Chicken Sausage and Herb Stuffing

If sausage stuffing is a must on your Thanksgiving table, this recipe will not dissappoint! Lean chicken sausage is combined with celery, onion and fresh herbs to create a great tasting stuffing you won't believe is light.

I used one of my favorite lean sweet Italian chicken sausages from my local butcher, but it's hard to say what the nutritional info is without a label, so I've been using Isernio's as a guesstimate. If you follow Weight Watchers, you are saving 2 points by swapping pork sausage for lean chicken sausage and I bet no one would know the difference. I like using french bread since it's naturally fat-free and makes a great stuffing. A whole wheat loaf would also be great if you can find one.

You can make this the night before, and bake it before you are ready to serve. Leftovers should be good for about 3 days.

I ordered Williams-Sonoma turkey brine to test out on a young fresh turkey this week. Truth is we always go to my Mom's for Thanksgiving and she always makes the turkey, so I don't have too much experience with making a whole turkey. My girlfriend, a culinary school graduate, swears by Williams-Sonoma turkey brine and I've read that a brine bath ensures the most juiciest, succulent turkey, so I will let you know how it goes! I think I will be sick of Thanksgiving before it arrives this year :)

Chicken Sausage and Herb Stuffing

Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 3/4 cup • Old Points: 3 pt • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 136.2 • Fat: 6.4 g • Carbs: 31.4 • Fiber: 1.7 • Protein: 3.5 g • Sugar: 20.7
Sodium: 143.1 mg 


Ingredients:

• 14 oz French bread, crusts removed (weight after crust is removed)
• 2 tbsp light butter (Land O Lakes)
• 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
• 1 3/4 cups (about 4 stalks) diced celery
• 13.2 oz fresh Italian chicken sausage, casing removed (Isernio's)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 3 1/4 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• cooking spray

Directions:

Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread the bread out on a baking sheet and let it dry overnight - OR - place the baking sheet in a 350°F oven and bake about 20 minutes, or until the bread is dried out. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

In the same pan over medium heat, cook the sausage, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the bowl with the onion/celery mixture.

Spray an oven proof baking dish with cooking spray (I use my misto)

Add the bread, sage and thyme to the bowl with the sausage/onion mixture and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth and stir to evenly coat the bread. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and stir to mix well.

Transfer to the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir. Continue baking until golden, about 35 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Makes about 9 cups.