Chicken Sausage, Peppers & Onions

Many of my friends love sausage, peppers and onions, traditional big sandwich street food served on a long roll and always super flavorful, but kind of messy. Because of this craving, I have begun serving it for dinner as a hearty, but lighter fare meal. A quick, flavorful dish that takes about 15-20 minutes to make and all the mess is left for the streets. Serves 2.

Ingredients:

Chicken sausage, 6 links, sweet or spicy flavor (I prefer spicy)

Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp

Red onion, 1 medium, julienned

Red bell pepper, 1 medium, seeds removed, julienned

Yellow bell pepper, 1 medium, seeds removed, julienned

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Secrets:

-I like chicken sausage in a quick recipe like this. Why? Because they are healthier, easier to cook (almost always heat and eat) you can eat the casing, and they make this recipe go that much quicker. If all else fails, you can always put it in the microwave!

-I use Trader Joe’s chicken sausage personally, and I like either their Jalapeno or Sweet Apple flavors (which would be close to a hot Italian or a sweet). You can use hot and spicy or sweet Italian sausage links, but it takes longer to cook and involves more work in the end, but yes I know it is a bit of a different flavor.

-For the bell peppers, you can pick up a bag of frozen mixed peppers and substitute that in instead of fresh. They work just as well. I even flash freeze my own peppers and use it myself.

-If you are using spicy chicken sausage, red onion works better as the sweetness complements the spicy notes. If you are using sweet chicken sausage, I would swap the red onion for a yellow onion instead and saute it instead of caramelizing it.

-This can also be served with rice if you want a starch with it.

Preparation:

1. Place the first 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a medium skillet or saute pan and place over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions.
2. Layer the onions slowly in the pan and sprinkle each layer with a little bit of salt and pepper. (Not too much because you want to season in layers and taste as you go!) Build each layer up in the pan until complete. Leave it be and do not touch!
3. While the onions are cooking, grab another medium pan and add the remaining olive oil and place over high heat.
4. Saute the bell peppers together and season with salt and pepper.
5. Give the onions a stir, scooping from the bottom to the top and fold the new onions onto the bottom of the pan. Again, leave it be and do not touch.
6. Finish cooking the peppers until soft, but tender and slightly darkened skin and remove from the pan. Place peppers on the side and return the pan to the heat.
7. Add the chicken sausages to the pan and cook until heated through, giving them a turn every minute or so to ensure a crisp skin on the outside.
8. When the onions are complete (they may need another turn or two), plate with the peppers and sliced chicken sausage.
9. Eat and enjoy!