, then taste. Adjust your seasonings accordingly. This is a good trick for meatloaves, meatballs, and any other ground meat recipe.
I’ll remind you that when it comes to mixing ground meats, I like to do it in my stand mixer. I find it does the best job of thoroughly mixing the ingredients without compacting the meat, and I don’t have to get my hands into the raw meat ~ yay!
For this sausage the bits of apple and onion need to be small enough that the sausage patties hold together, but not so finely minced that you lose their great texture and crunch.
I’ve talked before about this vegetable chopper that I love to use for getting a perfectly even tiny dice in fruits and vegetables. I found that, while I loved the affordability of the plastic tool, it just doesn’t hold up very well. I upgraded to a stainless steel European model, and love it. I use it all the time now. You’d be surprised at how many ways you’ll find to use a chopper like this, because it’s so quick and easy, and the results are like nothing you could ever do by hand.
After browning the sausage, I make sure to cook it gently so I don’t dry out the chicken. I like to cover the pan and lower the heat to let them cook through.
This recipe was inspired by this one from Saving Room for Dessert, and adapted from this one from Martha Stewart.
Homemade Chicken Apple Sausage
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition
notes:
- I used packaged ground chicken for this recipe, but you can also grind your own with a meat grinder or a food processor. You could try boneless thighs for extra flavor.
- If this recipe seems a bit too lean for you, you can also finely chop some bacon (raw) and add it to the mix.
I will make this tonight for dinner, but I will air fry instead of pan fry with oil to save the calories. I will add a tart Brussel sprout side dish to balance the flavours.
Hi! How exactly do you grade chicken? Whit what kind of mixer? And how finely grounded must the meat be? I have both – boneless chicken thigsh and chicken breasts. What do you think it’s better to use? Thanks!
Sounds delicious. They look like patties though, not balls. They also look bigger than a one inch scoop. I’m eager to try them. I’m with you, I love sausage but not a fan of the fat and additives.
This is a wonderful recipe! I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, because it’s what I had. After the patties were almost finished cooking, I added four cups of homemade sauerkraut, covered with a lid and simmered the sausage and sauerkraut for about 15 minutes. This reminded me of the sausage we used to buy in a little Amish butcher shop in Lancaster PA. Delicious!
These smell soooo good cooking!! I didnโt think they would stay together but they do. Just as written. Canโt wait to taste them.
Oh they are good! Very fresh tasting with the fresh sage.
Can you bake these?
Sure, that would work fine.
I make a turkey burger with similar ingredients. I find that if you drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, it binds the patties well. But, i like the idea of adding bacon!
Great tip!