Chicken Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches
These healthier chicken sausage and egg freezer breakfast sandwiches are perfect for meal prep. Heat one up in the morning with your coffee, and you’re well on your way to break up with Starbucks.
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Welcome to my How to Breakup with Starbucks series, part 1! We’ve all been there. Running late in the morning and didn’t have time to make breakfast or coffee. What’s just one little stop at the coffee shop? Just this once, right? Well that one time can quickly snowball into once a week, or every day (yikes) and before you know it you’re spending HOW MUCH on coffee and breakfast every week!?
Last year (and all the years before that) I’ve spent way too much money at the coffee shop. It was quite shocking when I added it all up. Truth is, it’s way too easy to spend $5-10 a day on breakfast goodies and coffee. And while that isn’t the worst here or there, going daily can really add up. FYI, I did the math for you – spending $10 every weekday on breakfast and coffee is OVER TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS a year. Yep. That’s an extra mortgage payment, a downpayment on a car, or a nice little vacation. It’s time to breakup with Starbucks, folks.
Step one in severing the ties of this toxic relationship is being prepared. When you have breakfast ready to go in the morning, you’re more likely to grab that instead of picking up something on the run. Set yourself up for success and prepare some grab-and-go items ahead of time, starting with these chicken sausage freezer breakfast sandwiches!
Quick Tips
- Don’t skip the brown sugar. This will give the chicken that distinct breakfast sausage flavor, and also help to caramelize the chicken patties.
- You can also use this recipe for chicken breakfast sausage for bulk sausage instead of patties.
- Don’t worry about shaping the chicken into patties until you get it in the pan. Ground chicken can be more “wet” than ground beef and therefore harder to work with. Use a silicone spatula to shape the chicken into patties once it hits the pan.
- Use silicone ring molds to shape the eggs.
- Wrap with foil, then use that foil as a pan protector when re-heating in the toaster oven.
- Make a batch of these for meal prep and freeze for the week!
Equipment needed
- Mixing bowl – Medium size is fine. Must be big enough to mix 1 pound of ground chicken. The kind with silicone bottoms handle easier since the bottom won’t slip on the counter.
- Silicone spatula – For more than scraping bowls! A must have in my kitchen (much like silicone tongs). These spatulas are perfect for cooking since they can scrape the food off the pan easily but won’t scratch the non-stick surface.
- Food scale – Optional for this recipe, but very handy to have around. I like to weigh out my patties exactly so I know they are all the same size. (Where my perfectionists at??)
- Nonstick skillet – I love mine from Ikea. Super affordable and I feel like the nonstick surface lasts as long as the expensive brands.
- Silicone egg molds – I love these little guys for making perfect egg shapes to fit your english muffins.
- Toaster oven/toaster – I use my toaster oven all the time in place of a toaster, but it’s better because you can also heat up items that don’t fit into a toaster. Bonus, you don’t have to heat up your whole kitchen by turning on the oven.
- Aluminum foil – Wrap your sandwiches in foil to freeze, and use the foil to reheat them on in the toaster oven, then re-wrap and go!
Cooking tips
This is an easy recipe with pretty straightforward steps. Here are a few extra things to consider when making these chicken sausage and egg sandwiches. Read on for info about the sausage, and tips for making the eggs, overall assembly, and reheating.
About the sausage
I love a good breakfast sausage, and it is so much better when you make it from scratch. I Usually breakfast sausage gets its distinct flavor from brown sugar or maple syrup. This recipe uses brown sugar. If you want to substitute brown sugar for maple syrup, use 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of maple syrup in place of the 1.5 tablespoons of brown sugar. Besides adding flavor, the sugar is also important in this recipe to help brown the ground chicken patties. Ground chicken doesn’t get as browned or seared as pork or beef does, so the sugar helps caramelize the outside of the patties giving them a browned appearance (and adding extra flavor!)
Don’t forget to start with the best ingredients! I like using hormone and antibiotic free chicken fed with a vegetarian diet.
You can also cook this sausage as you would ground beef and use as crumbles in breakfast casseroles or omelettes.
If you want to, you can substitute Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage for this recipe, but I think making the breakfast sausage from scratch is so much better! This way you know exactly what is in it, with no preservatives.
How to cook the eggs
I suggest getting these silicone ring molds to make perfectly shaped eggs to fit your buns or english muffins. You can also use them for pancakes. If you don’t have these, you can try the ring lid of a mason jar.
For these breakfast sandwiches, I like to break the yolks and give them a gentle swirl for a poached/scrambled hybrid. To do this I spray the silicone molds with cooking spray (or you can rub them down with olive oil), and crack the egg directly into them on the pre-heated pan. Gently break the yolk with a fork and give it a swirl. This will help the eggs level out and put a little bit of yolk in each bite.
You can also scramble the eggs if you prefer them that way. Crack all the eggs into a mixing bowl and salt and pepper to taste. Pour equal amounts into the ring molds and cook halfway through, then flip.
How to assemble
Before assembling, let all the components cool down first. Layer the eggs, sausage, and a slice of cheese between the halves of the english muffin. Wrap tightly in foil, then put the sandwiches in a freezer ziploc bag to keep them extra fresh. If you plan on eating tomorrow or the next day, you can leave in the fridge, but any longer than that I would freeze them first.
Alternatively you can lay all components out on a baking sheet, and freeze first for an hour or two, then assemble the already frozen pieces. This way will help prevent all the pieces from sticking together when you go to reheat.
How to reheat
There is no need to defrost these ahead of time when you are ready to eat. I like to disassemble the frozen pieces and lay them flat on the toaster oven tray. Make sure the cheese is on top the english muffin, eggs, or sausage or it will melt all over your pan. I bake in the toaster oven for 5-10 minutes until everything is warmed throughout. Then reassemble and you are ready to eat!
If you have trouble getting the frozen pieces apart to reheat, you can pop the whole sandwich in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until they loosen up.
You can also reheat in the microwave, but I prefer the overall texture when I reheat in the toaster oven. The microwave can make the bread too hard and the eggs rubbery.
FAQs
Can you make these ahead of time and freeze?
Absolutely! These are amazing as freezer breakfast sandwiches. You can meal prep these for the week, and they reheat beautifully in the toaster oven after freezing.
Can you substitute the chicken for pork in the breakfast sausage?
I like using chicken in this recipe because it makes the sandwiches a little healthier, but you can also substitute for ground pork as well.
What kind of cheese goes on a breakfast sandwich?
I like to use cheddar on these, but really use what you love! Colby Jack is another favorite. Pepperjack would also be a good option if you want a bit of spice.
What about a sauce for these?
If you know me then you know I looove my sauces. If you’re the kind of person who needs a sauce on everything, spicy mayo is great on these! Mix 1 part sriracha to 3 parts mayo. Add the sauce right before serving, and don’t freeze the sandwiches with the sauce.
Any other questions? Please let me know in the comments or shoot me an email. I’d love to help you out!
Check out part 2 of How to Breakup with Starbucks – Sous Vide Bacon and Gruyere Egg Bites
Related Recipes
While you’re working on your breakfast meal prep for the week, might as well get lunch and dinner covered too!
How to cook perfect juicy chicken breasts every time
Chicken Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 6 English muffins
- 6 slices of your favorite cheese I use cheddar
- 6 eggs
- Salt and pepper for eggs
- Cooking spray/olive oil
Instructions
- MIX: Mix all seasonings together, then mix in ground chicken. Don’t overwork. Portion out 6 patties of equal size* into roughly shaped balls (They don’t need to be perfect, we will be shaping in the pan).
- COOK the SAUSAGE: In a preheated skillet with oil, place chicken patty in the skillet. Use a silicone spatula to gently shape into a patty the size of your english muffins. Work in batches if needed. Cook each patty about 5 minutes on each side, until cooked throughout, and some browning has developed. Set the sausage patties aside.
- COOK the EGGS: Put the silicone egg molds in a pre-heated nonstick skillet, and spray with cooking spray or rub with oil. Crack an egg into each mold, and gently break the yolk and swirl with a fork**. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook most of the way through, then flip and cook until just set. Set eggs aside.
- TOAST: Lightly toast the english muffins*** and set aside.
- ASSEMBLE: Once all parts have cooled, assemble each sandwich with the english muffin, egg, sausage patty and cheese. Wrap tightly in foil, and put in a freezer bag.
- SERVE: When you are ready to serve, unwrap and gently break apart the components****, and put in a toaster oven for about 10 minutes until heated throughout.
