Earlier this month we celebrated my dad’s birthday by hosting a brunch at our house – ’cause what better way to celebrate a birthday than with a little brunchie brunch!
Since there’s nothing worse than indulging in a heavy breakfast that sends you deep into a food coma and beyond the point of return [OK, there are worse things… ], we decided to steer towards a healthier brunch menu this time around. Maybe waffles and whipped cream next time?! Once the weather turns and big sweaters are available to hide the food baby 😉
The main star of the brunch was the avocado toast bar [and the mimosas, but that goes without saying]. We had a variety of toppings to garnish the crispy toast smothered with mashed avocado: sliced tomatoes, sprouts, prosciutto, thinly sliced red onion, soft boiled eggs, feta + my Apple Sage Chicken Sausage.
I feel like “sausage” has a bad rap about it. You think sausage and you think greasy, processed, and full of fat. This recipe gives you all the flavor, with nothing but healthy, gluten free ingredients that you’ll feel good about putting into your body. This sausage is a great protein for breakfast or for dinner – throw it on a salad or chop it up and use as a mix-in with some warm pasta.
Healthy Apple Sage Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken (92% lean, 8% fat)
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 yellow or red onion, finely diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add the chopped apple and 1 tablespoon of your apple cider vinegar to a frying pan and bring to a medium heat. Allow the apple to sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring off and on.
- Next, add the diced onion, garlic, and remaining 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the pan and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the apple mixture from the heat and transfer into a mixing bowl (which you will later use to mix in the ground chicken). Place the bowl in the freezer for about 5 minutes to allow ingredients to cool down a bit.
- Once the apple mixture has mostly cooled, add the remaining seasonings and mix well.
- Finally, combine the ground chicken with the seasoned apple mixture.
- Use your hands to form similar sized patties. You may need to wet your hands a bit to keep the mixture from sticking to them.
- Bring a lightly oiled skillet to medium-high heat and place a few patties at a time in the pan to cook. Do not flip until the bottom side of the patty has a nice golden brown color.
- Patties should reach an internal temperature of about 165-170° to ensure the chicken has been cooked through.
- If you prefer the baked version: preheat oven to 400° + bake sausage patties on a lightly sprayed baking sheet for about 25 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Note: patties cooked in the skillet hold together a little better; they are a bit more delicate if baked. Both just as tasty though!