Save money and calories by making your own Healthy Breakfast Sausage. Delicious, quick, easy, and freezer friendly!
When it comes to breakfast, I tend to keep it simple. Eggs, whole wheat toast, fruit–and always sausage. In my humble opinion, breakfast sausage is the superior breakfast meat. Bacon is delicious, but sausage is more filling and less messy.
Most of the time, I’m eating breakfast quickly or on the go, so I gravitate towards frozen, pre-cooked sausage patties.
The problem is that most brands are pretty expensive for how little sausage you actually get. Especially if you want a brand that doesn’t have a bunch of preservatives packed into the sausage.
HOw to make healthy breakfast sausage
So, over the past few months, I’ve strictly made my own sausage. It’s surprisingly easy and so much cheaper this way. Plus, I’m in control, of the ingredients, so I know there’s no funny stuff in there.
The patties cook up super quickly, so you could throw this together in just a few minutes. I highly advise that you mix the meat a spices the day before you want to cool them, though.
It makes the flavor so much stronger and firms up the chicken mixture so that it’s easier to form the patties.
You’ll cook the sauusge over medium-high heat to get a good sear. Just a minute or two per side. There will still be a lot of white meat at this point, so it won’t look like classic sausage just yet. See below.
At this point, you’ll add a few tablespoons of water or chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Flip the patties around it the liquid a few times to spread around that golden color.
Cook until the liquid is completely absorbed. This will add moisture to the lean chicken, too.
Every one pound of meat makes 12 smallish patties. They’re the perfect size for a breakfast sandwich. You could make larger patties if you’d like; just make sure you cook them a bit longer.
Meal Prep: Make ahead and freeze!
I like doubling or tripling the recipe for meal prep, then add a bunch to the freezer to grab and heat later. Of course, you can defrost the sausage on the refrigerator the night before.
But I wanted to go straight from the freezer to the microwave, so here are a few tips for that.
Cook the sausages completely, then let cool completely. Place cooled patties in an even layer on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap or tin foil, and place in the freezer.
You want to freeze them this way at first so that the patties don’t stick together. Once they are frozen completely, you can throw them all into a container or freezer bag and pull them out one at a time to reheat.
You can microwave them for 20-30 seconds straight from the freezer, or heat in the air fryer at 350F for about 5 minutes.
Other breakfast recipes
- Whole Wheat Pancakes
- Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake
- Homemade Protein Pancake Mix
- Peach Cobbler French Toast Bake
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! Leaving a starred review and comment below helps my blog grow. I’m always grateful when you can take the time to do that!
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Healthy Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken breast (92/8)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground sage
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp brown sugar or coconut sugar (optional but delicious!)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together all spices. Add in the ground chicken and mix spices through the meat with a spatula. Try not to overmix.
- Refrigerate at least an hour, but overnight for best results.
- Divide in 12 1/4-inch thick patties. Each one is about 2 rounded tablespoons.
TO COOK ON THE STOVETOP
- Spritz a large skillet with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, sear the patties, about 1-2 minutes per side.
- Add 3 tablespoons of water to the skillet to deglaze. Flip the patties around in the liquid until it is completely absorbed into the meat. This will add color and moisture to the sausage.
TO COOK IN THE AIR FRYER
- Preheat air fryer to 400F. Spritz both sides of the patties with cooking spray, then add in a single layer to the air fryer basket. You'll probably need to cook in batches.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
TO FREEZE THE SAUSAGE
- Let patties cool completely. Arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap or tin foil.
- Place cookie sheet in freezer until the patties are frozen through, about an hour. Remove frozen patties from cookie sheet and place frozen in a freezer bag.
- Reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, or air fry at 350F for 5-7 minutes.
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