Homemade Italian Chicken Sausage…..

Sausage is one of my favorite meat varieties.  I seldom buy commercially prepared pork sausage because of the high fat content.  I tried Whole Food’s Italian Chicken Sausage, it was FANTASTIC!  Very good, but very pricey.  One sausage came out to about $3.00.  So if I were to buy the usual 2-3 per person for my guys… you get the picture!   It was then that I decided to get into my kitchen and come up with my own version.  I must admit, I do not want to deal with the casings, so I make it in bulk and use it in soups, sauces, and pastas.    I have a meat grinder, but I find that using the food processor works nicely too.

Whole Food’s sausages were very juicy,  reminisent of pork sausage.  I decided the best cut of chicken would be chicken thighs.    You can kick up the spice simply by adding more red pepper flakes.

Here we go….

Ingredients needed:   

3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
2 tablespoons whole fennel seeds( toasted)
2 tablespoons fresh garlic (coarsely chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground anise
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
3 tablespoons of red wine

Before you pull the meat out of the refrigerator,   toast the fennel seeds in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent burning.   Coarsley chop the garlic.

Trim the skinless chicken thighs of excess fat and put it into the food processor. 

Process until it resembles coarsely ground meat.

Add the rest of the seasonings to the processed chicken. 

Process until all ingredients are well blended.   Allow the sausage to meld in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.  Divide it up for freezing if you wish, date, and label.  When cooking in a skillet, add oil to the pan as the sausage is very lean and will stick otherwise.   Use in pastas, sauces, omeletts, or soups just to name a few.

Stay tuned for a couple of savory and simple recipes using this flavorful Italian Chicken Sausage.

Have a great holiday weekend!!

Angie