Air Fryer Italian Chicken Sausage and Peppers is a delicious meal that comes together in only 25 minutes. It's a perfect dinner for the busy weeknights - easy, flavorful, and quicker than takeout.
It's soccer night at my house tonight. Which means, we will have two tired boys, and one tired mama, walking in the door HUNGRY at about 6:45pm. If I don't have something in the crock pot (confession: I don't have anything in the crock pot), then it's the air fryer to the rescue.
I love my air fryer. I was skeptical of them at first because we don't eat a lot of fried foods, and I didn't want to purchase a whole appliance just to make chicken tenders occasionally for my kids. But, I've discovered this is one kitchen gadget that is a lot more versatile than I thought. The air fryer is basically a countertop convection oven. It heats up and cooks really quickly because of its small size, and the convection fan circulates hot air to give food a nice even crisp. For those of us who don't have convection ovens already, or who just want to shave precious minutes off the cook time of our favorite meals, this is an awesome addition to the kitchen.
I have lots of air fryer recipes coming up, but I'm starting with one of my favorites. This Italian Chicken Sausage and Peppers recipe is an easy dinner idea that is full of flavor and quick on cooking time. It's a great option for those busy nights when you don't want to order takeout, as it's fridge to table in less than 30 minutes. Pop the air fryer trays in the dishwasher, and even cleanup is a breeze.
For other simple and delicious are fryer meals, try my air fryer garlic steak bites or air fryer buffalo chicken tenders.
You Will Love This
- A super simple recipe that is perfect for a quick meal on busy nights.
- Air frying is the best way I've found to cook sausage - giving it a nice crispy skin in less time than grilling or baking.
- Leave out the bun, and eat this with a side of veggies for a low carb option.
Ingredients
Gather up your ingredients! For this simple meal, you will need:
- Fully cooked chicken sausage: I used Aidells Italian Style Smoked Chicken Sausage with Mozzarella Cheese. Aidells is one of my favorite brands for tasty sausages without junky ingredients.
- Bell peppers: Choose a few different colors for an extra pretty meal.
- Onion: I used one large sweet onion, but other onions (like red onion) will also work.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Other cooking oils, like avocado oil or vegetable oil, will work too.
- Seasonings including salt and Italian seasoning. Feel free to substitute your own blend of thyme, oregano and basil if you don't have Italian seasoning on hand.
- Buns (optional): We like these served in a hoagie style roll!
Substitutions
- Sausage: You can use most any type of sausage you like for this recipe. Italian sausage has a great flavor profile with the pepper and onion mix, but you could choose turkey sausages or pork sausages if you prefer. I don't recommend hot dogs or breakfast sausages for this recipe (you want thicker sausages).
- Make sure you check if your sausage is raw or fully cooked, as cook time and temperature will vary. For fully cooked sausage, follow the instructions below. For raw sausage, increase your cook temperature to 400 degrees, and cook the sausage and peppers together for 15 minutes. Sausage should be cooked to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees measured with a meat thermometer.
Instructions
Step One: Prepare the veggies. Slice the onion and bell peppers into thin slices. Mix the slices together in a bowl and drizzle olive oil over top. Stir to coat. Add salt and Italian seasoning and mix to incorporate.
Step Two: Spread the onion pepper mixture onto your air fryer tray or in the air fryer basket.
Step Three: Lay the sausage links on top of the onion pepper mixture in a single layer. Try to keep some space between each sausage so they don't touch each other. No need to prick the sausages with a fork - that will just lead to drying out.
Step Four: Turn the air fryer to 375 degrees, and let it preheat if necessary. Cook the sausage and peppers for about 15 minutes, flipping the sausages halfway through cooking so that they cook evenly. Cook time can vary based on the thickness of the sausages, so check to make sure they are at a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Serve This With
We serve these air fryer chicken sausages in a bun with a little bit mayo, and sometimes some havarti or provolone cheese melted on the top. Lots of side dishes go well with this, but I usually serve it with a green salad, or some roasted broccoli florets, brussels sprouts or green beans for a balanced meal. Make this low carb by ditching the bun and serving it up with a side of cauliflower rice.
Storage
Store leftover sausages in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Recipe
Air Fryer Italian Chicken Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 3 bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 fully cooked Italian chicken sausages
Instructions
- Prepare the veggies. Slice the onion and bell peppers into thin slices. Mix the slices together in a bowl and drizzle olive oil over top. Stir to coat. Add salt and Italian seasoning and mix to incorporate.
- Spread the onion pepper mixture onto your air fryer tray or in the air fryer basket.
- Lay the sausage links on top of the onion pepper mixture in a single layer. Keep some space between each sausage so they don't touch each other. No need to prick the sausages with a fork - that will just lead to drying out.
- Turn the air fryer to 375 degrees, and let it preheat if necessary. Cook the sausage and peppers for about 15 minutes, flipping the sausages halfway through cooking so that they cook evenly. Cook time can vary based on the thickness of the sausages, so check to make sure they are at a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Tony
This was great for dinner. Easy enough even for me to make!