Twisted Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is really easy as you are in and out of the kitchen in no time. At my house Sundays equal FOOTBALL, I am a huge Chicago Bears fan and try to never miss a game. So when I was deciding on what to make for dinner Sunday this was the perfect choice. Plus on a cold Chicago day what is better than a piping hot bowl of soup.

This recipe is a twist on a classic as I do not use a whole chicken but rather Chicken Sausage from Whole Foods. I am in love with this Chicken Sausage made by The Original Brat Hans. They make all different varieties and all their products are natural and organic. Their website says, they work with small family farms throughout the U.S. who have the same conviction as they do for natural and organic animal raising practices. So not only are you enjoying their delicious products, you are supporting family farms and putting quality, all natural food into your body. This time we tried the Spicy Cilantro and it did not disappoint.

Twisted Chicken Noodle Soup
1 Package of Chicken Sausage
1 Package of Noodles 
1QT Chicken Stock or Broth
2 to 3 Celery Stalks
2 to 3 Carrots
1 Medium to Large Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
1/3 Jalapeno Pepper
1 Dried Bay Leaf
1/2 tbsp Marjoram
1/2 tbsp Basil
1 Handful of Fresh Cilantro
1 tbsp of Olive Oil
Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste

Place a large soup pot over medium to low heat, add olive oil. Once the oil is hot add your chicken sausage. Brown on all sides, cooking for about 15 minutes. In the meantime chop celery, carrots, onion, jalapeno and garlic. It's best to cut celery, carrots and onion around the same size. Once the chicken sausage has been cooked remove and set aside. In the same pot, add all your chopped vegetables and spices. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, until your vegetables are soft (not browned). Then add stock or broth and bring to a slight boil. Slice the sausage, return it to the pot and bring back to a boil. Then turn down and simmer for 45 minutes to 2 hours, the longer it cooks the more developed the flavors become. Season with salt and pepper to taste, remember unless you're using low sodium chicken stock there is already a good amount of salt in the soup.




10 Minutes before serving fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. Add a pinch of salt and noodles, cook for about 7 to 8 minutes until soft or per the directions on package. I prefer egg noodles for this recipe but I do not always have those on hand. This time I used Fusilli noodles with a few Rigatoni thrown in. * Please note you can cook your noodles in the same pot as your soup but I prefer to keep them separate as the noodles do not hold up well (when sitting in soup) for leftovers.*

Whether it be a serving bowl or your favorite soup bowl, place desired amount of noodles to soup and then sprinkle with cilantro. I served with garlic toast as my husband always request some type of bread with every meal. If your soup is thicker than you desire you can always thin it out with a cup (or less ) of noodle water, start with less and move up to desired taste.

Enjoy and stay warm