Right Way To Make Chicken Andouille Sausage – Easy Tips And Tricks

Yes, I know that an Andouille Sausage can only be made using pork and its seasonings, such as garlic, onions, black pepper, and paprika. But, if I make it by using chicken, what’s wrong with that?

Yes! You heard it right. Today I’m making a delicious, mouthwatering Andouille sausage with chicken instead of pork. No, pork will not be left out, but the quantity will be very minimal. Whether it tastes different, but because of curiosity in testing another one—I’ll love to make this recipe.

Yeeep!

Although it will be a variation rather than a traditional version, a non-pork option also exists as an alternative (with chicken, turkey, or plant-based alternatives). In this article, you will get a recipe on how to make Chicken Andouille Sausage at home with simple ingredients, nutritional facts, alternative options, and some crucial tips and tricks.

Let’s get a whole recipe with you that makes your mood and plate both blush. Before starting with the process, allow me to explain why I’m trying this one instead of the original one:

Why do I make it?

Andouille Sausage is traditionally made with pork, as you all know. But adding a minimal amount of pork, I’m trying this one with chicken for some reason. The first one is, the essential aspect is to preserve the distinct crude texture and smoky, spicy flavor by using suitable spice combinations, fat alternatives, and smoking methods.

And finally, the last reason to use chicken is – I don’t have the vast quantity of pork in my bucket, so that! Not funny, but true!

If you’re curious to explore something better beyond the rule, don’t hesitate—it’s the right time to explore a new one:

Gather All the Ingredients!

• 5 lbs chicken breast or thigh meat
• 12 oz pork meat or bacon
• 1 tbsp garlic (chopped)
• ¾ cup diced yellow onion
• 2 tsp ground cloves
• 1-2 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 22 grams kosher salt 
• 2 T fresh thyme
• 10 ft Hog casings or lamb casings
• Filtered water

Necessary Equipment

• A meat grinder, a medium one is perfect
• Sausage stuffer (can be an attachment for your grinder)
• Large mixing bowls
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• A baking sheet or a normal tray for chilling meat
• Gloves (optional, but good for handling meat)

Let’s make Chicken Andouille Sausage!

Andouille is traditionally a smoked sausage, so if you have a smoker, that’s the ideal way to finish it. However, you can still achieve great flavor even without one.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to making the Chicken Andouille Sausage recipe perfectly at home:

Step 1: Prepare The Meat

Chill meat: First, you need to chill your meat; this is crucial for good sausage texture. 

Cut your chicken and pork/bacon into 1-inch cubes. Place them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer for 30-60 minutes. After becoming cold but not frozen solid, take it out. This ensures a clean grind.

Prepare pork/bacon: If using bacon, you might want to dice it finely or partially freeze. This makes it grinding easier. If using pork meat, cut it into 1-inch cubes similar to the chicken.

Step 2: Combine And Season

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chilled chicken and pork/bacon cubes.

Now, add one by one: chopped garlic, diced onion, ground cloves, cayenne pepper, paprika, white pepper, ground black pepper, kosher salt, and fresh thyme.

Mix everything thoroughly by using your hands. When the seasonings are evenly mixed throughout the meat.

Step 3: Grind The Meat

Chill your grinder parts: Place your grinder components, including auger, blade, and grinding dies, in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before grinding. Cold equipment helps keep the meat cold.

First Grind: Add the seasoned meat mixture through your meat grinder using a medium die.

Second Grind (Optional, for finer texture): For a finer texture, you can pass the ground meat through the grinder a second time. For Andouille, a slightly rougher grind is often recommended.

Keep it Cold: If you saw that the meat starts to warm up during grinding, place it back in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to re-chill before continuing.

Step 4: Test The Seasoning

This is a crucial step! Take a small patty of the ground sausage mixture (about 1-2 tablespoons).

Cook it in a skillet until it’s cooked through.

Taste the cooked patty and add the seasonings (salt, cayenne, other spices) if needed. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take away!

Step 5: Prepare The Casings

Rinse your hog or lamb casings thoroughly under cold running water. Both inside and outside will be thoroughly rinsed to remove any excess salt.

Soak the casings in warm water for at least 30 minutes to an hour to make them flexible and easy to work with. 

(You can add a splash of white vinegar to the soaking water, though it’s not strictly necessary.)

Step 6: Stuff The Sausage

Attach the stuffing horn to your grinder or set up your sausage stuffer.

Carefully slide one end of the soaked casing onto the stuffing horn. Gathering it up. Leave a small overhang at the end.

Begin feeding the sausage mixture into the stuffer. As the meat comes out, guide it into the casing.

(Here is an important tip to remember: Go slowly and evenly. You want to fill the casing firmly but not too tightly. Avoid air pockets. If you see air pockets, you can sting them with a sterilized needle or pin.)

Once the casing is filled, gently slide it off the horn. Tie off the open end with a butcher’s knot, leaving a little slack at the end of the casing.

Step 7: Link The Sausage

Lay out the filled sausage on a clean surface.

Starting from one end, gently pinch and twist the sausage at your desired link length (typically 4-6 inches). Twist in one direction for the first link, then the opposite direction for the next. Continue the linking process until you’ve used all the sausage.

Step 8: Now Resting (Optional, But Recommended)

Hang the linked sausages or lay them on a wire rack in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. This allows the casings to dry slightly.

Step 9: Cooking/Smoking The Andouille

Smoking (It’s Traditional Method): This is the best way to get that classic Andouille flavor.

Preheat your smoker to a low temperature, around 82-107°C. Use wood chips like pecan or oak for traditional flavor.

Smoke the sausages until they reach an internal temperature. This can take 2-4 hours, depending on your smoker and sausage thickness.

Once smoked, you can immediately cook them too. And if there are some leftovers, you can cool them and simply store them. Storing tips will be shared in the next section.

If no smoker, then what’s to do?

While not traditional Chicken Andouille Sausage, you can still cook the sausages in other ways.

Pan-Fry: Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the sausages, turning when needed. Cooked thoroughly until browned.

Bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place sausages on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through.

Storage Tips

These tips can be helpful to you because if you want to store your leftovers, the following tips will prove beneficial:

✅ Cooked Chicken Sausage can be refrigerated for up to 5 to 7 days. 

✅ If you want longer storage, freeze the cooked Sausage for up to 2 months or more than that. You can use a vacuum sealing—it prevents freezer burn.

Enjoy your homemade Chicken Andouille Sausage! It’s fantastic in gumbos, jambalayas, or simply grilled.

Important tips and tricks while making Chicken Andouille Sausage

During the process or after done, I’d love to share some necessary tips that make your cooking better:

🔑 Focus on the right cut of chicken. Chicken thighs or breasts will be preferable for making the perfect Chicken Andouille Sausage at home. 

🔑 Chicken is far leaner than pork, so trying to add extra fat to ensure the sausage is more juicy and flavorful. 

🔑 Try to add bacon if possible; it provides tasty, smoky flavor. Bacon’s extra fat helps to keep the sausage moist.

🔑 Before grinding, ensure all ingredients and the equipment are also chilled. This trick helps to prevent fat defamation.

🔑 Avoid the ingredients frozen solid.

🔑 Keep concentrating when grinding. Avoid over-grinding, which can turn your mixture into a paste form.

Nutritional Facts – Per Serving

Calories	90 – 180 calories
Total fat	4g – 9g
Saturated fat	1g – 2g
Trans fat	0g
Cholesterol	40mg – 75mg
Sodium	370mg – 780mg
Total carbohydrates	1g – 3g
Dietary fiber	1g
Sugar	1g
Protein	8g – 20g

7 Yummy Sides to Serve With Chicken Andouille Sausage

After making the final homemade Chicken Andouille Sausage recipe, you must wonder at its side dishes, right? Don’t worry. I’m not finished yet!

Here I’ll share the top 7 serving dishes that perfectly pair with Chicken Sausage:

1. Creamy scrambled eggs

If you like eggs or don’t have any allergies or hate, this pair will suit you. Scrambled eggs are not just known for their soft and creamy consistency, but also fluffy texture, which easily melts in your mouth, right? Combining Chicken Sausage with Creamy scrambled eggs, you have a protein-rich food.

2. Fried vegetables and rice

A full vegetable rice bowl and the combination of Chicken Sausage is awesome, both looks and taste. In any asian restaurant, you can seem like that. If you have any leftover rice or vegetables, don’t think twice—just combine them and enjoy the flavor. Avoid mushy rice; it spoils your taste buds. Before eating, place a pan on the heat, add a small amount of sesame oil and soy sauce, and then add all your leftovers with sausage; it can be better to eat than a cold one.

3. Pan-roasted potatoes

You thank me later, if I told you this one! Mashed and baked potatoes are perfect and just a mouthwatering pair with Chicken Andouille Sausage. But if the potatoes are pan-roasted, then you never know what you’re eating now. It’s amazing, and what I say more. Add a spicy olive oil and serve your Sausage to liven things up. Before serving, add a splash of cilantro to make the taste better.

4. Jambalayas

This one is a classic Cajun dish. In a single pot, the holy vegetables like onion, bell pepper, celery, rice, spices, and sausage make a spicy, flavorful dish that will be a cornerstone in your mouth. Use long-grain white rice instead of instant rice to make your Jambalayas more rich flavor. 

5. Baked beans

If there is a busy day, our craving is not yet over. So, I’ve a delicious but easy solution for you. With Chicken Andouille Sausage, a tossed salad, and baked beans. Hear it odd, right? But I insist you to try this combo once. This only takes 15 minutes to prepare on your plate. Just gather all ingredients and mix your favorite seasonings, and it’s ready! 

Don’t forget to use the oven, LOL.

6. Cucumber yogurt salad

Chicken Sausage and Cucumber yogurt salad; this combination offers a balance of smoky, savory dish and a cool, tangy flavor. If you use whole milk Greek yogurt instead of the normal one, the texture will improve to thick and creamy. 

7. Applesauce

If you have kids, this one is a must-try. Simply peel and chop apples before boiling them. The remainder is in your hands. Smash them for a chunky sauce, or blend for a smoother consistency. The side dish name is applesauce. 

Chicken Andouille Sausage – Substitution

If you are looking for something different or the chicken is not preferable to you, you can pick the following one:

Pork Andouille Sausage—it will provide a richer and more fatty flavor, and often more smokiness and spiciness. 

Chorizo Sausage—it comes with fresh, raw, and typically spicier than the chicken sausage. 

Spicy Italian Sausage—while the flavor is quite different, it can provide a good amount of heat and is a suitable substitute in terms of texture and flavor with the chicken sausage.

Beef Sausage—its spicy level with a smoky, fatty flavor can beat your chicken Andouille Sausage. 

Turkey Andouille Sausage—it is similar to the chicken Andouille and quite thinner than the pork or even chicken sausage. 

Vegan Substitution

Instead of pork/chicken/turkey/beef, if a vegan option is your final choice, you can use tofu and mushrooms. Marinate with them with Cajun spices to get the best result.

Final opinion!

Here you go! Just now, I’ve shared a detailed homemade Chicken Andouille Sausage recipe with a vast amount of preparation, tips & tricks, and substitutions. Match the nutritional facts to your needs and make it your home by using simple ingredients and equipment. 

Andouille Sausage is best with pork, but the chicken one is not bad. Try once and you surely love it. Don’t forget to tell your experience with us. Your feedback, our motivation!