Fennel Chicken and Sausage Soup

Fennel Chicken & Sausage Soup

Originally published October 16, 2013. Updated on 7/1/2021

Fennel Chicken and Sausage Soup is relatively simple, but also elegant. Fennel is a bit of an odd ingredient for chicken soup, but works!

Here we are, the final recipe to result from last weekend's soup-making binge - Fennel Chicken and Sausage Soup!

This soup is a stark contrast to my Beef Stew which is hearty and rustic, and my Roasted Cauliflower Soup which was quick and simple.

This one was actually inspired by a chicken bratwurst I tried one time, which involved apple and fennel.

I thought it would be fun to build a soup around those flavours, and took it a step further with some sweet Italian sausage.

Fennel Chicken and Sausage Soup

Everything works together so well, producing a flavourful, unique soup... and it's kind of pretty, too!

Yep, it involves making chicken broth a day before making the actual soup.

It's a little bit of extra work, but TOTALLY worth it - you don't get this kind of flavour from a can!

Stock making is a lost art, and really does give you great results for very little cost.

It's also healthier than canned stuff, and you get to have the extra pride that comes from really making your soup from scratch!

Enjoy!

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5 from 1 vote

Fennel Chicken and Sausage Soup

This Fennel Chicken and Sausage Soup is relatively simple, but also elegant. Fennel is a bit of an odd ingredient for chicken soup, but works beautifully!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time4 hours hrs

Chilling time8 hours hrs

Total Time12 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 People

Calories: 938kcal

Author: Marie Porter

Ingredients

Chicken Broth:

• 1 chicken cut up (~5 lbs)
• 2 onions
• 5 stalks celery
• 1 fennel bulb
• 2 parsnips peeled and cut in half lengthwise
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon pepper

Soup:

• 1 ½ lbs fresh sweet Italian sausage cut into 1″ lengths
• 2 tablespoon vegetable
• 1 onion peeled and chopped
• 1 fennel bulb Chop the fennel fronds, reserve
• 8 cups of chicken broth above
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 parsnips peeled and grated
• 2-3 lbs red potatoes chopped
• 2 apples peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic pressed or minced
• Reserved chicken from broth
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 cups heavy cream

Instructions

Broth

• The night before making the soup, prepare your chicken broth.
• In a large pot cover all broth ingredients with a good amount of water – maybe 12 cups worth. Bring to a boil, turn heat down a bit, and simmer for a few hours, until stock is golden and richly flavoured.
• Strain all ingredients out of the broth. Discard veggies, allow chicken to cool enough to handle. When cool, pick off all of the meat, chop into bite sized pieces and chill. Discard the bones.
• Chill broth overnight.
• The next day, remove fat from the surface of the broth.

Soup:

• In a large, heavy pot, brown sausage in vegetable oil. Add onion and fennel root, continue cooking until onions are translucent.
• Add a little chicken broth, scrape down (deglaze) the bottom of the pan until any brown bits are nicely incorporated into the stock. Add rest of measured broth, wine, parsnips, potatoes, apples, garlic, and chopped chicken. Simmer until potatoes are tender, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Whisk corn starch into heavy cream until smooth. Add to the soup – along with the fennel fronds, stirring until well incorporated.
• Bring back up to a simmer, simmer for another 5 minutes. Check your seasonings, adjusting if necessary.
• Serve hot!

Nutrition

Calories: 938kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 64g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 218mg | Sodium: 1359mg | Potassium: 1644mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1318IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 4mg

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