Chicken-Sausage Chicken-Thigh Chicken Noodle Soup

What's better than a steaming hot bowl of chicken soup on a chilly day?

How about a bowl of chicken soup with chicken flavor that's amped up from using chicken thighs, chicken stock, and chicken sausage? But that's not all - vegetables and pasta add even more goodness. This is a filling soup that's nearly a stew - perfect for lunch or even dinner with a hunk of crusty bread.

Homemade chicken stock is always best, but store-bought works in a pinch. If you happen to have leftover chicken you want to use, you can add that to the soup, and skip the chicken thighs. The soup won't be quite as rich, but there's a lot going on, so it will still be terrific.

Chicken-Sausage Chicken-Thigh Chicken Noodle Soup by Donna

1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 chicken thighs
1 quart chicken stock
6 carrots
1 onion
6 scallions
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 Tablespoon minced parsley
Salt, to taste
1 cup dry pasta (I used farfalle, but any shape is fine)
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup corn kernels
12 ounces Bilinski's Kale Balsamic Chicken Sausage

Heat a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is nicely browned, then flip the pieces over and cook on the other side until browned.

Add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer until the chicken thighs are cooked through and tender - figure on 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove the chicken thighs and skim the fat off the top of the stock.

If you prefer, you can do this step ahead of time and refrigerate the stock, which makes it easier to peel off the solidified fat.

Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and remove the meat from the bones. Shred or chop the chicken meat and refrigerate until needed.

Add a quart of water to the stock.

Peel and slice the carrots into rounds. Add them to the stock. Peel and dice the onion and add the diced onion to the stock. Slice the scallions into rounds - using the white parts and tender green - and add them to the stock. Add the poultry seasoning and parsley.

Taste for seasoning. If the stock was salted, you may not need more now, but if it was unsalted, add salt as needed.

Simmer the vegetables in the stock until they are tender.

Add the pasta and cook until al dente, then add the peas and corn.

Slice the chicken sausage into rounds - or slice on a slight bias to create ovals. Add the sausage and the reserved chicken thigh meat to the soup. Taste for seasoning again and add salt, if needed. Cook for another minute or two, just enough to warm the chicken sausage and meat.

Serve hot.