Chicken Sausage and Fennel Soup

Chicken Sausage and Fennel Soup is simple to make, but has outstanding flavor. It’s a quick and easy Paleo, Keto, and Whole30 soup recipe.

Sometimes it’s the little things that help brighten your day…like coming home to find find a cooler full of sausage on your doorstep.

The package came courtesy of First Fresh Foods, a local company in Gainsville, GA that specializes in producing top quality chicken sausage.

I’ve found their sausage to have a really great flavor and consistency.

I particularly like the seasoning blend used in their Italian style chicken sausage, and I thought it might pair up nicely with some fresh fennel to make for a quick and easy soup.

How to Make Chicken Sausage and Fennel Soup

Start by dicing up a large bulb of fennel.

The odd shape of a fennel bulb can be a little puzzling if you’ve never prepped one before.

First, hack off the green stems and fronds and peel of the outer layers of the fennel bulb. Cut it in half vertically, then notch out the core. Continue to slice and dice as you would an onion.

I decided to use some dino (lacinato) kale for some for added flavor and nutritional boost to the soup.

Separate the leaves from the stems and give both a rough chop.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat.

Remove the sausage from its casing, then add it to the pot and sauté until it’s no longer pink, about 7-8 minutes.

Add diced onion, fennel, kale stems, and some sliced mushrooms. Sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5-6 minutes.

Add six cloves of chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Finally add a can of diced tomatoes, 6 cups of chicken stock, the chopped kale leaves, fresh thyme, sea salt, pepper and bay leaf.

Cover and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, until the kale leaves are tender.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the fennel fronds. Enjoy!

More Soup Recipes!

• Rutabaga and Parsnip Soup
• Fish Stew with Okra and New Potatoes
• Russian Cabbage Soup
• Sauerkraut Soup

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5 from 4 votes

Chicken Sausage and Fennel Soup

Chicken Sausage and Fennel Soup is simple to make, but has outstanding flavor. It's a quick and easy Paleo, Keto, and Whole30 soup recipe.

Course Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound Italian style chicken sausage casings removed
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 large fennel bulb diced with fronds reserved
• 4 cups Lacinato kale leaves and stems separated and chopped
• 1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 6 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken sausage, and brown until it is no longer pink, about 7-8 minutes.
• Add the onion, fennel, kale stems, and sliced mushrooms. Sauté until the onions are translucent and tender, about 5-6 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Pour in the chicken stock and canned tomatoes, and add the chopped kale leaves. Season with the thyme, bay leaf, a large pinch of sea salt, and black pepper to taste. Bring to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaf, ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish with the fennel fronds. Enjoy!

Tried this recipe?Mention @sophisticatedcaveman or tag #sophisticatedcaveman on Instagram!

The ingredient or equipment sections above may contain affiliate links to products that I personally use or recommend!

* I received complimentary samples in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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