Quick Answer: How To Tell If Chicken Sausage Is Cooked?
If chicken sausage has an internal temperature of 165 F then it is done and is safe to eat. You can also look for an all over brown color on the skin, and a firm texture.
Sausages are a quick go-to for meals, and are great for lunch and dinner, not just for breakfast. Hearing sausages sizzling in a frying pan is a sound that makes my mouth water!
What exactly is sausage made of? Sausages are made of minced meat.
They are often made of pork or beef, or a mix of the two, and can also be made from poultry like turkey or chicken. In most cases, the minced meat is stuffed into a casing.
There are many different kinds of sausages. Some of the best-known are Bratwurst, Bierwurst, kielbasa, breakfast, Italian, and chorizo.
Germany has a rich sausage heritage and there are actually hundreds of types of German sausage each with its unique flavor. Each specific German sausage often comes from a particular region in Germany.
Bierwurst, which resembles the standard wieners used for hot dogs in North America, has a strong garlic flavor and is dark red in color.
Polish sausage is also widely known. Kielbasa is a staple in Polish cuisine, and there are many, many different kinds of kielbasa with as many recipes as there are types of this sausage.
Italian sausage is popular as well, and can be purchased in mild, medium or hot.
Whatever sausage type you are fond of, it’s a good idea to know how to cook it well. In this article we focus on chicken sausages.
You will learn how easy it is to cook chicken sausage, and how to make sure it is cooked perfectly without any concern about the sausage not being done and potentially making someone ill.
How To Tell If Chicken Sausage Is Cooked Using A Meat Thermometer?
Using a meat thermometer takes all of the guesswork out of knowing when your chicken sausages are done. A meat thermometer is quick and easy to use and creates no mess at all.
Make sure that the meat thermometer does in fact read 165 F. If the chicken sausages are of a lower temperature then you risk food poisoning. 165 F is the temperature at which it is safe to eat chicken sausage.
Any degree less will not sufficiently kill potentially harmful bacteria, and it could make people sick.
If you allow the internal temperature of the chicken sausage to go above 165 F then you risk drying out the sausage and making it tough to chew.
A paper towel on the bottom of the plate will soak up grease from the sausages, and patting the top of the sausages with a second paper towel will soak up any excess grease from the top of the sausages.
Do not try to soak up all of the grease. You want a little on the sausages, but you do not want your chicken sausages to be dripping with grease.
When you discard the paper towel, remember to place it in the compost bin as paper towels are compostable.
Turning the sausages often will ensure more even cooking, and cooking the chicken sausages on medium heat means that they will cook slowly which will avoid over-cooking.
Make sure you use tongs to turn the sausages. If you use a fork you will pierce the skin and cause the juices to run out which will result in dry sausages.
RELATED: How To Cook Sausages In Your Oven
How To Tell If Chicken Sausage Is Cooked Without A Meat Thermometer?
Not everyone has a meat thermometer, however, as easy as a meat thermometer is to determine if your chicken sausages are done, there are some simple tests you can try that will tell you that your sausages are cooked through and are safe to eat.
Check out the chart, below, to see how you can apply some simple methods to know when your chicken sausage is ready to serve!
| Indicator | Description |
| Appearance | Chicken sausages that are cooked all the way through should be light brown in color. If you cut into a sausage, it should look light brown on the inside, and it should appear firm. |
| The Touch Test | If you cut a sausage and touch it with your finger it should feel firm, not fleshy. If it feels fleshy it is not done and needs to go back into the frying pan for another minute or two. |
| How It Moves | This one might sound a little weird but it is a bonafide test for doneness. Take a chicken sausage and hold it with the tongs. Then attempt to wiggle it back and forth. If it moves easily then it is not done, but if it stays fairly still, then that is a sign that the sausage is cooked. |
| Timing | Take note of when you start frying the sausages. Each side will take approximately 2-3 minutes. After 8 minutes check for doneness. If the chicken sausages are not done yet, then give them another minute, and then check again. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does The Flavor Of Chicken Sausages Compare With The Flavor Of Pork Or Beef Sausages?
Just as with sausages made from pork and beef, there are many different types of chicken sausages with a variety of flavors. Some chicken sausages may be sweeter while others may contain spicy flavors.
Chicken sausages can be a little drier than sausages made from pork or beef. To combat this issue, some people make their chicken sausages from the dark meat only which is less dry than the white meat.
The dark meat of a chicken comes from the thigh and the leg of the bird, and this has a higher fat content than the white meat which comes from the chicken breast.
Another way to make chicken sausages as fatty as pork or beef sausages is by adding a bit of lard. This will add moisture to the sausage.
How Healthy Are Chicken Sausages?
Sausages in general are not the healthiest of meats as they tend to contain a substantial amount of fat. Chicken sausages are healthier than pork or beef sausages due to their lower fat content.
A typical chicken sausage contains 70 calories with 65 percent protein and 30 percent fat. By comparison, a pork sausage is about 170 calories and is comprised of about 21 percent protein, and 79 percent fat.
What Is The Best Way To Eat Chicken Sausage?
Chicken sausage can be eaten on its own, or it can be sliced and used in a stir fry, casserole, or soup to name a few examples. They go very well with rice, pasta, or potatoes along with a silky chicken or turkey gravy.
Chicken sausages are wonderful with pancakes or with French toast for a tasty breakfast, or why not serve this meal for dinner? Sausages are so quick and easy, and so tasty as well.
Chicken sausage also makes a great hot dog!
Is It Still Okay To Eat Chicken Sausage If There Is Some Pink Inside?
A little bit of pink color on the inside of the chicken sausage does not necessarily indicate that the sausage is not cooked. It is best to check with a meat thermometer to be sure.
If you do not have a meat thermometer, then cooking the sausages for another minute or 2 will allow you to be certain that they are done.
Can Chicken Sausage Be Cooked In Ways Other Than Frying?
In this article, I highlight frying chicken sausage, but there are other ways to prepare chicken sausages that produce a great result.
Grilled
A grilled sausage gives a marvellous smokey taste to chicken sausage. Grill the sausage over medium heat and turn the sausage frequently to avoid the sausage being overcooked.
You are going for a brown color on the outside of the sausage, but remember that you want to cook the sausage slowly, so lower the heat if the sausages are getting too dark on the outside before being done on the inside.
A meat thermometer is a handy way to see if the sausages are ready to serve. You are looking for an internal temperature of 165 F.
Remove the sausages from the grill when they have reached 165 F, and put then in hot dog buns with mustard or a little barbeque sauce. Serve with potato salad for a quick and delicious summer meal.
Baked
Chicken sausages can also be baked in a 375 F oven. Simply spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, place the chicken sausages on the sheet, and bake for a total of 20 minutes.
Be sure to turn the sausages after 10 minutes to achieve even cooking. Use tongs so you don’t pierce the skin and lose the juices!
Check that the sausages are done with a meat thermometer, or if you do not have one, read the chart, above, for all of the information you need in order to tell when chicken sausages are done.
The great thing about baked chicken sausages is that they can quickly be turned into a whole meal on one baking sheet.
Just give your vegetables of choice a 20 minute head start at 400 F, and then add the chicken sausage for 20 more minutes, and voila, a great, tasty meal!
Boiled
Yet another way that chicken sausages can be cooked is by boiling them. Boiling has the advantage of not adding any calories to the sausages, and it really locks in the moisture.
However, you may also do a combination of boiling and then frying or grilling. This will reduce the time in the frying pan or on the grill.
Simply place the chicken sausages in a pot, and add enough water to come to about a ½ inch above the sausages. Put the lid on the pot, and bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for 10 minutes.
You will know that your sausages are cooked when you are able to put a fork into one easily.
At this point, you can go ahead and serve the chicken sausages, or if you want a brown color on the skin, pop them in a frying pan or on the grill for a few minutes.
If An Undercooked Chicken Sausage Is Eaten, What Might Happen?
An undercooked chicken sausage means it has not reached an internal temperature of 165 F, and this could result in food poisoning.
Salmonella, a bacteria that occurs in undercooked meat, can bring a number of unpleasant symptoms such as stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, or even fever and chills. It is common for symptoms to last a week.
How To Tell If Chicken Sausage Is Cooked Using A Meat Thermometer?
Chicken sausages are put in a frying pan with a little vegetable oil, and cooked over medium heat until they reach an internal temperature of 165 F.
Materials
- Vegetable oil
- Chicken sausages
Tools
- Frying pan
- Tongs
- Plate
- Paper towel
Instructions
- In a frying pan, put a small amount of vegetable oil, about 1 Tbsp.
- Over medium heat, let the oil heat up.
- Place the chicken sausages in the frying pan.
- Allow the sausages to cook on one side for about 2 minutes, then turn them using tongs so as not to pierce the sausages.
- Cook the chicken sausages on this side for 2 minutes.
- Continue turning and cooking the sausages until all four sides are a light brown color.
- Insert a meat thermometer into a sausage. If it reads 165 F, then the chicken sausages are done.
- Place a paper towel on a plate and, using the tongs, remove the chicken sausages from the frying pan and place them on the paper towel on the plate.
- With another paper towel, gently pat the top of the sausages.
- Discard this paper towel, and place the sausages on a new plate. Discard the bottom paper towel.
- Serve the sausages.
Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.
I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!
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