I’ve been making my own sausage for several years.  And while you definitely need some special equipment, i.e. meat grinder and sausage stuffer, it’s a really fun and actually pretty easy process.  The thought of store-bought sausage makes some people wince – what in the world do they put in that stuff??  Whether you make fresh or smoked, you can control ingredients, flavors and salt content by making your own.  Below is a recipe for fresh chicken apple sausage, flavored with onions, garlic and allspice.  I hope you love it!

CHICKEN APPLE SAUSAGE

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 Lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 2 Lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 2 Medium Honeycrisp Apples, Peeled
• 1/2 Large White Onion
• 1 1/2 Tbs. Butter
• 1 1/2 Tbs. Kosher Salt
• 1 1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 Tsp. Ground Allspice
• 1/2 Tsp. Ground Thyme
• About 9 feet of fresh hog casing

Instructions

• Slice chicken into 1-inch strips.  Place in freezer for 15 minutes while you prepare apples and onions.
• Using the largest holes on a box grater, grate peeled apples and onion.  Sauté in a large frying pan with butter for 10-15 minutes.  They should be soft and moisture should be evaporated.  Allow to cool in bowl.
• Using a meat grinder, or grinder attachment on your mixer, grind semi-frozen chicken on the finest grind.  Grind into a large mixing bowl so that you have room to mix in spices, etc.
• Add apple and onion mixture to ground chicken an mix with your hands to incorporate evenly.
• Sprinkle all seasonings evenly over mixture and then mix again with hands until combined.
• Place ground mixture into a sausage stuffer.
• Stuff into hog casings and link into 3-4 inch sections.  Allow to dry on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes.
• You can now cook immediately on the grill or in a pan.  However, the flavors will be better if the sausage rests for a day or longer.  We freeze ours in a vacuum sealer.

The sweetness of the apples combined with the savory onions, garlic and thyme make for a delicious combination!  You’ll find that this recipe has a lot less fat than store-bought sausage so be careful not to overcook and dry it out.  If you have the time and tools, give it a try – I think you’ll find yourself making sausage more often than buying it.  Either way, dig in!!