Coconut Cashew Curry Soup
This soup is adapted from Karrie Truman’s new cookbook, Seriously Good Freezer Meals: 150 Easy Recipes to Save Your Time, Money & Sanity (Robert Rose, 2018). A super quick and easy curried coconut chicken soup gets served with fresh basil, cilantro, crunchy cashews and sliced jalapeños for a bright and healthy meal. You can either eat the soup right away, or you can cool it then store it in an airtight container or ziptop freezer bag and freeze it for several weeks (defrost it in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of lukewarm water). While Karrie uses chicken breasts in the soup, I prefer thighs for their flavor and texture. I also cook the curry base before adding the liquid for a bit more flavor, as outlined below.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, finely diced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil or vegetable oil, divided
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger
- ½ jalapeño pepper
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 cans coconut milk
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
For serving
- Brown rice, optional
- Roasted, salted cashews
- Chopped fresh basil
- Cilantro leaves
- Sliced jalapeño pepper
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the granulated garlic (or, if you have garlic salt, you can use that instead as Karrie does). Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Working in batches, cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeño pepper. Process until smooth.
- In a large pot, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the curry base from the food processor along with the curry powder. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is sizzling and smells delicious. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth and basil, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook 15 minutes. Add the chicken and cook 5 minutes longer. Serve the soup with a scoop of brown rice if you’d like, and top with cashews, basil, cilantro and jalapeño pepper slices.