Healthy Chicken Breakfast Sausage

chicken breakfast sausage patties on a plate with berries nearby.

Healthy Chicken Breakfast Sausage

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken breakfast sausage, healthy chicken sausage

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 119kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

If you're trying to add more protein into your morning, but you don't trust the ingredients in store-bought sausage, this chicken sausage recipe is for you. It tastes like maple breakfast sausage, but it's made with NO added sugar. (But you'd seriously never guess just by tasting it.) It takes about 5 minutes to stir this mixture together with simple pantry spices, so it's ready to cook in no time! And you'll get 13 grams of protein per serving, for an easy addition to your favorite breakfast.

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Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken
½ cup baked sweet potato
1 ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground sage
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
cooking spray/oil , as needed for cooking

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, sweet potato, salt, sage, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Use a rubber spatula to mix it together evenly; it will be very sticky when you're done.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and lightly spray it with cooking oil. While it warms up, shape 4 chicken sausage patties. I do this by getting my hands wet (this prevents sticking), then using a cookie scoop to drop 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture into my hands. Shape the patty to be about 4 inches wide and 1/2-inch thick, then place it on the warm skillet. Repeat until you're cooking 4 patties at a time.
When the bottom of the chicken patties starts to turn opaque, after about 2 minutes or so, flip them over and cook the other side. They should look golden when you flip them. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF in the center. Then remove this batch and repeat cooking 4 more patties. I usually get 12 total from this batch, so you'll need to cook in 3 batches about 5 minutes at a time. (15 minutes of cooking total.)

If you prefer to bake them all at once: Preheat your oven to 400ºF and line a rimmed 13-by-18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange all 12 patties on the pan in a single layer and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the center reaches 165ºF. They will not look as pretty this way, but you will get to avoid standing by the stove. (It's also easier to double the recipe with this method if you need to bake more at once.)

When all of the chicken sausage has been cooked, serve them warm with your favorite breakfast. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Notes

Nutrition information is for 2 chicken patties, assuming you get 12 from this batch. (Sometimes I get 13 depending on the size of my scoops.) This is automatically calculated using an online ingredient database, so it's just an estimate, not a guarantee.

Don't have sweet potato? I'm guessing you could replace it with 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for a similar flavor. Feel free to experiment with it!

Prefer to use ground turkey? I've already tested turkey breakfast sausage, so try that recipe instead. The ratios are just slightly different from this one, since turkey tastes different than chicken.

Baked Sweet Potato Tips: To cook a sweet potato, place it on a rimmed baking sheet in an oven heated to 400ºF. Set a timer for 45 minutes. You don't need to rub it with oil, wrap it in foil, or even pierce the skin. I usually do this in my oven-style air fryer, so when the timer goes off, the oven turns off, too. I let it sit in there until I remember it, sometimes an hour more. It's also okay if you remove it right away and let it cool. As soon as it's cool, transfer to a storage container and keep this refrigerated until you're ready to use it. (Within 5 days.) To measure sweet potato, scoop the center into a measuring cup and tighly pack it mashed.

Nutrition