Easy Chicken Parmesan Sausage Bites, a quick and easy, skinny chicken parm appetizer recipe with chicken sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil! This low carb chicken appetizer with al fresco chicken sausage, is perfect for holiday entertaining!
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The holiday season is so busy isn’t it?! I always wish I had more time and I’m always looking for quick and easy appetizers that are perfect for entertaining this time of year. These Easy Chicken Parmesan Sausage Bites, with al fresco fully cooked chicken sausage, only take about 10 minutes to prep, and are ready in less than 20 minutes. So quick and easy that it makes the best snack and appetizer for entertaining!
You know how much I love easy appetizer recipes and easy drink recipes so when al fresco asked me to come up with a holiday inspired recipe, I knew a quick and easy appetizer recipe would be perfect. You can never have too many quick and easy appetizer recipes, right?
This sausage appetizer is a fun twist on chicken parm and with only 4 ingredients (plus toothpicks) and the prep time is quick! Like super duper quick! An easy chicken parmesan recipe without all the work of traditional chicken parm, yes please!
Prep time is so quick and easy that you could even have your kids make these Easy Chicken Parmesan Sausage Bites! So delegate this sausage appetizer recipe to your kids and give yourself more time to do something else. The best right?!
Before you can get started on this easy appetizer recipe, you’ll need to pick out a flavor of al fresco fully cooked chicken sausage. So many great varieties of al fresco chicken sausage to choose from including:
- Buffalo Style with Blue Cheese
- Roasted Garlic*
- Roasted Red Pepper & Asiago*
- Smoked Andouille
- Spicy Jalapeno
- Spinach & Feta*
- Sundried Tomato*
- Sweet & Smoky BBQ
- Sweet Apple
- Sweet Italian Style*
*Flavors that I think would work well for this particular recipe, but feel free to choose your favorite flavor!
If you’re wondering where to buy al fresco chicken sausage, check out the store locator for stores in your area.
al fresco fully cooked chicken sausage, is just as it says, fully cooked! No messy cooking or cleanup and the sausage just needs to be heated through which makes it perfect to use for quick and easy recipes like this one.
I love that al fresco fully cooked chicken sausage is 70% less fat and 30% less sodium than pork sausage and that it’s made with lean, skinless chicken meat. The sausage is also gluten-free and low carb (some flavors have more carbs than others so check the labels for specifics for each flavor) and the chicken sausage comes in a variety of delicious flavors.
One package of sausage (4 sausage links) will make 24 of these appetizers. You can use more than one package of chicken sausage, or do what I did, mix and match flavors! You can also easily make more or less sausage bites and adjust the recipe very easily whether you’re entertaining a few people or a house full.
To start these Easy Chicken Parmesan Sausage Bites, cut each link of al fresco sausage into 6 equal pieces. I think that’s the perfect bite-size but if you want something a little more hearty, you could cut each sausage link into 4, rather than 6. Place the sausage on a baking sheet.
Next, spoon a little tomato sauce on top of each piece of sausage. I used a homemade tomato sauce but you can use your favorite pasta or tomato sauce.
Once your tomato sauce is in place, top with a piece of mozzarella cheese. I used small fresh mozzarella cheese balls and cut each in half. You could also get a larger piece of fresh mozzarella and cut the cheese up into pieces. Or you can also use mozzarella cheese deli slices and cut into pieces to fit over the sausage.
Bake the sausage bites in the oven for about 7-8 minutes, but I would suggest checking on them every couple of minutes. If you cut the sausage into smaller or larger pieces or used a different type of cheese, the baking time may be a bit more or less.
The chicken sausage is already cooked, so you just want it warmed through and want the cheese warm and melted. Talk about easy chicken parm!
Remove the sausage bites from the oven and quickly place a fresh basil leaf on top of each and secure the whole sausage bite with a fun toothpick. You may need to fold the basil leaves a little to get them to fit over the sausage.
Serve these Easy Chicken Parmesan Sausage Bites immediately while they’re still warm.
How easy was that?! Quick chicken parm, can’t beat that!
Like I said, these Sausage Bites come together so quick and so easy to make that they are perfect for kids to make on their own.
These baked sausage bites are like low carb chicken parmesan all in one bite! So delicious! And also gluten-free and low-calorie chicken parmesan whether you’re on a diet or not.
Skinny chicken parm is definitely a good thing when there are so many cookies and treats around this time of year. Right?!
Happy Holidays my dear friends! Be sure to check out al fresco’s website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.
Hope you enjoy this Easy Chicken Parmesan Sausage Bites recipe!
Easy Chicken Parmesan Sausage Bites
Easy Chicken Parmesan Sausage Bites, quick low carb appetizer with chicken sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil!
Ingredients
- 1 (4 link) package al fresco fully cooked chicken sausage (see notes) each link cut into 6 equal pieces
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 12 small fresh mozzarella balls (or small cubes of mozzarella cheese) cut in half
- 24 small fresh basil leaves
- 24 toothpicks
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the cut pieces of all fresco chicken sausage on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Top each piece of sausage with about 1 teaspoon of tomato sauce.
Place a piece of mozzarella cheese on top.
Bake the sausage bites at 375 degrees F for about 7-8 minutes or until chicken sausage is warmed through and cheese has melted.
Place a basil leave on top of each chicken sausage bite and secure with a toothpick. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
SNAPPY TIPS: Use your favorite al fresco fully cooked chicken sausage for this recipe but some of the flavors I would recommend would be: Roasted Garlic, Roasted Pepper & Asiago, Spinach & Feta, Sundried Tomato, and Sweet Italian Style.
SNAPPY SUBSTITUTIONS: Instead of fresh mozzarella, you can use mozzarella slices from your deli. Just be sure to cut into small squares or cubes to fit on top of the sausage. You may also need to adjust baking time for different types of cheese.
Looking for other quick and easy appetizer recipes? Check out my Rosemary, Lemon, & Feta Spread that is always popular! These Seared Sesame Tuna Bites (Sprinkles and Sprouts) and Mini Candied Pecan Cranberry Goat Cheese Balls (Peas and Crayons) also look quick and easy!
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings says
This is such a creative idea! I mean who doesn’t love chicken parm? I am so making this for my holiday party. Thanks for the great idea.
Lisa Bryan says
Love how simple these look – but still so tasty!
Hannah says
This is so easy, yet looks so extraordinary! I would serve this bites to my guests anytime! :)
Julia says
I love easy recipes like this. Just perfect for entertaining in december. The sausages look delicious. I like that you can actually see the herbs in them!
Cindy @ The Sweet Nerd says
These hit all the key elements to a great app: healthy! easy! bite-size! Thanks for the great idea – definitely making it this season.