Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x13 inch baking dish.
In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, cook the sausage with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and cooked through, around 10 minutes.
Transfer the sausage to a large heatproof bowl or pot and set aside. Add the olive oil to the pan and reduce the heat to medium.
When the oil is hot, add the diced onion, diced fennel, diced apples, and minced garlic to the pan and mix. Top with 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp rubbed sage, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and 1 Tbs honey, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and the onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
Add the cooked apples mixture to the bowl with the sausage and mix. Add the water chestnuts to the bowl and mix.
Take the loaf of Herbs de Provence bread and cut it into 1 inch cubes. I sliced it first then cut it into inch cube pieces. Add the bread cubes to the sausage and apple mixture in the large pot/bowl and mix.
Then, add the chicken stock to the mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Do this until you have used 2 cups of chicken stock.
Pour the stuffing mixture into the greased 9 x13 inch baking dish, and top it with ½ tsp Herbs de Provence.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown and crisp, about 25-30 minutes. Let the stuffing rest for 10 minutes before serving.