Curried Chicken Coconut Soup
Posted by Gail | Filed under Gail Cooks!
Lord I love this soup. And now that I’m typing up the recipe I’m wondering why I haven’t had it in a while. So right after I’m done, I’m off to the kitchen to mix me up a batch! (Yes, I keep most of these ingredients at home, though I’ll have to go out for the fresh lemongrass and cilantro.) If you want to veg this up, you can add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. You can also noodle it up for a main course.
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbs veggie oil
- 4 tbs curry powder (Malaysian works best)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 14-oz cans unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 2 stalks lemongrass (5 lower inches minced)
- 10 thick slices of fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 chicken breast (with skin and bones)
- 6 tbs fresh lime juice
- 6 tbs Asian fish sauce
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Cook the garlic in veggie oil over a low heat until it is fragrant.
Add the curry powder, cooking and stirring for 30 seconds.
Stir in the broth, coconut milk, water, lemongrass, and ginger and bring to a boil.
Poach the chicken for 25 minutes in this mixture. Remove skin and bones and shred the meat and stir back into the soup.
Add the lime juice and fish sauce. Let simmer for another 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the soup with the cilantro just before serving.
Add noodles to this soup for a hearty main course. Use dried stick noodles (rice vermicelli). Sock them in warm water for 5 minutes. Then drain and cook in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Adds to bowl before you add the soup.
October 31, 2012 at 8:44 am
Sounds delicious! I’ll just have to find lemongrass!
October 31, 2012 at 9:18 am
That sounds amazing!!!!!! Think the “little lady” and I will have to whip that one up, Gail!!
Reminds me of a soup that I love in a strip mall Thai restaurant in Whitby.
October 31, 2012 at 9:23 am
Looks great, but feels like a step is missing – maybe straining the mixture after taking out the chicken? Do you just leave those big chunks of ginger and the lemongrass in the broth when serving? Lemongrass doesn;t really break down.. might not be nice to get a mouthful! But I am going to try it for sure.
October 31, 2012 at 10:16 am
I agree with HJVR – lemongrass doesn’t break down. So when I make my thai soups, I pound the lower half of the stalk with a meat hammer, put it in the soup, then remove it before serving. So easy since it’s still in one piece!
October 31, 2012 at 11:12 am
If you mince the lemongrass like Gail mentions in the recipe, then it’s fine in the soup. I’ve done it before, or you can leave a chunk cut in half and take it out before serving like another poster said. I can’t wait to try this! Thanks Gail!
October 31, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Ahh this is a loved soup in my house too…especially during the winter! We add cooked egg noodles to it and its so good? I keep lemongrass “paste” in my fridge just for this. It’s not really a paste but its in a tube. Yum!!!
October 31, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Love it!!
I make something similar, but I will follow your recipe Gail. For the Ginger, I freeze the root whole (skin and all) and grate it from frozen into Everything. Saves peeling and its always available.
If you can’t find lemongrass or want to use what you have at home, the Paste is okay or you can use fresh lemon zest. Its NOT the same, but it will do if you dont have the real mccoy!
October 31, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Vegans can sub in red lentils and vegetable broth and it will smell just as aromatic. Love the recipes, Gail – keep em coming!!
November 2, 2012 at 11:49 am
Gail, is it spicy? It sounds yummy. Karen thanks for the lentils suggestion; Hubby and I are considering vegetarian; vegan is a bit too drastic; I love cheese and eggs.
November 3, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Hey Wendy – it is easier than you think. Check out The Lean by Kathy Freston. It is about “leaning in” to more plants, but not terribly drastic. It is the best place to start that I have ever read.
Veg lifestyle has a lot of perks, but for the readers here? FINANCIAL
lol.