Chicken Sausage

A flavorful homemade chicken sausage made with fresh sage, garlic, and ginger. This recipe combines ground chicken thigh meat with aromatic seasonings and white wine for a delicious artisanal sausage that can be stored and used in various dishes.

6 servings

1 hr 5 min

Published October 4, 2025

Ingredients

•1½ pound chicken thigh meat
•225 grams schmaltz
•¾ cup fresh sage
•2 cloves garlic
•2 tablespoons ginger
•1 teaspoon black pepper
•½ cup dry white wine
•chilled

Cooking Instructions

1.
1. Combine all the ingredients except the wine in a large bowl and freeze for 20 to 30 minutes. Measure the wine and put that in the freezer too. If your grinder attachment is metal, freeze that as well, and also your mixing bowl. Set up your grinder, remove the chicken mixture from the freezer, and grind it through a small or medium die into the freezing-cold mixing bowl. Return the meat to the freezer for 10 minutes and set up your stand mixer.
40 min
2.
2. Remove the sausage mixture from the freezer and mix it with the paddle attachment on medium high for 60 seconds or so, adding the very cold white wine as you do. Paddling will distribute the seasonings and give the sausage a good bind help hold together rather then crumble. In order to be sure the seasoning is right, fry a small portion of the sausage (put the mixing bowl in the fridge while you cook the test piece). Taste the test piece. If you think the mix needs more salt, pepper, sage or ginger add it and repaddle it. You can do this as often as you like till you get the seasoning just so.
15 min
3.
3. Wrap the sausage in plastic wrap in the shape of a cylinder, about 2-1/2 inches/7.5 centimeters in diameter. Put the wrapped sausage in a plastic bag. It will last a good week in the fridge (thanks to the salt); it can be frozen for 3 months (the longer you freeze it, though, the more chance it has of getting freezer burn or picking up unpleasant freezer odors, so label the bag with the date and don't forget about it).
10 min

Cooking Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients except the wine in a large bowl and freeze for 20 to 30 minutes. Measure the wine and put that in the freezer too. If your grinder attachment is metal, freeze that as well, and also your mixing bowl. Set up your grinder, remove the chicken mixture from the freezer, and grind it through a small or medium die into the freezing-cold mixing bowl. Return the meat to the freezer for 10 minutes and set up your stand mixer.

40 min

2. Remove the sausage mixture from the freezer and mix it with the paddle attachment on medium high for 60 seconds or so, adding the very cold white wine as you do. Paddling will distribute the seasonings and give the sausage a good bind help hold together rather then crumble. In order to be sure the seasoning is right, fry a small portion of the sausage (put the mixing bowl in the fridge while you cook the test piece). Taste the test piece. If you think the mix needs more salt, pepper, sage or ginger add it and repaddle it. You can do this as often as you like till you get the seasoning just so.

15 min

3. Wrap the sausage in plastic wrap in the shape of a cylinder, about 2-1/2 inches/7.5 centimeters in diameter. Put the wrapped sausage in a plastic bag. It will last a good week in the fridge (thanks to the salt); it can be frozen for 3 months (the longer you freeze it, though, the more chance it has of getting freezer burn or picking up unpleasant freezer odors, so label the bag with the date and don't forget about it).

10 min