What’s for breakfast today? If you follow me, you know that most of the time I tend to avoid processed food and prefer cooking from scratch. Most of the time yes, but- there are definitely some convenience foods that I have resisted giving up! I love having sausage for breakfast and am especially fond of those little Apple Chicken Sausage links that you can buy.
Of course, they are gluten free and maybe not that bad for you. But I wondered if I could make something myself with great flavor and fewer additives. The result was this Apple Chicken Breakfast Patty that is healthier and much lower in salt and fat than store bought sausage.
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When experimenting with this recipe, the first thing I learned was that diced apple and Vidalia onion made the patties very sweet. So sweet that I hesitated to call them a sausage. So, for this chicken patty to be breakfast worthy, I tested a batch with red onion for a little balance of savory. Both batches were good!
For the spice, you really need a good sausage seasoning. I made my own spice blend, the same one that I use in my traditional Breakfast Sausage Patties made with pork, but you can also use a purchased sausage seasoning. I like this one, from Nashville Spice Co.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1 cup diced apple
- 1/2 cup diced onion (use red or sweet onion)
- 1 tsp light olive oil or butter
- 2-3 tbsp. mashed potato flakes (I like Idahoan)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- SEASONING
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp sage
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp fennel
- 1/4 tsp coriander
- OR
- 1 tbsp purchased sausage seasoning
Preparation:
Cook the diced apples and onions in a skillet over low heat with 1 tsp. of either light olive oil or butter. Continue stirring until most of the liquid has been released and evaporated. Set aside to cool in the pan.
Hint: You can do this a day ahead and refrigerate.
Add the ground chicken to a bowl and use 2 forks (or a potato masher) to incorporate the apple mixture, seasoning, potato flakes and maple syrup.
Form 2 oz patties and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper.
To store, cover with plastic wrap and freeze in a single layer for a few hours. Then, wrap individually and store in freezer safe bags.
Before cooking, I like to press the thawed patties to about 1/3″ thickness, this ensures they will cook quickly and evenly. Heat a skillet with a light spray of oil and sprinkle the patties with more seasoning. Cook on medium low heat until lightly browned on both sides.
I always like to have a serving of protein with breakfast, and this was a nice change from my usual pork sausage or Canadian bacon.
Notes ♪♫ If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out my homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties made with pork, and my Homemade Italian Sausage Patties.
Rinse the chicken thoroughly and pat dry. Place it in a 
To make the marinade, toast the whole peppercorns, coriander seed and fennel seed in a hot skillet for 2 minutes, just until fragrant. Grind in a 
Now rub the chicken all over with the spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Wrap the brick in aluminum foil.
Transfer to the oven and continue cooking for 45 minutes to an hour or more, depending on the size of the chicken. Use a 
Carefully remove the brick, turn the chicken, skin side up onto a serving platter and bring it to the table for a gorgeous presentation!
Look at the color! Beautifully browned and the meat is so moist! The marinade is so aromatic, and I know you are going to love the flavor.
The inspiration for this post was a beautiful pot of sage from my herb garden. I’m really proud that I grew it from seed!
