Chicken with Turkey Sausage Chunky Pasta Stoup

Remember when you were a kid and had a cold or the flu and your mom or grandma would make you chicken noodle soup?  Yeah, me neither.  So as an adult, I have indulged myself in the realm of soups and stoups.  A "stoup", as I am sure you know, is a really chunky, thick stew-like soup, ergo "stoup".  I made a version of this last weekend but.......well, it did not turn out so well.  The flavors I had wanted were all there, but I had made it in a slow-cooker and I'd made a fatal mistake:  I put the pasta in from the start, so my orecchiette became gloppy. Yes, I am deeply shamed. 

You can see how the orecchiette turned into big globs of pasta. 

Always one to learn from my mistakes, after recovering a bit from the stomach flu this weekend, I decided I needed my version of chicken noodle soup.  I did well, this time, and it has helped make me feel quite a bit adequate. Here is what I did....

Ingredients

1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2-3), cubed

2 packages of chicken or turkey Italian sausages, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 large or 3 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

2 - 3 fire roasted and peeled red peppers, chopped

4 - 6  roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped 

1.5 cups sturdy pasta, such as penne rigate 

1 quart chicken stock (I used my own homemade stock) 

1 cup white or rose wine

2 tablespoons apple cider or red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon coriander seed

1 rounded tablespoon paprika

1 rounded teaspoon thyme

1 rounded teaspoon oregano

1 rounded tablespoon Herbs de Provence

1 teaspoon Turmeric

1 teaspoon black pepper

1+ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

Spices and aromatics

Red peppers, garlic and onion

This recipe is very simple to put together. One good idea I had was to put all of the spices except the turmeric, some salt and some pepper into a spice grinder and grind it until fine. I will tell you why in a moment, though I like to use Turmeric separately from most other spices in order to develop its own flavor and aroma from the rest. The salt and pepper I use to simply season the cubed chicken breasts which I cut in half and then cube, seasoning all sides of the chicken. When I sear the chicken and the sausages, I add a pinch of Turmeric and a hefty pinch of the rest of the seasoning.  When I add the onion and peppers, I add yet another good pinch (a rounded teaspoon) of the blended seasoning, the same with the garlic, the same with the tomatoes and the liquids.  Every layer of the dish is seasoned.  

Sauteeing the cubed chicken breasts and Italian turkey sausage.  

After deglazing the pot with the wine and vinegar, I added my homemade chicken stock, tomatoes and another layer of seasoning.  I let this mixture simmer covered for an hour.  

The aroma as this mixture simmers is simply incredible. 

Thirty minutes before adding the last of the chicken stock and the pasta, I add a layer of garden fresh flavor. Basil makes every pasta dish stellar. 

I added the penne rigate and let it cook another thirty minutes on low.  This sturdy pasta absorbs that delicious liquid flavor to add a condensed, complex layer of flavor.  Quite comforting.  I added torn basil atop the pasta as yet one more layer of flavor.  

Now, ready to serve!

I garnished with small basil leaves and shaved Parmesan.  What an intensely flavorful, hearty and comforting meal.  This was one of my favorites, hot out of the pot.  

I hope you enjoyed this recipe.  Please feel free to tweak it and make it your own!  That is the fun of cooking, making it to your own comfort level.  

Thank You for your visit, time and consideration!

One more for the road!

Now, go cook something for someone you love!