Opa’s Chicken Poblano Monterey Jack Smoked Sausage: The Lighter Link

Opa’s Chicken Poblano Monterey Jack Smoked Sausage is the only chicken sausage in the lineup: a fully cooked, coarse-ground link made from chicken thighs with poblano pepper and Monterey Jack cheese, smoked in Fredericksburg, Texas. It is mild, lighter than the beef-and-pork links, and one of the fastest-growing products the smokehouse makes — the link that brought a whole group of customers to the case who thought smoked sausage wasn’t for them. This is the full guide, including the one detail about it that every buyer should know.

What’s in Opa’s Chicken Poblano Monterey Jack Smoked Sausage?

Chicken thighs, not breast — the dark meat is what keeps a chicken sausage from turning dry and mealy, and it carries smoke the way a sausage should. Poblano pepper for a gentle, green warmth that stays well short of heat. Monterey Jack cooked into the grind, the same way the cheddar is handled in the Jalapeño Cheddar: no molten center, just a rounder, creamier bite throughout. It contains dairy. It is fully cooked and gluten free, and it is coarse-ground like the rest of the lineup, so the texture is a real link rather than a hot dog.

The one thing to know: the casing is pork

Every Opa’s sausage, this one included, is made in a natural pork casing. The filling is all chicken; the casing is not. For most tables that is a footnote. For anyone avoiding pork for religious or dietary reasons, it is the whole answer, and we would rather say it here than have someone find out later. The same is true of the all-beef Beef Smoked Sausage. If you need a link with no pork anywhere, the honest answer is that Opa’s doesn’t make one.

What does it taste like, and how hot is it?

Mild — one step above Country Blend, Beef, and Bratwurst, which have no heat. The poblano reads as flavor, not fire: a soft green note that tastes like the pepper in a good relleno. The Monterey Jack keeps the bite creamy and the chicken lets the smoke show through, so the overall effect is lighter and cleaner than a pork-and-beef link without tasting like a diet version of one. It is the link that people who “don’t eat sausage” end up buying every week.

How do you cook Chicken Poblano Monterey Jack Smoked Sausage?

It is fully cooked; warm it through over medium heat. Chicken punishes high heat even faster than pork and beef do — the outside dries before the center warms — so the medium-heat rule matters most with this link. Skillet over medium for whole links, turned as they take color; a moderate oven; the grill’s indirect side; a gentle air-fryer setting. Coins brown quickly and are the move for tacos, skillets, and salads. The five-mistakes guide covers what goes wrong; the heating guide covers timing by method.

What do you make with it?

Breakfast. Coins with eggs and a spoon of salsa verde in a warm tortilla — the poblano and the Jack were built for it.

Lighter suppers. A rice bowl with black beans and avocado, a big salad with the coins warm on top, a skillet of peppers and onions. This is the link for the table that wants smoke without weight.

The bun. Warmed whole, on a bun with pico and a squeeze of lime, it is a different plate from the German one and just as good.

Chicken Poblano vs. Jalapeño Cheddar: which one?

Both have cheese cooked into the grind; that is where the similarity ends. Jalapeño Cheddar is beef and pork with medium jalapeño heat — the bestseller, the crowd-pleaser. Chicken Poblano Monterey Jack is chicken with a mild poblano warmth — the lighter link, the one for the table that wants no real heat and less richness. For game day, the Jalapeño Cheddar. For a weeknight rice bowl or a breakfast taco with salsa verde, the chicken.

Where do you find it?

In the refrigerated meat case at a growing number of grocery stores across Texas, the South and Southwest, and always at the Deli & Market in Fredericksburg, where it has become one of the counter’s most-requested links. The store locator confirms the nearest carrier; if your store carries Opa’s but not this one, ask for it by name. The online store ships it nationwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Opa’s chicken sausage fully cooked? Yes. Every Opa’s smoked sausage is fully cooked. Warm it through over medium heat; it does not need to be cooked.

Is the Chicken Poblano Monterey Jack sausage pork-free? No. The filling is all chicken, but the casing is natural pork, like every Opa’s sausage. Anyone strictly avoiding pork should know that.

How spicy is it? Mild. The poblano adds flavor, not heat. It’s one step above Country Blend, Beef, and Bratwurst, which have no heat.

Does it contain dairy? Yes — Monterey Jack cheese, cooked into the meat. Full ingredient and allergen information is on every package.

Is it made with chicken breast or thigh? Thigh. The dark meat keeps the link juicy and carries the smoke.

Small Batch. Craft Made. Texas-German tradition — since 1947.

Opa’s Chicken Poblano Monterey Jack Smoked Sausage is in the refrigerated case at leading grocery stores across Texas, the South and Southwest (store locator), at the Deli & Market at 410 S Washington St in Fredericksburg, and shipping nationwide from opassmokedmeats.com.

This post is part of The Sausage School — everything Opa’s teaches about choosing, warming, and serving smoked sausage.