I don’t remember the last time I bought breakfast sausage. Years ago we started making these savory chicken patties for Sunday brunch. A much better version than anything you can get in the store and a lot less sodium!  No pork meant my Mother could have them, as well. These are so easy to pull together and easily adapted to many different flavor profiles. Favorite ingredients have been diced jalapeño, minced garlic, chopped herbs, lemon zest, lime zest, orange zest, fennel seeds, smoked paprika, green onion, red onion, grated green apple. chiffonade of kale, goat cheese and diced bell pepper

As part of our skillet cooking series, here’s our favorite version of savory chicken sausage patties:

Savory Chicken Sausage Patties

Makes approximately 8 patties

  • 3 T finely chopped shallot (or red onion)
  • 1 T minced fresh garlic
  • 1 T fennel seed
  • 1 T finely chopped fresh thyme (or dried)
  • 1 T lemon zest
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 organic egg
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1-1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
  • 1/4 C finely chopped organic Italian parsley
  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.  I usually test about a tablespoon in a small pan to make sure the seasonings are right.  If you need to add any additional ingredients, this is the stage to do it.  Once ingredients are mixed, and you have the flavor profile to your liking,  heat a large cast iron pan or stainless skillet over medium heat with olive oil. Form mixture into patties about 1/2” thick and 2 inches in diameter. You’ll get about 8 to 10 patties in a pound of meat. Fry for about 3 minutes or until golden brown, flip and brown the other side.  Watch for burning.  You may need to turn heat down or add a little more oil.  Serve with your favorite brunch items or breakfast for dinner items!

Cook’s Notes

This is an easy recipe to double.  If you have extra patties, they freeze well.  Use left over patties in tomato sauce, in eggs, crumbled over lentils or in quesadillas. Great little protein item to have on hand!

We added the egg to this recipe to help hold the chicken patties together a little more.  Ground chicken can be sticky and difficult to work with and sometimes needs a little binder to make the patties cook uniformly. The egg can be omitted if you’d rather just go with the meat and other ingredients.