Seriously, it’s ridiculously easy to make your own homemade chicken apple sausages. You’ll never go back to storebought. Because not only do you choose the quality of ingredients you include, but holy hell, do they ever taste insanely phenomenal.
Here’s how to make and cook them. I’m notoriously lazy, so I opted for easier-to-shape chicken apple sausage patties. The One and I have made homemade chouriço links, but the casings can be a bit fiddly. Of course, if you want, go ahead and make your own links, as in the photo above. I’ve hooked you up with the how-to in the FAQs just above the recipe.
Why Our Testers Loved This
There’s a whole bunch of reasons our recipe testers were delighted to be able to make their own sausage. They loved that it didn’t require any special equipment, and that they could control the amount of spice and salt in the finished sausage.
They’re calling this chicken apple sausage recipe “a winner” and “as good as can be.”
Notes on Ingredients
- Boneless chicken breasts–You can also use a blend of chicken breast and chicken thigh meat, which is what I prefer.
- Bacon–This adds fat, flavor, and bulk to the sausage. I don’t recommend skipping it.
- Granny Smith apples–Any type of tart apple will work here. Do make sure that you really squeeze your apples dry so that there isn’t excess moisture in the sausage. Pro tip: save the squeezed apple juice and use it for making apple cider vinaigrette.
How to Make This Recipe
- Process the meat. Working in batches, pulse the chicken in a food processor until coarsely ground and transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the bacon, adding it to the chicken, then stir in the apples.
- Grind the spice mixture. Grind the coriander, fennel, and peppercorns, and then stir into the meat mixture, along with the salt, nutmeg, and cayenne. Pinch off a small piece and fry it to check the seasoning.
- Shape the patties. Shape the meat mixture into 3-inch patties. Chill or freeze them until you’re ready to cook them.
- Cook the sausage. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and fry the patties until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve.
Common Questions
If you prefer sausage links to sausage patties, you’ll need a meat grinder or a stand mixer with a sausage-stuffing attachment, a total of about 6 feet of small pork or sheep casings (available from most butchers and Whole Foods Markets), and the instructions that follow.
1. Prepare the sausage mixture through step 5 of the directions. Place the ground sausage mixture in the freezer. Meanwhile, soak the casings in a large container of warm water for 30 minutes.
2. Drain the casings. Working over the sink, gently run warm water through each casing segment, pinching both ends and lifting up the water-filled casing. Cut out any sections of casings that leak.
3. Slip the end of a casing onto the meat grinder (or sausage-stuffing attachment), leaving about 6 inches of overhang. Grab the mixture from the freezer and tightly pack the chilled mixture into the canister.
4. Start cranking the meat grinder handle very slowly (or turn the stand mixer on low speed) until the meat begins to fill the casing. Tie the far end of the casing in a knot. Continue cranking (or increase the speed of the meat grinder or stand mixer to medium-low) and pass more mixture through the tube, holding the filled casing loosely in one hand to regulate how tightly it’s packed.
5. When the casing is stuffed to your liking, even out the width of the sausage and then remove the casing from the grinder (or attachment) and measure about 6 inches of unfilled casing and then tie a knot in that end. Twist the stuffed casing to create links that are even in size. (☞ The extra casing before the second knot is to compensate for the amount of casing used in twisting.) Prick the links with a needle (or pin or skewer) all over to allow steam to escape while cooking.
6. If not using right away, arrange the links on a wire cooling rack placed over a baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight to allow the casings to dry, which creates crisper casings when the sausages are cooked.
7. Transfer the links to resealable plastic bags and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Uncooked sausage patties can be frozen for up to 3 months. After shaping them into patties, place them between layers of parchment or plastic wrap in a sealed container. They can be cooked directly from frozen, adding a few minutes to the cooking time.
Serve these homemade sausages alongside eggs and toast for a hearty breakfast, or tuck them between slider buns and top them with your favorite fixings for an easy chicken burger dinner.
Pro Tips
- When freezing your chopped raw chicken, place it in a 1-gallon resealable bag and place it in a single layer in the freezer. This will speed up the freezing time and make it easier to break the chicken apart.
- Uncooked sausage can be refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months before cooking.
- This recipe is suitable for a gluten-free diet.
More Great Homemade Sausage Recipes
Write a Review
If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
These are fabulous! I made them exactly from your recipe, but used my accessories. It made 12 plump links, plus enough left in the tube & feeder for 2 small patties.
Fried up the patties right away, topped with an egg, and put them on English muffins for supper. I air-dried the links overnight and packaged for the freezer.
kathy
Chicken Apple Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, roughly chopped and frozen for 1 hour
- 1/4 pound sliced bacon, roughly chopped and frozen for 1 hour
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, grated, and squeezed dry
- 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons whole white or black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
Instructions
Make the chicken apple sausage
- Working in batches, place the chicken in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground, probably 6 to 8 pulses. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Dump the bacon and butter in the food processor and pulse until coarsely ground, at least 6 times and perhaps 12 times.
- Add the bacon and the butter to the chicken and stir by hand until combined. Add the apples and stir again.
- In a spice mill or coffee grinder, grind the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and peppercorns together to a medium-fine grind. Add the ground spices to the chicken mixture along with the salt, nutmeg, and cayenne. Mix with your fingertips until well blended.
- Pinch off a small amount and heat it in a little oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning once, until cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasonings in the uncooked sausage mixture accordingly.
- To make patties, using your hands, shape the sausage mixture into 12 to 15 patties, each about 3 inches (7 1/2 centimeters) in diameter and 1/2 inch (12 millimeters) thick.
Cook the chicken apple sausage
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Working in batches, add the patties and cook until the bottom is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook until the patties are golden brown on the second side, 3 to 4 minutes. It may be necessary to add a touch more oil with subsequent batches.
- Transfer the chicken apple sausage patties to paper towels to drain briefly, then serve.
Notes
- Freezing–When freezing your chopped raw chicken, place it in a gallon-sized resealable bag and place in a single layer in the freezer. This will speed up the freezing time and make it easier to break the chicken apart.
- Storage–Uncooked sausage can be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months before cooking.
- Dietary–This recipe is suitable for a gluten-free diet.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This amazing recipe will be added to my breakfast/lunch/dinner rotation. It’s as good as can be. It far surpasses any store-bought chicken apple sausage and is very simple to make.
Why buy chicken apple sausage when it’s so easy to make your own? This recipe has three things going for it:
This chicken apple sausage recipe is a winner. Not only does it yield a batch of super-satisfying sausages, but I also get the satisfaction of making my own meat products. (This is not something I usually do!)
Making chicken apple sausages at home is a good way to ensure that you know exactly what you’re serving and eating—no mystery ingredients.
This chicken apple sausage recipe makes very good sausage. The bacon and the apple help to keep the patties somewhat moist. I might add even more of these components the next time I make this recipe.
I adore sausage made with fennel, so this recipe started off on the right foot for me. Chicken, fennel, and apple—what’s not to like? The fennel was a lovely addition to the chicken meat, and I enjoyed the floral notes from the cardamom and nutmeg and the hint of heat from the cayenne.
Really terrific recipe. I made a second batch and subbed the apple with 4 tbs of homemade pesto and cooked in a smoker vs grill and it was phenomenal. Thank you so much for posting the recipe!
You’re welcome, Kimberly! We are delighted you enjoyed this.