Mother Nature is the most reliable force in the universe. Every September in New England, like clockwork, she turns off the heat and humidity and replaces it with a nip of cool air. Then, as if sensing our disappointment at having to bid farewell to summer, she tries to make it up to us. What’s our consolation prize? Glorious autumn days surrounded by leaves in all shades of golden, and the unforgettable sights and scents of apples, cranberries, and pumpkins. They are the welcome harbingers of winter that make thoughts of snow, ice, and bitter cold temperatures just a bit more bearable. Yes, fall is in the air. Pumpkins line the farm stands, half peck bags of apples are appearing in the grocery store, and the cranberry harvest is in full swing. I hope you’re finding ways to cook and enjoy all the incredible food this time of year has to offer!
I just posted a recipe for Maple Glazed Pumpkin Seeds the other day and wanted to continue the fall theme so for today’s post I decided on a dish that has been a favorite in our home for a very long time – Cranberry Apple Chicken Sausage Patties. These savory sausage patties are full of flavors not normally found in sausage except for one – fennel seed. Fennel seed is a key ingredient in many types of sausage and there is quite a lot of fennel seed in this recipe. Fennel is a strong herb – people tend to either love it or hate it so if you’re not a fan just leave it out – the patties will still taste delicious.
Cranberry Apple Chicken Sausage Patties brown up nicely as long as you flip them over halfway during the cooking time . (I love how you can see the apples, cranberries, and fennel seed peeking out of these patties!)
Cranberry Apple Chicken Sausage Patties are great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can throw them on top of a salad, eat them alongside an omelette, or put them in between two slices of bread with the condiment of your choice to make a fantastic sandwich.
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 Tablespoons fennel seed
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add apple and onion and gently sauté for 5 minutes to soften. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Shape into 16 patties using 1½ ounce ice cream scoop to portion the mixture.
- Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan and bake on the bottom rack for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven flip each patty over. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Makes 16 patties approximately 1 ½ ounces each. 1 serving = 2 patties.
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Love the sound of these tsty chicken patties, my kids would love them too!
Hi Camilla, yes, kids love these. I should have mentioned that in the post. My kids are grown now and live on their own but my younger daughter still asks me to make these when she comes home to visit!
I could so totally see bringing these to a potluck sometime this fall. The burst of cranberry is so unexpected that I think it would be a pleasant surprise for your mouth.
These patties are indeed great for potlucks as they taste delicious hot or cold. And you are right – the cranberry does give these a great burst of flavor. Dried blueberries are good too as apples and blueberry is another fantastic combination of flavors.
These look so moist and delicious! I love the combo of cranberry + apples and could definitely see this being a delicious breakfast sausage! Or breakfast for dinner ;).