Bilinski chicken sausage with spinach and fennel graces a plate of pasta.

Something To Cluck About:
Bilinski Chicken Sausage

One of our very favorite food finds seems just too simple, too “everyday,” to be a NIBBLE product of the week.  Still, we were ready to e-mail it as a NIBBLE selection a year and a half ago when the proprietor told us he was about to promote it on QVC. Hmm, we opined: what if our readers think THE NIBBLE trolls QVC to source products? So, we just kept eating the product ourselves, day after tasty day.

But we can’t deny NIBBLE readers a good thing; and there is no better chicken sausage (or, in our book, sausage in general) than Bilinski's Natural Chicken Sausage.  Not only does it taste great, it’s a true diet marvel at 70 calories¹ for a generous 2-ounce sausage. It’s also the most versatile food we’ve come across, adaptable to every occasion. We eat it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner; use it for snacks and hors d’oeuvres; for family, for parties; for highbrow occasions, in the backyard on the grill. They’re part of our Cabinet of Magic Tricks.  Plus, you need never run out, as they freeze beautifully and can be microwaved hot in a minute or two.               
¹Seven of the nine flavors are 70 calories; one is 80; and one is 90; all are low fat.

There are nine perfectly-seasoned flavors:

The company also makes an certified-organic line in Porcini Mushroom, Spinach & Feta, Sweet Apple and Sweet Italian.

We love them all, but our absolute favorite is the Bratwurst with Wild Rice: a gourmet’s delight and a flavor profile not commonly found in sausage. Wild rice is a treat at any time. Here, the combination of its crunchy texture and nutty flavor with soft chicken meat and bratwurst seasoning is a special experience. Spinach & Garlic is another favorite that’s just a tad different from what most brands offer up.

Apple Chardonnay also deserves a special shout-out: It has large chunks of sweet apples that complement not only breakfast foods, but a “mixed grill” dinner plate with heavier, spicier meats (we serve it with a pork chop and a spicier flavor of sausage to create a far more interesting entrée than chops alone).  Its perks up poultry stuffing, too.

Foodie fun with Bilinski’s Chicken Sausages: at breakfast, in a fajita, and much more exciting than any hot dog.

At the risk of making this our longest review ever by detailing every we use each flavor of sausage, we’ll offer a universal a “menu” and heartily recommend that you get the nine-pack and experiment to find your own favorites. 

• Breakfast: with eggs, pancakes and waffles.
• Lunch: sliced on a sandwich with Dijon or flavored mustard; sliced into a pasta salad or green salad; cut into chunks and added to soups.
• Dinner: as part of a mixed grill; to add dimension to stews; in rice and pasta dishes; or, as one of our favorite Nibblers prefers, “dipping-style“ with a selection of sauces—honey mustard, chipotle orange, horseradish, tarragon, or whatever matches your palate, mood, and the sausages at hand. 
• On the grill: in a bun instead of a frankfurter; cut-up as kabobs.
• Snacks: serve in chunks with tarragon or other flavored mustard (a great low-calorie, low-fat snack).
• Hors d’oeuvres: serve with fancy toothpicks and festive dipping sauces, or just plain Dijon mustard.

We cut the sausages into chunks and freeze them, to be microwaved in 40 seconds for a quick snack or most of the uses above.  The sausages are pre-cooked, so while you can brown them, all they require is warming.

If it hasn’t already crossed your mind, any of your meat-eating friends will be happy to receive a gift package of these.  Tie a ribbon around a few packages and bring them as a gift to a barbecue. Think of it as a more creative alternative to bringing a good bottle of wine.

Bon [saucisson] appetit!

— Karen Hochman
Updated October 2007

FORWARD THIS NIBBLE to your sausage-loving friends and to calorie-counters and low-fat foodies looking for a taste treat.

BILINSKI’S CHICKEN SAUSAGE

Apple Chardonnay, Cajun-Style Andouille,
Cilantro with Bell Peppers, Spicy Jalapeno,
Peppers & Onions, Pesto Romano, Spinach
& Garlic, Sun-Dried Tomato and Wild Rice Bratwurst

• 4 Packages (6 Sausages Each, 12 Ounces)
  Your choice of flavors
  $22.50
• 6 Packages (6 Sausages Each, 12 Ounces)
  Your choice of flavors
  $30.50
• 9 packages, your choice of flavors
  $42.50
• 12 packages, your choice of flavors
  $54.50

Purchase online at Bilinski.com

Also available at specialty food stores and fine supermarkets including some Whole Foods Markets.

Prices and flavor availability are verified at publication but are subject to change. Shipping is additional.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, special offers, contests, opinion surveys, THE NIBBLE back issues archive, more reviews and articles, product search engine, links to our favorite food websites, and the ability to nominate YOUR favorite nibbles, visit the home page of TheNibble.com.

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