where does hellofresh get their chicken sausage

Uncovering the Secret: Where Does HelloFresh Get Their Chicken Sausage?

HelloFresh has taken the meal kit delivery service by storm, providing fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes to households across the country. Their wide variety of menu options feature all kinds of proteins, including classic chicken sausage. This versatile ingredient appears frequently in HelloFresh recipes, adding flavor and substance to dishes like breakfast skillets, pasta bakes, soups, and more

But savvy home cooks want to know – where exactly does HelloFresh source their chicken sausage? Keep reading to find out!

What is HelloFresh?

For those unfamiliar with the popular meal kit service, here’s a quick rundown on HelloFresh:

• HelloFresh is a meal kit delivery service that ships pre-portioned ingredients and recipes to subscribers’ doors weekly.

• Customers can choose from a variety of recipe plans with different themes dietary needs and preferences.

• Meals are designed for quick and easy at-home preparation, typically taking under 30 minutes.

• HelloFresh sources ingredients from high-quality suppliers, with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal produce.

Chicken sausage is included frequently across many of HelloFresh’s weekly menus. But unlike the other ingredients, HelloFresh doesn’t supply information about the chicken sausage’s origin. We did some digging to uncover the details.

Why Chicken Sausage?

Before investigating the source, let’s look at why chicken sausage is such a popular ingredient for meal kits:

• It’s more versatile than pork or beef sausage, adapting well to all types of cuisine.

• Leaner than pork, so it aligns better with HelloFresh’s focus on lighter, healthier recipes.

• Adds lots of flavor with minimal effort – just brown and add to dishes.

• Appeals to a wide audience, including those avoiding red meat or pork.

• Stores and reheats well, making it perfect for meal prep and leftovers.

• Offers an approachable way to introduce more adventurous flavors.

With all these benefits, it makes sense that HelloFresh incorporates chicken sausage frequently into their rotating weekly menus.

Clues Point to Hausman’s Wisconsin Fine Sausage

While HelloFresh doesn’t disclose their sausage supplier, we found several clues that point to Hausman’s Wisconsin Fine Sausage:

• Hausman’s offers a private label division that produces sausages customized to each client’s needs.

• They produce chicken sausages that appear very similar to HelloFresh’s, based on customer photos.

• Hausman’s is located in Wisconsin, the same state as one of HelloFresh’s U.S. distribution centers.

• They specialize in premium, innovative sausage recipes, aligning with HelloFresh’s branding.

• The company has the capability to produce the large quantities needed for HelloFresh’s national distribution.

Though not confirmed, the evidence strongly suggests that Hausman’s and HelloFresh have partnered to create customized chicken sausages for the meal kits.

About Hausman’s Wisconsin Fine Sausage

So who is Hausman’s Wisconsin Fine Sausage? Here are some key facts:

• Family-owned sausage maker founded in 1951 in Little Chute, Wisconsin.

• Specializes in custom recipes and private label sausages.

• Focus on innovative flavors and high-quality ingredients.

• Supplies sausages to high-profile clients like Johnsonville, Sendik’s, Festival Foods.

• Offerings include breakfast, Italian, chicken, plant-based and gluten-free sausages.

• Retail sausages sold under Hausman’s brand at stores across Wisconsin.

Hausman’s culinary-focused approach to sausage-making and ability to produce customized recipes appears well-aligned with HelloFresh’s needs. Their location near HelloFresh’s Wisconsin facility also makes them an ideal potential partner.

What Goes Into HelloFresh’s Chicken Sausage?

While the exact recipe likely remains proprietary, Hausman’s chicken sausages are:

• Made from chicken thigh meat rather than breast meat for added moisture and flavor.

• Minimally processed with no artificial ingredients or fillers.

• Seasoned with real spices, herbs and flavors rather than liquid smoke or artificial flavorings.

• Formulated without allergens like soy, dairy or gluten (when chicken is the only ingredient).

• Contain no added nitrates or nitrites except for those naturally occurring in sea salt.

• Use responsibly sourced, antibiotic-free chicken.

Compared to mass-produced chicken sausage, Hausman’s focus on simple, natural ingredients results in better texture and taste.

Popular HelloFresh Chicken Sausage Recipes

HelloFresh incorporates chicken sausage into all types of dishes across the various weekly menus. Here are some customer favorites:

• Breakfast Risotto with Chicken Sausage – Creamy arborio rice cooked with sausage, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Topped with a fried egg.

• Chicken Sausage Penne Bake – Penne pasta and Italian chicken sausage baked in a tomato cream sauce with mozzarella cheese.

• Chicken Sausage Gumbo – Classic chicken and sausage gumbo overflowing with vegetables and Cajun seasoning. Perfect comfort food.

• Tortellini Soup with Chicken Sausage – Packed with cheese tortellini, kale and shiitake mushrooms in a savory broth.

• Chicken Sausage Flatbreads – Chicken sausage with a tangy apple-fennel slaw and melty Swiss cheese on flatbreads.

The recipes highlight the versatility of chicken sausage – it shines in pasta bakes, soups, flatbreads and more.

Tips for Cooking with Chicken Sausage

Home cooks looking to substitute regular chicken sausage in these HelloFresh recipes or use it in their own creations can follow these helpful cooking tips:

• Choose sausages with at least 10g protein and under 3g fat per serving for balance.

• Brown sausages first before adding to dishes for better flavor.

• Take care not to overcook; chicken sausage can dry out. Cook until just browned on the outside.

• For flatbreads or pizza, slice sausage thinly so it’s easy to eat.

• Pair with lots of bold flavors – spices, veggies, mustard, etc. – to keep it interesting.

• Substitute in most recipes that call for pork sausage.

With a little finesse, you can master cooking with chicken sausage at home using these techniques.

Quality You Can Trust

While the source isn’t advertised, HelloFresh’s choice to use a premium Wisconsin sausage producer like Hausman’s demonstrates their commitment to ingredient quality. The Hausman family has over 70 years of sausage-making experience resulting in a product you can trust.

Chicken sausage from a trusted, family-owned company like Hausman’s gives HelloFresh flexibility to meet customer needs. From classic breakfast sausage to global flavors like chicken chorizo and merguez, they’ve got it covered!

So while the supplier may still technically be secret, HelloFresh customers can feel good knowing their chicken sausage likely comes from one of the nation’s finest artisanal sausage makers. Next time you’re prepping a HelloFresh meal with chicken sausage, you’ll have a deeper appreciation for the care that went into crafting that key ingredient.

The Takeaway on HelloFresh’s Chicken Sausage

HelloFresh has built their meal kit empire on high-quality ingredients and culinary creativity. When it comes to chicken sausage, all signs indicate they’ve partnered with Hausman’s Wisconsin Fine Sausage to deliver premium, custom-made sausages week after week.

This allows HelloFresh to offer chicken sausage with restaurant-quality flavor and texture, aligning with their chef-designed recipes. So while the source isn’t advertised, you can trust that skilled artisans crafted your chicken sausage to complement each meal.

From now on, you can dig into your weekly HelloFresh recipes like Chipotle Chicken Flatbread or Cheesy Tortellini Soup with the confidence that your chicken sausage was thoughtfully sourced from sausage masters. That’s the mark of a meal kit company committed to your eating enjoyment.