Gwynedd Stuart
The best chicken sausage truly rivals the best pork sausage in terms of snap, juiciness, and flavor—and it’s generally lower in fat and calories, which is good for people who are keeping an eye on those things. That said, there’s some pretty damn indulgent chicken sausage out there. Spoiler: You’re gonna find a lot of cheese-stuffed chicken sausage on this list.
In our two separate taste tests, we were looking for chicken sausage that satisfies like pork sausage. Chicken sausage shouldn’t be dry just because it’s made with less fatty meat. It should be juicy and have a loose ground like it came from the butcher shop, not the hot dog factory. (In case you were wondering, we cooked all of these in our countertop oven and they cooked up great, no flame needed.)
After a few years here at Sporked, I like to think that I’ve gotten pretty good at predicting what people will yell at me about. In this case, I suspect it will be that most of the best chicken sausages we found come in pork casings. I know. If you don’t eat pork, that’s annoying! But a pork casing contributes major snap and keeps the sausage super juicy. I don’t make the sausage rules; I just play by the sausage rules. Anyway, we included a couple of varieties that don’t come in pork casings so you still have options.
Whether you’re looking for the best Italian chicken sausage for a sausage and peppers hoagie, e or the best chicken apple sausage to toss on the grill this summer, or the best chicken breakfast sausage, we found the best tasting chicken sausage at the grocery store. (Don’t see a sausage you’re into on this list? Check out our full roundup of the best sausage we’ve found in our taste tests.)
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- Trader Joe’s Sweet Italian Style Chicken Sausage
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As I warned, most of the best chicken sausage we taste tested comes in a pork casing. A pork casing gives the sausages snap so they aren’t just glorified chicken hot dogs. But I wanted to give people one casing free option, and this is it (and, yeah, it is a bit like a glorified hot dog). This is a majorly versatile sausage. It has sweetness from the bell peppers and enough fennel flavor that it reads as Italian sausage. These are good! This isn’t the best Italian chicken sausage you’ll find on this list, but if you won’t do pig byproducts, buy these Trader Joe’s chicken sausages.
Credit: Merc
- Bettergoods Chicken & Maple Breakfast Sausage Links
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Okay, hear me out. When you first take a bite of one of these chicken breakfast sausage links you might be like, wow, these are way too sweet. But keep eating. G’head, take another bite, because they’re also highly peppery and very savory in a way that complements the sweet maple flavor. They taste like breakfast in a tube. The loose ground of the meat is nice, too—I wouldn’t really think about the fact that they are chicken sausages because they have so many other flavors. You have to like maple, that’s for sure, but they’re good! And they’re from Walmart, so they’re cheap. Another Bettergoods product we really like!
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Aidells Italian Style with Mozzarella Cheese
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Hey, look, more of the best Italian chicken sausage. Aidells is probably the best known purveyor of chicken sausage, so I’m pleased to report that most of their chicken sausages are extremely delicious, including these mozzarella cheese-stuffed Italian guys. These are made with smoked chicken, which gives them a porkier flavor. The cheese isn’t super oozy, but it definitely contributes to the overall juiciness and savory flavor. Toss these with some marinara sauce and pasta, and that’s dinner.
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- Aidells Pineapple Bacon
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The experience of eating these chicken sausages is like eating a glazed pork loin. Yes, these do contain bacon (so if that’s a dealbreaker, consider the deal broken), but it’s still unreal that these are made of chicken at all. You get a little bit of sweetness from the pineapple, and you can see the bacon in the mix, too. These chicken sausages are super savory and smoky, but also not too salty, either. The bacon doesn’t make these a total sodium bomb. The flavor is nuanced and wonderful. Need a less porky option at the pig roast? These are the best chicken sausages to buy.
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- The Sausage Project Melty Cheddar Chicken Sausage
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I think calling these “melty cheddar” sausages is a little bit misleading because the cheese in these meat tubes tastes like straight-up American cheese (positive). Granted, the cheese is somewhat unevenly distributed. I was FREAKING OUT about how much cheese was in our first couple of bites, but then it kind of petered out. Also, our intern thought they were too salty. But my colleague Justine Sterling and I really loved them. They’re bringing big hot dog vibes, but, wow, would they be good topped with some creamy, mildly sweet coleslaw. They’re juicy and have great snap—the ground isn’t exactly butcher shop quality, but I think that’s okay for this sort of sausage. Especially chicken sausage. And yeah, I’m sorry, they are made with pork intestines, but they’re among the best chicken sausages if you love cheese.
Credit: Liv Averett / Raley’s
- Trader Joe’s Smoked Apple Chardonnay
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I’m not totally sure why chicken apple sausage is a thing. My guess would be that the apple contributes some moisture, but very few of the chicken sausages we tried were lacking in that department, so the apple just made them weirdly sweet to me. Who wants sweet sausage? That said, if this flavor profile is your thing, Trader Joe’s definitely makes the best chicken apple sausage you can buy. You get a little bit of sweetness and some nice added texture from the apple. There’s a good smoke flavor to complement the touch of sweetness, almost like you get from good St. Louis BBQ, and the Chardonnay gives this sausage a very nice backbone of flavor. Don’t get stuck with a package of too-sweet chicken apple sausages; buy these instead.
Credit: Merc
- Good & Gather Jalapeño Cheddar
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I love the real jalapeño flavor in these Target brand chicken sausages. Could they use a little more heat? Sure, but I also love that they aren’t just for people who like spice. Anyone can enjoy these, and that’s part of what makes them some of the best chicken sausages. But if you’re a spice freak, you’re gonna want to add some hot sauce to your bun. No biggie! These would taste great with a splash of green Tabasco (our favorite green hot sauce) or another jalapeño-based sauce. But heat aside, the jalapeño flavor is this sausage’s strong suit—the cheddar is nice and creamy, too, not watery like it is in some stuffed sausages. My only problem with these is that the casings (pork casings) are very tough. I think cooking them on a grill over very high heat would help.
Credit: Merc / Target
- Aidells Roasted Garlic and Gruyere Chicken Sausage
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Holy miss moly, did I find the best chicken sausage for garlic lovers, or what? Spoiler: The #1 best chicken sausages on this list are also garlic flavored, and they’re great, but they don’t bring the garlic like these. These chicken sausages don’t have an astringent raw garlic flavor, but rather a really fantastic roasted garlic flavor that’s mellowed out just a little bit by the creamy cheese, which is ample. I kid you not, when I cut into one of these in our office kitchen, juice spurted onto the wall. Like Aidells’ other chicken sausages, these have a pork casing, so they’re super snappy and fun to eat. To hell with your breath—if you love garlic, buy these chicken sausages, asap.
Credit: Merc
- Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar Chicken Sausage
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As my colleague Ariana Losch said when she took a bite of this Trader Joe’s chicken sausage, “This sausage is creamy, which is a disgusting way to describe sausage, but it’s true.” If you want a stuffed sausage that’s really cheesy, this is the best chicken sausage. First of all, Unexpected Cheddar is great. We love it. It’s one of the best cheddar cheeses you can buy. If you’re not familiar, it’s a flavorful blend of cheddar and parmesan, and it really works inside a sausage. Okay, fine. Gun to head, I don’t know if I would have identified the cheese inside these sausages as Unexpected Cheddar, but it doesn’t matter when a sausage is this good. They’re savory, a touch smoky, and loosely ground, like butcher shop sausages. This is the best chicken sausage for cheese lovers.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage
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This isn’t just the best Italian chicken sausage, it’s some of the best Italian sausage, period. Trader Joe’s Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage took the #2 spot on our list of the best Italian sausage—and that really speaks highly of a chicken sausage. These sausages are fat and juicy, and they come raw rather than cooked, so they have real butcher shop flavor and texture. Yes, they have pork casings, but this is the best Italian sausage to squish out of the casing and crumble in a skillet to put on pizza or to incorporate into homemade meatballs.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Trader Joe’s Garlic Herb Chicken Sausage
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I really couldn’t shut up about how much I love this Trader Joe’s chicken sausage. Honestly, there is no sausage—chicken, pork, or otherwise—that I would rather eat. Like most of the other chicken sausages on this list, they come in natural pork casings, but these even have those little twisty ends and look loosely packed inside, like real butcher shop sausages. They’re not super garlicky (if you want super garlicky sausage, see #4), but they’re so, so savory. The herb flavor is fantastic and fresh—you don’t get that stale dried herb flavor. Just fresh herbs like parsley, basil, and oregano. The sausages have a bit of smoke, too. If the package didn’t say these were chicken sausages, I would never have known. These are the best chicken sausages for pork sausage lovers, and the best chicken sausages, period.
Credit: Merc
Best No Casing
Best Chicken Breakfast Sausage
Best Italian Runner-Up
Best with Pork
Best Cheese Stuffed Chicken Sausage (Runner-Up)
Best Chicken Apple Sausage
Best Pepper Flavor
Best Garlic Sausage
Best Cheese Stuffed Chicken Sausage
Best Italian Chicken Sausage
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Good & Gather Apple & Gouda, Gilbert’s Smoked Gouda, Marketside Apple Chicken, Marketside Chipotle Monterey Jack, Simple Truth Spinach Gruyere, Gilbert’s Aloha, Aidells Chicken and Apple, Aidells Chicken Chorizo, Aidells Korean BBQ Flavored Chicken Sausage, Applegate Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausage, Jones Chicken Breakfast Sausage
Ariana Losch
Luke Field
