Necessity is the mother of invention
I posted on instagram the other day a photo of a bag of half eaten apples that my daughter left. Well, I put them in the bag, but she just didn’t finish them!
I’m not a fan of wasting food – especially because of working in restaurants for so many years, they really come down on you about using up what you can.
Use up what you have!
I’m all for convenience and I wouldn’t make my own sausage patties if I found some that were Kosher and had good ingredients (AKA ingredients I can pronounce and understand) but they are hard to find, or really expensive. So, when I found ground dark meat chicken; I had the idea to make some myself.
Chicken & Apples pair well together
Since chicken and apples are a nice combination, it occured to me to use them grated in my chicken sausage patties! Well, it was delicious and it was a nice way to add extra protein my breakfast. A little pure maple syrup drizzled on top is a nice touch.
Ground dark meat chicken is key
The apples help with moisture (as does grated onion if you wanted to add that) but the key here is using ground dark meat chicken – these would not be as juicy if you used white meat, so I don’t recommend it.
No “Recipe” Reminder
You won’t see traditional recipes here.
Nowadays when using the word “recipe” it is a way to ask “tell me how you made that?” My whole goal is to teach you the skills behind the recipe and have you understand that you can eyeball things and have fun experimenting. Remember that learning the proper technique of how to cook things and how to season is going to make a big difference in your food vs following a recipe religiously.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground dark meat chicken
- 1 1/2 cup red apples, shredded (not peeled)
- 1 Tablespoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (if you use another salt, use less)
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 2 teaspoons ground fennel (you can also use whole fennel seed if you like)
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (any "herby" mix works)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the ground chicken and mix evenly, but don't overdo the mixing.
- Allow it to sit for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together (overnight is good too!)
- First step is to test for seasoning. After you've allowed them to sit, cook a little piece of the mixture and taste. This allows you to add more salt if needed before cooking the entire batch!
- Form into patties - the size doesn't matter that much! Just know that the larger it is, the longer it will take to cook.
- Preheat a cast iron or stainless steel pan and add a little olive oil to sear the patties.
- Allow them to cook undisturbed for a few minutes on medium heat.
- Once golden on one side, cook the other side until it's a bit springy to the touch.
- Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into them.
- Serve with a little pure maple syrup if you like and enjoy!
- Yes - you can freeze them!