Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes
On my god, you're going to hate me. Remember how excited I was to get a 5-lb vertical stuffer for my birthday back in January? Well, in my small kitchen, I found a rather inconvenient place to store this giant and there is sat, unused all summer. I had every intention of using it way sooner, but it didn't happen, and I deserve the shame that comes with that. There's good news though, I finally busted it out and made some stellar sausages. Not these sausages in particular, but to be honest, this chicken sausages with basil and tomatoes were a bit better than what I made recently—actually these chicken sausages were some of the best I've ever made!
I've been learning that you need to pack sausage with as much flavor as possible, so when it comes to fruits, dried is usually better. These sausages started with sun-dried tomatoes and healthy portion of garlic.
Some fresh tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper were added into the mix and then tossed with cubed, skin-on, boneless chicken thighs. I'm not sure if leaving the skin-on here is gross or brilliant, but its been my "trick" to getting the right amount of fat into chicken sausages without the need for pork fat back ever since I started making sausage.
The meat mixture was then sent through the small die of Kitchen Aid grinder—which may just be the next piece of sausage making equipment to get an upgrayedd. Afterwards it took a spin in the mixer, where cold red wine, vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil were added.
A quick test patty confirmed that the seasonings were all there, tasting so good that it had me all excited to get them stuffed and to the grill.
Unfortunately this was prior to the vertical stuffer acquisition, so I struggled through getting these into hog casings in the slow and unsteady Kitchen Aid stuffer attachement. Having now used a true sausage stuffer, I can't imagine why I ever subjected myself to the torture of the KA, not only did it take forever and require way too much effort, it left me with tons of air pockets in the final links—you can see them in this photo. I'm so glad that all of that is now a thing of the past.
Struggle as I did, it was not for naught, as these were incredible sausages. The sun-dried tomato lent a ton of flavor, and matched against fresh tomatoes and basil, the links had a nice, bright taste. The vinegar and wine both added an acidity that seasoned the meat throughout. Each link burst with juiciness after an initial snap from the casing, leaving nothing but a pleasing Italian flavor that makes sausage such an excellent treat (and now making me feel even more guilty for taking so long to make some this summer).
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Comments
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fritz Joshua-
I often entertained the thought of making my own sausages. This may have pushed me over the egde. questions.
1. Are using the Lem hand crank ($125)?
2. if so, can this be a one person job or is it necessary to two people emplyeed
3. souce on casings? find a good butcher?
Looks great! i like being able to control my list of ingredients. -
Waky About time... been waiting.
Way easier, huh? Hardest part is cleaning the stuffer.
Yes, most chicken recipes I see use the fat. This one looks pretty good! Have to try it. Be warned; most of these fresh ones don't last long, so you have to use them quickly, or freeze.
Also - when you rinse the stuffer, you can throw some bleach in the rinse, then do a final. Kill any nastiness that you may have missed. -
Waky @fritz -
You can get casings online (Butcher Packer). Get a whole hank, and they're packed in salt, last a long time.
Yes, it's a 1 man job, but some refreshments & a crank monkey are always a good time. -
Madison Chloe Marie OH I can almost smell it waifing form the kitchen, I have never attempted to make homemade sausage before (at home) my parents have I'd love to try it sometime.
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Josh @fritz
1. Yes, I'm using the LEM 5lb vertical with the hand crank.
2. 2 people is nice, but I stuffed my last batch on my own with no problems.
3. I get mine from a butcher, but as Waky pointed out, Butcher Packer is a good source, as well as Sausage Maker. -
Chris The chicken sandwiches sound like you seasoned them perfect.y. I want to buy a stuffer but not the KA one. A local friend who makes great sausage learned very quickly about those and swears by the stuffer he bought from Gander Mountain.