Simple Homemade Chicken Sausage Rolls

These simple homemade chicken sausage rolls are made with chicken mince wrapped in ready-made puff pastry. Create the British classic in minutes, perfect for picnics, a light lunch or snack.

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One thing I miss most about not living in the UK is sausage rolls. If you are a Brit, these little flaky pastry loves need no introduction. However, outside of the UK (Australia and New Zealand aside), it appears that sausage rolls are one of Britain’s best kept secrets.

What on earth is a sausage roll?

Sausage rolls are classic British fare. Although people have been wrapping meat in pastry since the Roman era, the invention of sausage rolls as we know them seems to have happened in the 19th century. The cheap, easy snack was soon a craze on the streets of London. Although sausage rolls these days are invariably made with puff pastry, that wasn’t the case early on, when short crust pastry was used. Sausage rolls can be mini-sized, like these, or a little longer.

Although sausage rolls are traditionally made with pork, I only had chicken mince in the house and decided to use that. Because chicken mince can be a little wetter than regular ground meat, you don’t need to add any breadcrumbs. All I did was throw in a little seasoning and the sausage roll filling was ready to go.

Us Brits have adored sausage rolls for centuries, but the same can’t be said about America. There is often confusion between pigs in blankets and sausage rolls, but they are quite different. Sausage rolls are encased in pastry; pigs in blankets are nestled in a more bread-like covering.

Can I make my own pastry?

Yes, but why would you want to? Even Jamie Oliver uses a square of ready-made pastry sometimes. You guys know how much I love my food to be homemade, from scratch, in its entirety, but if you think I am going to stand and make puff pastry when it is 30ºC out there (and us northern Europeans are without A/C don’t forget), you can think again.

What can I serve with these chicken sausage rolls?

This question reminds me of when my father in law (at the time) came to the UK to help us move. I proudly placed a couple of warm, flaky sausage rolls in front of him, and he turned up his nose. “Where’s the sauce?” he asked. Now, he didn’t mean HP or Ketchup. I actually don’t know what he did mean. Let’s just say that one of Britain’s most loved pastries didn’t impress him much.

Perfect for a picnic, a party, or quick lunch, these flaky bites are delicious cold, without anything else. Or, you can make a meal out of them by adding baked beans and a few chips. Don’t forget to add HP sauce to finish them off.