Healthy Chicken Sausage Recipes

Find healthy, delicious chicken sausage recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

One-Pot Greek Pasta

13
A little bit of Sunday meal prep goes a long way in this one-dish Mediterranean pasta recipe. The pasta is cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge to use for meals all week, but any leftover cooked pasta you have on hand will do. Chicken sausage with feta is especially good in this recipe.
By Katie Webster

Easy Italian Chicken Meatballs

5
These meatballs are flavor-packed--thanks to a little sausage added to the ground chicken mix--and all-purpose: serve them with spaghetti for a healthy dinner, on a toothpick with dipping sauce as an easy appetizer or stir them into a soup to make it more satisfying.
By Adam Hickman

Broccolini, Chicken Sausage & Orzo Skillet

4
We love this quick skillet meal for busy evenings. The sausage and orzo simmer together in chicken broth, resulting in a creamy, risotto-like dish in under 30 minutes.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Hash with Chicken Sausage

1
Apple-flavored chicken sausage adds flavor and protein in this quick dinner hash that uses a bag of shaved Brussels sprouts as its hearty, high-fiber base. Steaming the cubed sweet potatoes in the microwave cuts way down on total cook time.
By Carolyn Hodges, M.S., RDN

Chicken-Sausage & Kale Stew

7
A splash of vinegar is a long-standing chef's trick for soups. Added just before you serve the soup, vinegar brightens the taste considerably. Use your favorite style of chicken sausage to add variety to this dish.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sheet-Pan Creole Chicken & Shrimp

1
This variation of a shrimp boil can be made in the oven on just one baking sheet. A medley of spices gives this healthy dish of chicken, sausage and veggies a rich, complex flavor. Bonus: This easy sheet-pan dinner requires just 20 minutes of active prep time.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

Sheet-Pan Sausage & Peppers

2
This easy one-dish meal is bound to become a regular in your dinner rotation--it's super simple and comes together quickly. Be sure to preheat your sheet pan--adding vegetables to a hot pan helps start the charring and caramelization, without steaming your veggies. And remember, you are only heating up your sausage, not cooking it from raw in this recipe, but if you substitute with fresh sausage (which you can), you'll need to cook the sausage longer.
By Ivy Odom

Chicken Sausage & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

1
This one-pan pasta combines tasty chicken sausage and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal that's garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. It's a quick and easy weeknight dinner everyone is sure to love.
By Devon O'Brien

Chicken Sausage and Peppers

8
Colorful peppers and tomatoes and sweet onion make this sausage dinner pop with fresh flavor. Roasting instead of sautéing makes this even easier for a busy weeknight.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Savory Oatmeal with Tomato & Sausage

2
Oats get a new life in this savory dish, serving as the backbone for a satisfying combo of sausage, greens, tomatoes, and herbs.
By Jackie Newgent, RDN

Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Grilled Asparagus & Chicken Sausage

Stock the fridge with a week's worth of lunches using a handful of ingredients from your local grocery store. To save on carbs, we're swapping in riced cauliflower for regular rice and adding pregrilled asparagus, which bulks up these bowls and adds fiber. At lunchtime, just reheat to steaming then top with a bit of pesto. Try Trader Joe's for fast shortcut ingredients like these--see Tip (below) for our product recommendations.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Chicken Sausage with Potatoes & Sauerkraut

9
Here's our weeknight version of choucroute garni, “dressed sauerkraut,” made with chicken sausage. The flavor of the dish will vary depending on what type of chicken sausage you choose. We like the taste of roasted garlic sausage or sweet apple sausage in this recipe. And although any type of sauerkraut can be used, we prefer the crisp texture of refrigerated kraut over canned. Serve with roasted carrots and some mustard to spread on the sausage.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
Advertisement

Inspiration and Ideas

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Chicken Sausage & Kale
3
What's the secret to making store-bought butternut squash ravioli even more delicious? Add apple-chicken sausage, tender greens and lots of caramelized onions. We add a bit of sugar to help the onions caramelize faster, but feel free to omit it (just cook the onions a bit longer if you do). Buy prewashed chopped kale to cut down on prep time. It all adds up to an easy dinner that's ready in just 20 minutes.
Chicken Sausage with Potatoes & Sauerkraut for Two
7
Here's our weeknight version of choucroute garni, “dressed sauerkraut,” made with chicken sausage. The flavor of the dish will vary depending on what type of chicken sausage you choose. We like the taste of roasted garlic sausage or sweet apple sausage in this recipe. And although any type of sauerkraut can be used, we prefer the crisp texture of refrigerated kraut over canned. The recipe serves two. Serve with roasted carrots and some mustard to spread on the sausage.
Sausage, Pepper & Potato Packets
2
Roasted Autumn Vegetables & Chicken Sausage
4

Butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, garlic and sausage all roast on one sheet pan in this super-easy dinner. We're partial to the flavor of chicken-apple sausage, but you can pick whatever variety of chicken sausage you prefer. Serve with crusty bread and a dollop of whole-grain mustard.

All Healthy Chicken Sausage Recipes

Roasted Autumn Vegetables & Chicken Sausage for Two

1
In this sheet-pan dinner recipe, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, garlic and sausage all roast on one pan. Pick whatever variety of chicken sausage you prefer but we're partial to the flavor of chicken-apple in this healthy dinner recipe. Serve with crusty bread and a dollop of whole-grain mustard.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooker Picadillo

3
Picadillo, a Latin American-style hash, is usually made with ground beef. This one uses bison or lean beef and plenty of spices including chili powder, cumin, oregano and cinnamon.
By Jim Romanoff

Minestrone with Italian Sausage & Pesto

1
With two convenience foods--precooked chicken sausage and refrigerated basil pesto--you can turn ordinary canned minestrone soup into a lunch or dinner that's satisfying and unique. While scanning the canned soup aisle, look for healthy soups that contain less than 450 mg sodium and more than 3 g fiber per 1-cup serving.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Lasagna-Stuffed Zucchini

7
Swap vegetables for noodles in this healthy lasagna-inspired recipe. Stuffing zucchini boats with chicken sausage, tomato, ricotta and herbs gives you all the flavors of lasagna without all the carbs.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Potato, Sausage and Egg Breakfast

1
This delicious, hearty breakfast takes almost no effort to prepare. This recipe will cook overnight in a slow cooker and all you need to do in the morning is prepare the poached eggs.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Mexican Breakfast Scramble

In this zesty Mexican-inspired recipe, queso fresco cheese, peppers, onion, chicken sausage, and eggs are cooked up with crisp corn tortilla pieces, and garnished with jalapeño and cilantro. You may not be able to eat this with your hands like a breakfast tortilla wrap, but trust us--you'll enjoy every forkful!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Dirty Rice

5
A Louisiana favorite, our version of this spicy dish uses whole-grain Wehani rice. Long-grain brown rice also works. Traditionally made with chicken liver, which gives it a “dirty” color, we use healthy lean chicken sausage instead.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

BBQ Baked Beans & Sausage

18
Here we turn baked beans into an easy main dish by adding chicken sausage and collard greens. Serve with: Coleslaw and cornbread.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Zucchini Noodle Bowls with Chicken Sausage & Pesto

Cut down on prep time for this meal-prep zoodle recipe by using premade zucchini noodles from the produce section. Canned beans and precooked chicken sausage heat in about 5 minutes and add protein, while store-bought refrigerated pesto serves as a fast and flavorful topping.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Sausage with Cabbage & Apples

The cabbage comes out tender without being mushy and gives the slow-cooker chicken sausage a slightly sweet flavor. A splash of vinegar at the end perks up the whole meal with a bit of acidic brightness. There are several varieties of smoked chicken sausage from which you can choose. We recommend using an apple-flavored smoked sausage to complement the apples and vinegar.
By Cooking Light

Chicken Sausage & Spinach Quiche

Using precooked chicken sausage cuts way down on prep time. Plus, there are so many varieties available to add layers of flavor. Italian, apple-flavored or breakfast-style varieties all pair well with the spinach in this quiche.
By Carolyn Hodges, M.S., RDN

Chicken Sausage & Onion Pasta

Convenient fully cooked chicken sausage is a great flavor starter for this easy pasta recipe with just three ingredients you can keep stocked in your freezer or pantry for fast dinners. Just add some sautéed onions and pasta and you have a super-simple meal that the entire family will love.
By Lauren Grant

Seafood Boil

This dish is a twist on the classic Louisiana seafood boil.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Zoodles with Tomato Sauce and Sausage

Using zucchini to make noodles instead of pasta, makes this dish diabetic-friendly.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Red Beans & Rice with Vegetables

1
This dish is inspired by the traditional New Orleans dish of red beans and rice, but adds plenty of roasted vegetables.
By Jackie Newgent, RDN

Kale, Sausage & Lentil Skillet Supper

11
Cooking the lentils in red wine adds rich, earthy flavor to this one-dish skillet supper. We prefer French green lentils in this dish--they're smaller, cook faster and hold their shape better than brown lentils. Look for them in well-stocked supermarkets or natural-foods stores.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Spinach-Feta Rice Salad with Chicken Sausage

Spinach, cucumber and red pepper are served with chicken sausage and rice, dressed with a flavorful garlic-herb vinaigrette, and topped with feta cheese in this easy main dish salad.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Chicken Sausage with Quick Sauerkraut

3
This colorful cabbage sauté is the best of both sauerkraut and slaw--a mix of textures and bright, tangy flavor. Serve with assorted mustards and some toasted rye bread.
By Katie Webster

Tomato & Pesto Sheet-Pan Eggs

Chicken sausage, pesto, tomatoes and mozzarella combine to add Italian flavor to these frittata-like slices. Serve them for breakfast as is or in a sandwich (they're great for meal prepping).
By Devon O'Brien

Chicken Sausage and Dirty Rice

This Cajun-inspired main dish is made with spicy Andouille sausage and served over brown rice that's been cooked with colorful chopped vegetables and cayenne pepper.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Chicken "Brats" with Apple Slaw

Who doesn't love chicken and apples? Ready in under 30 minutes, these sausage sandwiches--topped with a mustardy-maple apple slaw-- are a perfect weeknight dinner.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Summer Paella

1
Paella started as an outdoor dish. Grilling seafood, zesty sausage and vegetables before combining them with saffron-scented rice replicates that traditional character. Note that perfectly done paella rice will be dry and the slightest bit toothsome: it's not creamy or overly moist.
By Cheryl & Bill Jamison

Warm Chicken Sausage & Potato Salad

9
This super simple bistro-style salad is substantial with potatoes, arugula and chicken sausage.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sausage Sandwiches with Roasted Veggies

Bye bye, basic hot dogs! This chicken- and apple- sausage sandwich is a definite upgrade from the classic frankfurter. Nestled in a whole-wheat hot dog bun, these slow-cooker links are topped with peppers, onions, and tomatoes and served with a simple honey mustard-mayo dressing.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
Load More
Advertisement
© Copyright EatingWell. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.eatingwell.com