Apple Onion Chicken Breakfast Sausage Recipe (Paleo)

This Apple Onion Chicken Breakfast Sausage Recipe has just the right balance of sweet and savory, and is perfectly seasoned with a few herbs and spices. And it freezes well, making it great for meal prep!

It’s funny how food cravings go.

Take a bagel, for example.

I’ll get the idea of the perfect bagel in my head, which for me either means an everything bagel lightly toasted with vegetable cream cheese, or a plain bagel untoasted with cream cheese, lox, red onion, and tomato. Either way, served with a cup of nearly black coffee on the side.

I build the idea up so much in my head, it’s like I’m almost ready to go to NYC for the weekend just to experience bagel perfection. (Ok, that’s just a smokescreen…I’m always ready to head to NYC.)

But then I get the perfect bagel and it’s not nearly what I’ve built it up to be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great, amazing even. It’s just not the mind-blowing experience I had in mind. Which is what I try to remind myself of when one of those random cravings strike.

The exception to that rule is my recent craving for breakfast sausage. But that’s only because I knew I could make a healthy version that would knock the socks off of any sausage-lover out there.

Breakfast Sausage Recipe

Many breakfast sausage recipes use a blend of savory herbs, such as sage, marjoram, thyme, etc.

Spices, such as fennel seed, paprika, nutmeg are also common ingredients. 

And specific to breakfast sausage (instead of other types of sausage), there is often a sweet component to balance out the savory flavor. For example, brown sugar or maple syrup are both delicious additions to breakfast sausage.

Apple Onion Chicken Breakfast Sausage

To this recipe, I added a mix of sweet and savory sautéed onion and apple, plus herbs and aromatics like thyme, sage, fennel seeds, and nutmeg. This sausage is sweetly savory, super flavorful, and juicy.

It’s perfect on a bed of sweet potato hash or Cauliflower Hash, topped with a fried egg.

The best part is that this recipe makes a big batch so you can stock your freezer with the perfect breakfast food for those mornings when you don’t have time to whip up a batch!

Paleo Breakfast Sausage

This recipe is paleo and Whole30 friendly! It’s gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and refined sugar free.

More Paleo Breakfast Recipes:

• Zucchini Hash Breakfast Bowls
• Blueberry Muffins
• Paleo Bread (perfect for toast!)
• Banana Bread
• Brussels Sprout and Bacon Hash
• Sweet Potato Hash Browns
• Low Carb Oatmeal (aka Noatmeal)

Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith

Apple Onion Chicken Breakfast Sausage Recipe (Paleo)

This Apple Onion Chicken Breakfast Sausage Recipe has just the right balance of sweet and savory, and is perfectly seasoned with a few herbs and spices. And it freezes well, making it great for meal prep!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 13 servings

Calories: 147kcal

Author: Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil plus more for frying
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 2 medium crisp sweet apples washed, cored, and diced small (not peeled)
• 1 large clove garlic
• 2 pounds ground chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh sage or 3/4 teaspoon dried, crushed sage leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds gently crushed in your palm
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Melt 3 tablespoons coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and apple, and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the garlic, and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat and cool completely.
• Combine the cooled apple/onion mixture, ground chicken breast, thyme, salt, sage, fennel seeds, black pepper, nutmeg, and vinegar in a large bowl. Just mix until the apples and onion are incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.
• Scoop the sausage mixture into 3-tablespoon-sized balls (I use an ice cream scoop for this), and then flatten the balls into 2 1/2 to 3-inch circles. (Like making mini hamburgers.)
• To cook on the stovetop, heat a large skillet or griddle (I use my cast iron griddle, but a nonstick surface will also work) over medium to slightly medium-high heat. Add a little bit of coconut oil and spread it around to coat the skillet or griddle. Add the sausages and cook until they’re golden on both sides and fully cooked inside, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, flipping once. You can work in batches if they don’t all fit at once. (Don’t press down on the sausages as they cook because this will release the juices that keep them moist.)
• To cook in the oven, preheat the oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and grease it with a little coconut oil. Line the sausages up on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until they’re fully cooked, about 5 to 6 minutes per side, flipping once. (Note that if they’re cooked in the oven, they won’t be golden on the outside unless you run them under the broiler.)
• Serve the sausage with eggs or vegetable hash if desired.

Helpful Tips

• Net Carbs: 4g per serving
• This recipe makes about 26 sausage patties, and each serving is 2 sausage patties, for a total of 13 servings.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Don’t skip this! It doesn’t make the sausages tart like you might think; it basically tenderizes the meat.
• To Freeze and Reheat: I like to store extra sausages wrapped in batches of 2 (which is a serving size) in the freezer. To reheat, unwrap the sausages and put the frozen sausages into a skillet with a splash of water; cover the skillet and cook until warm throughout, flipping once.

Nutrition

Serving: 2sausages | Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 356mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @anediblemosaic or tag #anediblemosaic!

This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on March 26, 2014. I updated it with more information on May 6, 2020.

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