These Chicken Sausage and Pepper Pockets feature sauteed onions, bell pepper, and crumbled chicken sausage, sprinkled with Italian herbs and packed into soft pillowy pockets of dough that are baked to tender perfection. Delish!
This recipe was inspired by my grandmother’s homemade kraut brot(cabbage bread) recipe. Kraut brot is a German dish that traditionally features ground beef and sauteed cabbage stuffed into fresh dough. We borrowed heavily from that recipe, modifying the dough slightly and swapping chicken sausage for ground beef and bell peppers for cabbage.
Jump to RecipeStep 1: Make Bread Dough
This recipe requires a little extra preparation, seeing as the breadstick dough is yeast-based and takes an hour to rise. But trust us, it is worth the extra effort!
Start by making the breadstick dough. Add warm water, yeast, and honey to a medium bowl. Stir in oil and salt. Lastly, mix in the whole wheat and all purpose flour. Once the dough becomes floury and difficult to mix, transfer the dough to a floured surface.
Knead the remaining flour into the dough. Continue to add flour, as needed, until the dough becomes elastic and is no longer sticky. Lightly mist the bowl with cooking spray and return the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean dish cloth. Place the bowl aside and let the dough rise 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Filling
When the dough is nearly done rising, begin making the filling. Lightly mist a medium frying pan with cooking spray and bring to medium-high heat.
Add onions, garlic, and bell peppers to the pan. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until the peppers become tender.
Remove the sausage from their casings and add them to the hot pan. Cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink.
Season with Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.
Step 3: Stuff Dough & Bake
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Divide the dough into 8 to 10 balls. Roll each ball out with a rolling pin until it’s roughly 1/4″ thick. Spoon filling into one half of the dough. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling. Crimp the edges together with your fingers or with a fork. Transfer the pockets to a baking sheet.
Repeat until all of the dough is used. You will likely have leftover filling. Bake the dough pockets for 13 to 16 minutes, or until lightly golden on the outside. Enjoy immediately. We recommend serving these with marinara dipping sauce.
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Chicken Sausage and Pepper Pockets
Ingredients
Dough
- â…” c warm water
- 1 pkg active dry yeast (2¼ tsp)
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 c white or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 c unbleached all-purpose flour
Chicken Sausage and Pepper Filling
- 2 red or yellow bell peppers, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ¼ tsp salt
- â…› tsp black pepper
Instructions
Dough
- Combine warm water, yeast, and honey in a medium mixing bowl. Add oil and salt. Stir in flour.
- Mix until the flour is incorporated or until the dough becomes too difficult to mix. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until the flour is incorporated. Continue to add flour, as needed, until the dough becomes elastic and is no longer sticking to your hands. *Tip: lightly flour your hands before kneading to reduce the amount of dough that sticks to your hands.
- Lightly mist the mixing bowl with cooking spray. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let raise for roughly 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. The dough should roughly double in size.
Chicken Sausage and Pepper Filling
- When the dough is nearly done rising, begin making the filling. Lightly mist a medium frying pan with cooking spray and bring to medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and bell peppers to the pan. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until the peppers become tender.
- Remove the sausage from their casings and add them to the hot pan. Cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink. Season with Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Divide the dough into 8 to 10 balls. Roll each ball out with a rolling pin until it's roughly 1/4" thick. Spoon filling into one half of the dough. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling. Crimp the edges together with your fingers or with a fork. Transfer the pockets to a baking sheet.
- Repeat until all of the dough is used. You will likely have leftover filling. Bake the dough pockets for 13 to 16 minutes, or until lightly golden on the outside. Enjoy immediately. We recommend serving these with marinara dipping sauce.
Christina
Never thought about using chicken sausage for these before! It sounds really yummy!