One Pot Chicken and Stuffing with Sausage

A take on traditional stuffed chicken, our One Pot Chicken and Stuffing with Sausage is crisp, moist and the perfect holiday dish for those times you don’t want to prepare a full on holiday meal. 

For us, the holiday season doesn’t officially begin until American Thanksgiving. Not because we participate in a second Thanksgiving, but because the Lion’s Club on Queen St. East in Toronto doesn’t start selling real Christmas trees until then, and it’s been a tradition of Philip’s to get his tree from here since he first moved to Toronto.

Coincidentally, the week leading up to us getting a tree is filled with anticipation and excitement (it also means Christmas movies and music officially enter our home) and so what better way to honour the week than with a quick and easy One Pot Chicken and Sausage Thanksgiving-esque dish. Skipping the process of actually stuffing the bird, our One Pot Chicken and Stuffing dish takes less than an hour for a take on traditional Thanksgiving favourites.

What we love about this dish aside from the delicious holiday aroma is the preparation and accessibility of this chicken and stuffing dish. While traditional holiday meals leave your kitchen in a chaotic mix of bowls, pots and baking trays, our One Skillet Chicken and Stuffing literally uses one pot to crisp the chicken, make the sausage and bake. Plus, your dish can go from stove to oven to table to refrigerator – not something you can say with a stuffed chicken.

A take on traditional stuffed chicken, our One Pot Chicken and Stuffing with Sausage is crisp, moist and the perfect holiday dish for those times you don’t want to prepare a full on holiday meal. Made with sausage, mushrooms and celery, our stuffing is hearty and moist, plus has the ability to get a few crispy bits from not being stuffed and steamed in the chicken.

How to Make One Pot Chicken and Stuffing

Toast the Bread

Preheat your oven to 350°. Cut your bread into half inch cubes and arrange on a baking sheet. Toast the bread in the oven for 10 minutes, tossing them about halfway through. One the bread cubes are lightly toasted, dump them into a large bowl.

Crisp the Chicken Skin

Season the chicken with a good sprinkling of salt and pepper on both sides. Arrange the chicken, skin side down, in a large dutch oven, braiser, or skillet. Place on medium-high heat and cook until the skin is crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook an additional minute. Place the chicken on a plate. (The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through as it will finish cooking in the oven.)

Brown the Sausage

Using the same pot as the chicken, add the sausage meat in chunks. Cook for 3 minutes, until it begins to brown, then turn the sausage and break it up into bite-sized pieces. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until browned and add the sausage, with it’s juices to the bowl with the bread cubes.

Cook the Vegetables

Again, using the same pot as the sausage, melt two tablespoons of butter. Add the onions and celery, and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and quartered mushrooms and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Add the vegetables to the bowl with the stuffing.

Make the Stuffing and Bake

To finish making the stuffing, add the chopped sage, fennel seeds and chicken stock. Stir to the stuffing to combine, ensuring all the bread gets soaked with liquid. Dump the stuffing back into your pan and arrange the chicken thighs on top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the stuffing begins to crisp on top and the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with fresh parsley.

One Pot Chicken and Stuffing with Sausage

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

A take on traditional stuffed chicken, our One Pot Chicken and Stuffing with Sausage is crisp, moist and the perfect holiday dish for those times you don’t want to prepare a full on holiday meal. 

• Author: Chef Sous Chef
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Food and Drink, Main
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: North American

Ingredients

• 6 boneless, skin on chicken thighs
• 8 thick slices of bread, cubed (8 cups)
• 3 Italian sausages, casing removed
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 200g cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 tbsp chopped sage
• 2 tsp fennel seed
• 1 cup chicken stock
• salt + pepper

Instructions

No. 1 | Preheat oven to 350°. Arrange the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, tossing about halfway through. Place the toasted bread cubes in a large bowl.

No. 2 | Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the thighs, skin side down in a French oven, braises, or large skillet. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the chicken skin is browned and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook an additional minute. Remove the chicken and place on a plate. The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through, as it will finish baking in the oven.

No. 3 | Using the same pot as the chicken, add the sausage meat in golf ball sized chunks. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn over and break up into small, bite-sized pieces. Cook and additional 2-3 minutes until browned and caramelized. Add the sausage, with its juices, to the bowl of bread cubes.

No. 4 | Again, using the same pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onions and celery, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms, then season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Once the vegetables have softened, remove the pot from the heat and add the vegetables to the bowl with the bread and sausage.

No. 5 | Add the chopped sage, fennel seeds and chicken stock to the bowl with the stuffing ingredients. Toss until everything is well combined and all the bread cubes are moist. Dump the stuffing back into the pot and spread it out evenly. Arrange the chicken thighs, skin side up, on top of the stuffing. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the stuffing begins to brown and crisp on top and the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Keywords: thanksgiving for two, sausage stuffing, chicken and stuffing