How to cook chicken sausage: quick and easy

You can cook chicken sausage in many different ways: in a pan on the stovetop, in the oven, in an air fryer, or on a grill. They are versatile and straightforward to cook. They come in many different flavors and are tasty if not overcooked.

In this article, I’ll show you how to cook chicken sausage using four different cooking methods. At the end of the article, you’ll find the chicken temperature chart and cooking times. After all, it’s important not to overcook them because dry sausages are not nearly as tasty and moist as ones cooked correctly

How to cook chicken sausage: 4 different cooking methods

• Cooking chicken sausage in a pan
• Cooking chicken sausage in the oven
• Cooking chicken sausage in an air fryer
• Cooking chicken sausage on a grill

Chicken sausages are easy to cook no matter which ones you choose – pre-cooked or raw sausages. Below I’ll show you how to cook them as a pro chef, making them juicy, tender, and crispy on the outside. So make sure to follow cooking instructions carefully since they are packed with valuable tips:

How to cook chicken sausage on the stove?

Here’s how to cook chicken sausage on the stove step-by-step:

1. Bring chicken sausage to room temperature. It doesn’t matter if it’s raw or pre-cooked chicken sausage; bringing them to room temperature will allow them to cook evenly throughout and much quicker;
2. Remove excess moisture. Remove as much moisture from the sausage exterior as possible using a paper towel. Dry sausages will develop a crispy crust on the surface when searing them;
3. Preheat the frying pan. Place pan on a stovetop over medium-high heat. Pan should be hot enough to sear chicken sausages (400 degrees Fahrenheit);
4. Cook chicken sausage. Pour a few tablespoons of neutral oil into the pan. Place sausages gently into the pan and sear them until a golden brown crust forms. Once chicken sausages are golden brown, turn the heat to medium and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes, depending on which type of sausages you use: pre-cooked or raw. Use a meat thermometer to check the sausage’s internal temp. While sausages are cooking, add kosher salt to taste.

How to cook chicken sausage in the oven?

Here’s how to cook chicken sausage in the oven step-by-step:

1. Bring chicken sausage to room temp. It’ll allow sausages to cook quicker and evenly throughout;
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If your sausages are thick, then preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit however, for most chicken sausages, 400° Fahrenheit is the optimal temperature allowing them to cook fast and develop a golden brown crust;
3. Pat chicken sausage dry. Remove moisture from the sausage exterior using a paper towel. A dry exterior is better for developing a golden brown crust;
4. Bake chicken sausage. Place chicken sausages on a baking sheet and cover them with light olive oil. Add a bit of kosher salt to taste and slide the baking sheet onto a middle rack. Bake for 18-22 minutes, depending on sausage thickness. Halfway through cooking, turn sausages using tongs. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat.

How to cook chicken sausage in an air fryer?

Here’s how to cook chicken sausage in an air fryer step-by-step:

1. Bring chicken sausages to room temperature for at least 20-30 minutes before cooking them. It’ll allow sausages to cook evenly throughout;
2. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit;
3. Remove moisture from the sausage exterior using a paper towel. When sausages are dry, rub them with light olive oil;
4. Put sausages into an air fryer basket. Make sure they are not touching each other. There should be enough space for air to circulate through the meat. Cook sausages for 8-10 minutes. Check on them occasionally and turn them if necessary. Using a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature not to overcook them.

Note: For air fryer chicken sausage, you can use cooking spray to coat the air fryer basket. It’ll prevent it from sticking. Otherwise, rubbing them with light olive oil is necessary.

How to grill chicken sausages?

Here’s how to grill chicken sausages step-by-step:

1. Bring chicken sausage to room temperature for at least 20-30 minutes before grilling them. It’ll allow you to cook them evenly throughout;
2. Prepare the grill. Set grill for two-zone cooking: direct and indirect heat sides of the grill;
3. Pat sausages dry. Remove as much moisture from the sausage’s exterior as possible to get a nice crispy exterior. When sausages are dry, rub them with neutral or any other oil with a high smoke point;
4. Grill chicken sausages. Place sausages over the direct heat side of the grill and cook them for about a minute or two until golden brown crust forms. Move them to the indirect heat side of the grill and continue cooking. Remember to check the internal temperature of the meat—season sausages with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper for extra flavor.

Chicken sausage temperature chart

• Raw chicken sausage: 165 ° Fahrenheit;
• Pre-cooked chicken sausage: 165° Fahrenheit.

According to USDA safe cooking temperature for chicken meat and ground chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The same applies to pre-cooked chicken sausages. To track the internal temperature, use a meat thermometer.

How long does it take to cook chicken sausage?

• Cooking in the oven: 18-25 minutes, depending on the sausage thickness;
• Cooking in a pan: 8-10 minutes, depending on the sausage thickness;
• Cooking in the air fryer: 8-12 minutes, depending on the sausage thickness;
• Cooking on a grill: 8-12 minutes, depending on the sausage thickness;
• Cooking frozen chicken sausages: takes about 2,5 times longer to cook than raw or pre-cooked chicken sausages.

The cooking times above are only rough estimates. Many different factors should be considered before cooking. For example, was the oven preheated or not? Are you closing the lid of the grill when grilling? Do you cook frozen chicken sausage? Are your sausage pre-cooked or raw?

As you can see, many different factors should be taken into consideration. However, using a meat thermometer is best to avoid overcooking chicken sausages and tracking time more accurately.

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