Chicken Curry Soup

Red curry paste is one of those ingredients that you just want to have stored in the fridge to use here and there. It is a wonderfully subtle way to deepen and richen flavors like in this crisp, light, perfect-for-summer soup. 

My food cravings have distinct seasonal patterns – root vegetables in the fall, roasts in the winter, fresh vegetables in the spring and anything that doesn’t make me hotter in the summer. Summer food should be fun! There are skewers and grilled fruit and cook outs. Here in Central Texas, the summer is HOT. Triple digits are around from late June until clear into September. On those days, any outside plans tend to happen early in the morning or as the sun is going down with the middle of the day happening in the more temperate confines of an air conditioned building. This routine change means that we will usually eat dinner early during that afternoon lull in activity with a snack of some sort of fruit in the later evening.

This super simple Chicken Curry Soup is packed with fresh vegetables and surprisingly deep flavor. In addition to being kid & husband approved (my 6 year old happily gobbled it up), this is the perfect meal for a lunch with friends. One of those where you can place all the veggies in the middle of the table while everyone chats and builds their own bowls. Last year, I had bookmarked this delicious looking Coconut Curry Soup from one of my favorite food blogs, Pinch of Yum. But, it would need some tweaking for my family. I couldn’t convince my husband to eat tofu if I wrapped it in bacon (seriously, I tried). Plus, with my doctor recommending some diet changes due to suspected PCOS, soy products are off the menu. A little experimenting (3 tries) produced this fabulous soup that quickly became a family favorite.

Ingredients

1 tbsp avocado oil

1 small red onion, finely diced

2 russet potatoes, peeled & chopped

2 14 oz cans coconut milk

1 large chicken breast, diced

4 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp red curry paste

1 tbsp honey

saffron (optional)

salt

2 limes

1/2 small head of purple cabbage, thinly sliced

3 carrots, thinly peeled into noodles

3 scallions, thinly sliced

handful of cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. In a soup pot, brown diced chicken breast in avocado oil on medium high heat and remove from pot.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add onion to pot and saute until translucent. You can add a bit more oil if necessary.
3. Add curry paste, saffron, salt, honey, potatoes, coconut milk and chicken broth to the pot and bring to a simmer, cooking until the potatoes are fork tender.
4. Using an immersion blender, blend potato and coconut milk mixture until mostly smooth. (I like to leave some chunks of potato for texture but that’s a personal taste thing). For thicker, creamier soup, simply continue to simmer until it reaches the desired thickness. I never have the patience to wait!
5. Zest and juice one lime and add to the pot, stirring to combine.
6. Let everyone at the table build their own bowl of veggies and ladle soup over them to serve.

There are a thousand different ways to customize this soup. I’ve added lemongrass (a super delicious twist for Thai fans), sriracha or green chilis for a little heat, turnips instead of potatoes…the possibilities are endless!