Chicken Soup with Chirizo

If you enjoy spicy, Cajun inspired food then you must know Emeril Lagasse. Emeril has starred in multiple cooking shows, published many cookbooks and owns some amazing restaurants. I had the pleasure of dining of his restaurant at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas a number of years ago. Even better, however, he also publishes all of his recipes online at emerils.com in a searchable database.

An extremely simple soup that I've made a number of times is Emeril's Caldo de Pollo with Chirizo, or chicken soup with sausage for the bilingually challenged. You want to make sure you have some chicken stock on hand. I started regularly making my own chicken stock a few months ago and freezing it in small Ziplocs so that I always have some on hand in case I need it for a soup or risotto, but you could use good store bought chicken broth as well.


Soups are great because they usually take very little time and are dirt simple to make, and this soup is no exception. The great flavour of this soup comes from the sautéed sausage, which also provides the only heat in the dish. Chirizo is good and spicy, but if your tastes veer towards the tamer side, you could substitute in a milder smoked sausage. My local market was out of chirizo so I kicked it up a notch with their "hot as heck" sausage.


With the weather dropping to a brisk -37°C / -35°F with windchill tonight, I am really enjoying this soup.