The Overly Sweet Trader Joe's Sausage To Avoid At All Costs

Trader Joe's is known for having inventive and addicting snacks, along with horrendous parking lots. Occasionally, those snacks don't hold up against each other. We taste-tested 11 of Trader Joe's sausages and found that one was lagging when compared against the others. According to our research, Trader Joe's Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausage was overtly sweet and didn't have the best texture either.

It should be noted that the flavor wasn't horrible. This is not a sausage you'd toss out solely based on its taste. However, when compared next to winners like Trader Joe's Hot Italian Sausage made with Pork, which took our number one spot, and Trader Joe's Sweet Italian Style Chicken Sausage, number two, it didn't pass muster. Another big drawback to the maple chicken breakfast sausage was its dryness. Of course, chicken meat is leaner, and therefore dries out faster in the cooking process, but it is healthier in the long run. But still, you want your sausages to have a nice, juicy snap to them, regardless of composition.

If you're already purchased the maple chicken breakfast sausage because you've already bought it, tried it, and didn't like it, do not worry or waste. We believe that any dish is salvageable, provided it's not moldy and these are no different. In fact, they're a great base to start with and only need a bit of seasoning and texture to help elevate these links into a household favorite. 

One issue that's easy to solve is the sweetness. By adding some cracked pepper, pickled jalapeno, or more savory flavoring agents, this dish will really shine. We recommend replacing the chicken apple sausage in this savory-sweet mac and cheese recipe with your chicken maple breakfast sausage to help solve for its sweetness and dryness.

Another recipe swap that would lend itself brilliantly is our chicken sausage and asparagus sheet pan dish. The herbes de Provence, along with the parmesan and cracked pepper will play nicely off the sweetness of the chicken sausage. Plus, it's a healthier alternative to bacon or other fattier meats typically served with asparagus. Overall, these breakfast links are not a lost cause, they just need a little extra help in the seasoning and flavoring departments.