“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”
-Romans 12:9-11 NLT
Everyone makes their stuffing for the holidays different. I don’t believe there’s a wrong way to eat stuffing, whether it’s boxed stuffing, cornbread stuffing, or regular traditional white bread stuffing. But I will say this Herb Chicken Sausage Stuffing is a classic stuffing with a small twist on it with the chicken sausage. Try this for the upcoming holidays and see if your guests notice the difference.
Making stuffing from scratch using loaf bread like sourdough, Italian, or French bread is a game changer. I grew up on boxed stuffing so there’s no hate for those who use that, but if you’ve never made homemade stuffing it’s quite delicious. Cubing or pulling apart the bread and baking it low and slow for a few minutes so it can dry out a little. I’ve even made this recipe a day or two before preparing the stuffing recipe and allowing the bread to dry out during the day.
I take this dish up a notch by incorporating savory chicken sausage. Sauté the seasoned ground chicken until browned and combine it with sautéed onions, celery, and garlic. Then combining everything together by tossing the toasted bread cubes, fresh or dried herbs, and a rich chicken broth. And once it’s baked until golden on top with a soft, fluffy center, it’s ready to be enjoyed. This stuffing is deeply comforting, aromatic, and perfect for holiday meals or as a flavorful side any time of year.
Herb & Chicken Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 300℉.
- Start by cubing or pulling apart your loaves of bread into 1 inch cubes.
- Toss bread with olive oil, salt, and pepper and layer on sheet tray.
- Toast the bread in the oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring once, until dry and lightly golden.
- Set bread aside and let cool.
- Bring oven temperature up to 350℉.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the ground chicken, seasoning salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Saute for 6-8 minutes until chicken is browned and fully cooked. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the butter with the diced onion and celery and cook on medium low heat. Cook until vegetables are translucent stirring occasionally.
- Add minced garlic, thyme, sage, oregano, poultry seasoning, and salt to the vegetables. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, toss together dried bread and herb vegetable mixture until evenly combined.
- Pour in 1½ cups of chicken broth and stir. Add in beaten egg and more chicken broth if stuffing is too dry. Stir until mixture is evenly combined.
- Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and add in all the stuffing.
- Add in the cooked chicken sausage and chopped parsley to casserole dish and combine with stuffing.
- Cover stuffing with foil and bake at 350℉ for 20-25 minutes covered, then remove foil and bake for 15-20 minutes uncovered.
- Stuffing should be golden, crisp, and fragrant when removed from oven. Serve warm.
