Chicken Sausage Recipes

With Tips and Techniques

I am frequently asked if I have any good chicken sausage recipes and/or any tips for making sausage from chicken (or other poultry). I'm always happy to share.

Great homemade sausage can easily be produced from a variety of poultry meat, but it's really important to remember one thing:

• Chicken, turkey, and other poultry meats are very lean, and there has to be something added to the sausage to ensure good taste and texture.

It would be easy to treat chicken sausage the same way we do venison sausage and just add pork or beef fat to the meat mixture. In most cases though, the reason to make poultry sausage to begin with is for its low-fat health benefits.

Here are some methods I use to improve my chicken sausage without adding other animal fat.

Chicken Sausage Techniques

• Always grind both the dark and white meat of the bird. The white meat alone will be far to dry and bland.
• Grind a good portion of the chicken skin along with the dark and light meat. It will add texture and a small amount of poultry fat.
• Chicken and turkey both have a very mild flavor, but sausage made with them doesn't need to be bland. That very mildness makes poultry ideal for mixing with spices, herbs, and other flavors. Don't be afraid to experiment with your chicken sausage recipes.

  Some of my favorites are:

  • Fruit, especially apples and pears
  • Fresh herbs including, but certainly not limited to, parsley, fennel, dill, and basil.
  • Cheeses, especially sharp or distinctively flavored varieties like blue cheese and feta cheese.
  • Wines, brandy, and liqueurs. I've had very good results with red wines, pernod, and Grand Marnier, and I plan to try others.

• Add liquid (judiciously) to your sausage mix, and make it an opportunity to inject another layer of flavor. I never use water when I can use broth, stock, or wine (see above). I've even had good luck with beer.
• Smoked chicken sausage is great, but it is easy to over-do it. Use mild smoking woods and smoke for less time than you would other sausages. Click here for ideas on Smoking Woods

Tip

This year the week before Thanksgiving, I was able to buy whole turky for $.38 a pound, and now I have a big batch of sausage in the freezer.

Recipes

Country Style Chicken Sausage

Turkey Sausage with Jalapeno and Cilantro

Smoked Chicken/Turkey Sausage with Apples and Apricots

Chicken/Turkey Maple Breakfast Sausage

Poultry Breakfast Sausage

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