Chicken Sausage Cheesy Hash Brown Bowl Recipe

Everything tastes better in a bowl. The past decade has seen a rise in the all-in-one meal format, with chains like Chipotle popularizing the concept of a meal-in-a-bowl on a national scale. In home kitchens, we've been enjoying everything from grain bowls to Buddha bowls, which allow us to fill up on healthy grains, vegetables, and proteins all at once. Not only do bowls make lunches and dinners easier, but they also make eating healthy more fun, harmonizing the flavors through inventive combinations. One meal that hasn't quite hopped onto the trend yet is breakfast — until now, with the rising popularity of hash brown bowls.

Hash brown bowls are just like any other bowl, but instead of rice and quinoa, the base is made with hash browns. In this recipe, the hash browns are made from scratch using russet potatoes, which are first fried until crispy and then sprinkled with cheddar cheese. Layered with homemade chicken sausage patties, blistered bell peppers, avocado, and a fried egg, this bowl has all the makings of a good morning — all in one bowl, meaning it makes your busy morning easier, too.

To first make the hash browns, you'll need a few russet potatoes, salt, pepper, oil, and shredded cheddar cheese. To make the homemade chicken sausage patties, grab ground chicken, garlic powder, paprika, ground sage, dried thyme, and maple syrup. Then from there, you'll just need bell peppers for sauteing, eggs for frying, and a half avocado per bowl for serving.

Using the small shred attachment on your food processor, shred the potatoes.

Immediately transfer the potato shreds to a large bowl and cover them with water. Soak the potatoes for 5 minutes, agitating them in the water halfway through.

Drain the potatoes, then dry them thoroughly with a towel until completely dry.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat until shining. The skillet should be very hot.

Add the potatoes and spread them evenly across the skillet. Sprinkle them with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

Cook the hash browns until they're brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes, then flip them and brown the other side.

Add the shredded cheddar, stir to melt, remove the potatoes from the skillet, and divide them into bowls.

Add the ground chicken, garlic powder, paprika, sage, thyme, maple syrup, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper to a bowl. Combine thoroughly.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Scoop ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture into the skillet and press it into a patty shape. Repeat to fill the skillet, leaving space between each patty.

Brown the patties on both sides, for about 4 minutes per side.

Remove the patties from the skillet and reserve them.

In the same skillet, saute the bell peppers until soft, for about 5 minutes.

Divide the sausages and peppers between the bowls.

To serve, top the hash browns and sausages with fried egg and avocado.

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If you're anything like us, you need a good sauce to complete a meal. A sauce can bring together the flavors of the bowl and make it more tasty or fun, even for breakfast. You can bring out the Mexican flavors of this dish by adding a salsa, like pico de gallo, salsa roja, or salsa verde, which can add heat and tang to the bowl. If you prefer creamy sauces, you can instead add chipotle mayo, which works particularly well with cheesy hash browns. You can also add a simple hot sauce — we recommend a smoky, guajillo-based sauce, which pairs well with the bell peppers.

Because the ingredients are democratic in flavor, you can also add sauces from other types of cuisine. For example, you can add a simple drizzle of Sriracha or a spicy gochujang mayo, or add a spoonful of chili crisp for a little bit of crunch. We don't recommend using salad dressings, tahini, or hummus here, as is typical on lunchtime grain bowls — the acidic dressings and heavily nutty tahini don't work well with hash browns, which pair best with tomato and chile-based sauces.

Hash browns aren't easy to make, even for experienced professional chefs. Though it seems straightforward, there are actually a lot of tips to keep in mind when making shredded hash browns. First, make sure you are using the suggested type of potato, russet, which has the starch content needed to make fine potato shreds that don't fall apart. Second, shred the potatoes with a food processor for the cleanest shreds, or use a cheese grater for shorter, finer shreds (for the best shreds, slowly grate the potato across the grater, producing longer pieces). Don't let the potato sit on the counter for very long after shredding, or it will oxidize and turn pink — have the water ready and immediately add the potato once shredded.

Don't skip rinsing the potato in water here — this step removes extra starch, which is what causes potatoes to clump together and turn gray while cooking. If your potatoes clump and stick to the skillet, it's likely they weren't rinsed and dried well enough. After draining the potatoes, fully dry them in a tea towel until they appear matte and completely dry. Another reason your potatoes are sticking might be due to the skillet itself. If the skillet and oil aren't hot enough, the potatoes will adhere and stick instead of browning. To avoid this, wait until the oil is shimmering, then add the potatoes — then don't touch them until they are browned and ready to flip.

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