This Chicken and Sausage Soup is hearty, satisfying and layered with sweet, smoky flavor. Packed with three types of protein and hearty vegetables, it's a comforting meal that truly fills you up. Sweet corn adds a subtle burst of sweetness that balances the smoky bacon and savory sausage, while sliced jalapeños bring brightness without overwhelming heat (unless you keep the seeds in!). Finished with rich cream, every bite is warm, cozy and deeply flavorful.
Why I Love This
- Deep Flavors: This Chicken and Sausage Soup is full of savory and sweet flavors that make each bite deeply satisfying and comforting.
- Hearty and Creamy: With a mix of vegetables and three kinds of protein, this soup is rich, filling and perfect for keeping everyone satisfied.
- One-Pot Wonder: With just a little bit of chopping prep required, this soup is a wonderful one-pot soup that keeps dishes to a minimum and supper prep simple.
- Seasonally Accessible: While fresh vegetables are always desirable, this soup utilizes ingredients that are accessible year round, making it a perfect choice for any rainy day.
Use my Shredded Chicken Instant Pot for convenient cooked chicken and pair it with my Cheddar Cheese Chive or Skillet Biscuits.
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Ingredients
- Breakfast Sausage - we use some of our moose breakfast sausage but you can use any plain breakfast sausage like Jimmy Dean Regular. Avoid sweetened sausage like maple or brown sugar flavored.
- Cooked Chicken - having the chicken pre-cooked helps this soup come together quickly. You can use my Shredded Chicken Instant Pot recipe, pre-cooked chicken breasts, thighs or rotisserie chicken.
- Bacon - this adds so much flavor to the soup, bringing smoky warmth and crispy texture.
- Jalapeños - I seed the jalapeños so that they don't bring any heat just amazing flavor with the slightest zip. If you enjoy more heat, feel free to leave the seeds in!
- Corn - this brings the sweetest, crispiest flavor that rounds out the profile of the soup.
- Spices - A variety of spices make this Chicken and Sausage Soup warm, savory and layered with flavor in every bite.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.* Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the bacon fat in the pot.
Step 2: Add the sausage to the same pot and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Once fully cooked, remove and set aside with the bacon.
Step 3: If needed, add a small amount of butter to the pot, then sauté the onion and celery in the remaining fat over medium heat until softened and fragrant, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the jalapeños and garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant.
Step 5: Pour in the chicken broth and add all of the seasonings. Bring to a simmer, then add the potatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes before adding the bell pepper. Continue simmering for another 5-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Step 6: Return the cooked sausage, chicken and most of the bacon to the pot (reserving a little bacon for topping, if desired). Stir in the corn and heavy cream and let everything warm through.
Step 7: Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then serve warm topped with the remaining crispy bacon.
Hint: Cook the potatoes until they're nearly fork tender before adding the bell peppers. This prevents the peppers from overcooking and becoming too soft.
Substitutions
- Dairy Free - there are several easy options. Substitute the cream with full-fat milk coconut milk or cashew milk, or mash a few extra potatoes into the broth for natural creaminess. You can also blend ½ cup of soaked cashews with ½-3/4 cup water until smooth and use that in place of the cream. You can also simply omit the cream. It's still very tasty.
- Gluten Free - this soup is naturally gluten free as long as your sausage and broth are certified gluten-free.
- Lower Fat - use turkey sausage and turkey bacon (or omit the bacon). Remove the excess fats from the meats and use a lighter oil like avocado oil for cooking the vegetables in. Lastly, swap the cream for half-and-half or a lighter milk or omit it all together.
Variations
- Spicy - leave the seeds in the jalapeños and add a pinch of red pepper flakes or use spicy sausage!
- Deluxe - top the soup with shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
- No Spicy! - if the jalapeños are seeded they truly add the most minimal amount of zip, even my kids eat it without complaint, but if you are truly averse simple use less or no jalapeños.
Try my Sausage and Pepper Soup for another delicious meal and pair it with my Corn Bread with Creamed Corn.
Storage
The first few days: This Chicken and Sausage Soup keeps in the refrigerator very well for about 3 days.
Freezing: If you plan to freeze this soup, do so before adding the cream. If you don't plan to eat it all, set aside a portion and add cream only to what you'll be serving.
Reheating: You can reheat individual portions of the soup using microwave safe bowls in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, you can slowly heat the soup in the pot on the stove-top. Be careful not to let it boil as this can cause the milk to curdle or separate.
Top Tip
For a thicker soup, stir ¼-1/3 cup of flour into the sautéed onions, celery, jalapeños and garlic. Cook for 1 minutes, then slowly add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Alternatively, mash a few of the cooked potatoes into the broth after simmering - add a few extra potatoes if you plan to use this method.
FAQ
Yes! This soup reheats very well. Store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of broth or milk if needed. If you want to make it further in advance and freeze it, see my "Storage" section above.
It has a mild kick from the jalapeños but it's so slight even my 3 year old eats this soup happily. If you're truly averse to it, you can leave the jalapeños out or use less of them.
Definitely! Carrots, spinach, kale or even zucchini would all work well!
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Chicken and Sausage Soup
- Total Time: 45-55 minutes
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Description
This Chicken and Sausage Soup is hearty, satisfying and layered with sweet, smoky flavor. Packed with three types of protein and hearty vegetables, it's a comforting meal that truly fills you up. Sweet corn adds a subtle burst of sweetness that balances the smoky bacon and savory sausage, while sliced jalapeños bring brightness without overwhelming heat (unless you keep the seeds in!). Finished with rich cream, every bite is warm, cozy and deeply flavorful.
Ingredients
½ pound bacon
1 pound breakfast sausage eg. Jimmy Dean Regular
½ pound cooked chicken diced
½ (~100 grams) onion diced
1 cup (110 grams) celery finely chopped
3 (115 grams) jalapenos sliced and seeded if desired
1 teaspoon (7 grams) garlic minced
4 cups (960 grams) chicken broth/stock
2 cups (360 grams) potatoes diced small (I like to use baby potatoes*)
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon each: parsley, oregano, mustard powder
¼ teaspoon each: thyme, black pepper
¾ (110 grams) bell pepper diced
1 - 15 ounce can of corn
1 cup (230 grams) heavy cream
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.* Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the bacon fat in the pot.
- Add the sausage to the same pot and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Once fully cooked, remove and set aside with the bacon.
- If needed, add a small amount of butter to the pot, then sauté the onion and celery in the remaining fat over medium heat until softened and fragrant, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the jalapeños and garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and add all of the seasonings. Bring to a simmer, then add the potatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes before adding the bell pepper. Continue simmering for another 5-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Return the cooked sausage, chicken and most of the bacon to the pot (reserving a little bacon for topping, if desired). Stir in the corn and heavy cream and let everything warm through.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then serve warm topped with the remaining crispy bacon.
*All nutritional information is an estimation only. Exact nutritional value depends on exact amounts and ingredients used.
Notes
You can also use Yukon gold or red potatoes.
I actually prefer to cook my bacon in the oven. I find it cooks faster and more evenly. Once the bacon is crispy, carefully pour the fat into the pot and proceed with the instructions.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40-50 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Cook Top
- Cuisine: American
Jenice Wallace says
I love that this is a one pot soup, full of protein, rich and creamy with just the slightest kick. It's easy to make, incredibly satisfying and the whole family loves it!