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In my mind, the perfect breakfast has three things. First, it has eggs: maybe scrambled, maybe an omelet, maybe over easy. Second, it has a starch: possibly toast, or an English muffin, or hash browns.
And third? A meat. It could be bacon, or sausage, or even both.
The problem with the meats is that most breakfast meats are traditionally pork, which aren’t always the healthiest. Bacon, for example, may be very popular, but it is better as a moderation food. Sausage isn’t always great for you, either. What does that leave?
One option is chicken sausage. Chicken tends to be leaner and better for you than pork. For that reason, chicken may be a good alternative to pork for a breakfast meat.
We’ve seen chicken breakfast sausage at different grocers over the years, including, on occasion, at Aldi. We’ve also seen chicken sausage at Aldi’s distant cousin, Trader Joe’s, both in TJ’s premade breakfast burritos as well as in full patties.
We decided to try out the patties.
Trader Joe’s Chicken Breakfast Sausage Patties can be found in the store’s frozen section. They come in a 7.8-ounce bag of six patties and currently sell for $3.29. That comes out to 55 cents a patty or about 42 cents an ounce. That compares favorably to the 55 cents an ounce Walmart charges for its chicken breakfast patties. You can get pork patties for less, but so far as chicken goes, this seems to be a good price.
The TJ’s sausages are pretty simple: chicken, plus a little sea salt, vinegar powder, dried sage leaves, parsley, ground thyme, red chili pepper flakes, crushed red pepper, black pepper, ground clove, and rosemary extract. If you’re someone who likes recognizable ingredients, you’ll be at home here. Each two-patty serving has some fat (9g), saturated fat (2g), cholesterol (70mg), and sodium (390mg).
Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
The bag offers three cooking methods: stove top, microwave, or air fryer. These are pre-cooked, so you mostly just need to make sure they’re hot. To cook on the stovetop, preheat a non-stick skillet, then heat the sausage over medium heat, turning frequently for 5-7 minutes or until heated through. To microwave, place on a microwave-safe plate and heat on high heat for 45 to 55 seconds or until heated through. To air fry, preheat the air fryer to 325, then place patties in the basket and heat for 3 minutes or until heated through.
For this review, I went with the skillet method, which is what I frequently use to cook sausage patties.
My wife, upon trying these, said that they tasted like something she might get at Bob Evans. I would agree. They’re marvelously seasoned, with a rich flavor befitting all of the spices listed in the ingredients. They’re also mild in heat, for those wondering if they are spicy. The texture is consistent with other patties we’ve had, and we felt like it was just about right.
The Verdict:
We’re big fans of Trader Joe’s Chicken Breakfast Sausage Patties. They’re flavorful and easy to prepare. They’re also competitively priced compared to other stores, including Walmart. Definitely worth a look if you want chicken sausage patties.
