Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes Recipe | Grilling

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated April 10, 2025

Each week Joshua Bousel drops by with a recipe for you to grill over the weekend. Fire it up, Joshua!

I'm a man of tradition. After adding meat grinding and sausage stuffing capabilities to my kitchen, a chicken-apple was the first type of sausage I made for my friend's first annual grilling birthday bash in Prospect Park. Ever since then, my friend has kept up her spring birthday picnic, and I've kept churning out a different chicken sausage each year, and now it doesn't feel like spring until this tradition has been fulfilled.

This year, however, was extra-special—my friend emerged from the long winter as both a doctor and carnivore, able to enjoy the chicken sausage with basil and tomato I cooked up. Although I had initial doubts about the rather small ratio of tomatoes and basil to the massive amounts of chicken, all the flavors came through perfectly in the end, making this fresh-tasting sausage a perfect fit for the beautiful spring party in the park.

Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes

Recipe Details

Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes Recipe | Grilling

Prep 40 mins
Cook 15 mins
Chilling Time 30 mins
Total 85 mins
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cubed

  • 1 1/2 ounces kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

  • 4 tablespoons tightly packed chopped fresh basil

  • 1/2 cup fresh diced Roma tomatoes

  • 1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, chilled

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/4 cup dry red wine, chilled

  • 10 feet hog casings, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 min and rinsed

Directions

  1. Combine the meat, salt, pepper, garlic, basil, and tomatoes and toss together until evenly mixed. Chill until ready to grind.

  2. Grind the mixture trough the small die into a bowl set in ice.

  3. Using the paddle attachment of a standing mixer, mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add the vinegar, oil, and wine, increase the speed to medium, and mix for 1 more minute, or until liquid is incorporated and the sausage has a uniform, sticky appearance.

  4. Fry a bite-sized portion of the sausage, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

  5. Stuff the sausage into the hog casings and twist into 6-inch links. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.

  6. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate. Grill the sausage over direct heat until cooked through, having an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
4910Calories
281gFat
17gCarbs
585gProtein
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Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories4910
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 281g360%
Saturated Fat 86g430%
Cholesterol 3459mg1,153%
Sodium 20571mg894%
Total Carbohydrate 17g6%
Dietary Fiber 4g14%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 585g
Vitamin C 24mg122%
Calcium 370mg28%
Iron 29mg161%
Potassium 7022mg149%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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