Jalapeño Cheddar Bacon Chicken Breakfast Sausage
As someone who is not the biggest fan of sausage with an even greater aversion to chicken sausage, I genuinely have been craving these ever since I made them the first time. I would gladly eat one (or more) every day if prompted.
These sausages are so juicy, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, oozing with melty cheddar and have the perfect mix of spicy and sweet from fresh jalapeños and brown sugar that all good breakfast sausage should boast.
I know ground chicken can get a bad rap — it can be dry, tough, and flavorless. The added onion mixture, bacon, brown sugar, and cheese packs tons of moisture and leaves these breakfast sausages so incredibly flavorful.
Jalapeño Cheddar Bacon Chicken Breakfast Sausage
Yields 12 breakfast sausage patties | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes
1 lb. ground chicken
.3 lb (about 4 slices) thick-cut bacon
1 sweet onion
3 jalapeño peppers, fresh
2 garlic cloves
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dijon or regular Yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. each garlic and onion powder (optional - just to reinforce the flavor if wanted stronger but the fresh garlic/onion is enough as it is)
6 oz. Irish cheddar - or any sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small dices (1/4 inch x 1/4 inch)
Dice the onion and 2 jalapeños (leave seeds in for spicier, seeds out for less spicy) into very small dices - 1/4 in. x 1/4 in. or smaller — or use a food processor to roughly chop them (you don’t want complete puree, just small pieces). Mince the garlic.
Heat a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in the onion and jalapeño. Season with a pinch of salt and let the onions sweat. Once they start to have a little bit of golden color, turn up the heat to medium high, add the garlic, and cook until softened and caramelized. Spread on a parchment lined sheet tray to cool.
Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.
Meanwhile, slice the last jalapeño into thin moons. Set aside. Mince the raw bacon as fine as you can until it’s almost a paste. Add into a large bowl with the chicken, the spices, sugar, mustard/Worcestershire, and the cooled onion/jalapeño/garlic mixture. Mix well until fully combined and continute to work the mixture until it starts to feel tacky and sticky, about 3 minutes — this aggrivation activates the proteins which creates the chewy texture of sausage, whereas with something like meatballs/burgers you wouldn’t want to overwork the meat. Fold in the cheese chunks until just mixed.
Test the mixture for seasoning by frying off a small piece in a skillet until cooked through. Adjust seasoning if needed.
Form sausages into patties about 1 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Press a jalapeño moon into each. Bake at 375ºF until an internal temperature of 160ºF is reached - around 20-25 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
***You can absolutely cook these on a flattop griddle, grill pan, stainless steel, or cast-iron pan, but I found best results baking them in the oven. The result is much juicier and more evenly cooked with a prettier golden brown color all around.
