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Coconut Chicken Soup

5 from 8 votes

Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you off - this is a simple soup with lots of spices and amazing flavor!

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Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup with Spinach and Lentils

 

A bowl of creamy coconut chicken soup with spinach, lentils and cashews

 

Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup with Spinach, Lentils and rich Indian spices – healthy, hearty, filling and delicious!

I’ve had a bit of wander-lust lately. We’re dreaming of our next big adventure but until we decide where in the world we’re going, I took a quick trip right from our Virginia kitchen. I love experimenting with the rich, aromatic spices of India and this Coconut Chicken Soup is a winner!

Soup is my preferred meal these days with all the rain and cool fall temperatures, it’s a warm, comforting meal. This Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup with Spinach and Lentils is loaded with amazing flavor and it’s very filling and satisfying, and healthy too!

 

A bowl of creamy coconut chicken soup with spinach, lentils, lemon and cashews

Use poached chicken or pre-cooked rotisserie chicken for this coconut chicken soup.

The chicken is poached until tender then shredded. The chicken is added to sautéed onions, garlic, ginger and all the spices including cumin, garam masala, coriander and turmeric. For a simple shortcut, use rotisserie chicken instead!

Coconut milk, chicken broth and passata are poured into the pot to create a flavorful broth. Passata is a bottled raw tomato sauce found in most grocery stores.   I purchased Centro San Marzano Tomato Pure Passata from our local Wegman’s for this soup.  I love this product and they didn’t even ask me to say that!

 

A bowl of creamy chicken soup with lentils and spinach

Add spinach to this coconut chicken soup at the end to wilt.

There’s no need to cook the spinach, it wilts beautifully in just a few minutes in the hot broth. Garnish individual bowls of this coconut chicken soup with fresh parsley or cilantro and a few cashews. This delicious soup is a totally satisfying, complete meal!

 

Creamy Indian spiced soup with spinach and cashews

 

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A bowl of creamy coconut chicken soup with lentils and spinach

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Creamy Coconut Chicken Soup with Spinach and Lentils

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 6
Course: Main Course
Author: Tricia
Pin RecipePrint RecipeRate Recipe
5 from 8 votes
Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you off - this is a simple soup with lots of spices and amazing flavor!

Ingredients

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 5 cups chicken broth homemade or store-bought, unsalted or low sodium preferred, divided
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large white onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 ½ tablespoons garam masala
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
  • 1 cup passata (Italian sieved tomatoes)
  • 1 cup red lentils sorted and rinsed
  • juice of ½ fresh lemon
  • 6 ounces baby spinach leaves
  • sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • fresh chopped parsley for garnish
  • a handful of chopped cashews peanuts or almonds if desired

Instructions

To make the chicken:

  • Combine 2 cups of chicken stock, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper and the thyme sprig in a large skillet or sauté pan. Bring to a boil then add the chicken breasts making sure they fit in a single layer. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes, turning at least once. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Allow the chicken to rest in the hot broth and finish cooking for about 15 more minutes. Remove the chicken and cut into bite sized pieces or shred, set aside. Remove the thyme sprigs but keep the chicken stock handy.
  • While the chicken is cooking combine all the dry spices in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Once the chicken is shredded, heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high. Add the onion and sauté until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, and chicken. Sauté for 1 minute to combine. Add all the spices to the chicken mixture and stir until the chicken has taken up all the spices.
  • Pour the reserved and remaining 3 cups of chicken stock, coconut milk and passata into the soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Gently simmer the soup for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Add the lentils, cover the pot and continue to cook gently on low for another 15 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.
  • Remove from the heat and check the seasoning. And add salt and pepper to taste. Add the fresh lemon juice and the spinach leaves. Stir until the spinach is just wilted.
  • Serve immediately garnished with parsley and chopped cashews.

Recipe Notes

If using rotisserie or pre-cooked chicken breasts skip STEP 1. In STEP 4 add a total of 5 cups of chicken broth instead of the "reserved" plus remaining 3 cups.
 
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 1088mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3114IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 5mg

Finally, here are a few more delicious soup recipes you might like:

 

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38 Comments

  1. JessDR

    5 stars
    This was SO DELICIOUS, and I really appreciate that it’s a balanced meal on its own. I am much more likely to eat a healthy lunch if I have something ready to reheat in the fridge, and soups are my favorite. I’ll bet this would be great with Ethiopian flavors too. I’m going to try swapping in berbere for garam masala and niter kibbe for coconut milk.

    Reply

  3. Heather

    5 stars
    Delicious! I altered this recipe to the instant pot. Just sautéed the onion, then added garlic/ginger/spice mix. Then dumped everything else in and set for 20 minutes. Came out perfect, chicken was super tender!

    Reply

  6. Dom

    oh wow, this looks so good! I really want to develop a similar vegetarian recipe because coconut soup was such a big favourite of The Vikings before he was a veggie… I need a bowl now please x

    Reply

  11. John/Kitchen Riffs

    We’re big into soups at this time of the year, too. It’s something we have at least once a week — usually more. And it’s going to be cold and rainy tonight, so I have a feeling it might be on the menu. 😉 Actually I should put THIS on the menu — so much flavor. And it looks terrific! Thanks.

    Reply

  12. Foodiewife

    I’m so thankful that our heat wave is finished, and I can finally enjoy soups. I just love them. I’ve never bought passata, but I am definitely keeping my eyes open for it. I tend to hoard canned tomatoes in every variety I can think of for whenever I need them. Plus, guess what? I can pressure cook the chicken breasts in five minutes! That’s another reason to invest in one. Wink, wink. Beautiful soup, and totally pinned to make.

    Reply

  14. Monica

    Tricia, I love how you do everything to the 10th power. As in I’ll make soup but you make *soup* and it is just 10x better. I know your family can taste not only how good your food is but the love you put into it. This soup really looks amazing! I am totally in soup mode, too. Last thing I made was red lentil with curry and ginger. It would be the very humble version of something spectacular like this! : )

    Reply

  17. Chris Scheuer

    Oh Tricia, this is so pretty. I love the fresh spinach garnish. I could eat this type of soup every day and never tire of it. Thanks for the tip about passata too, I never heard of it before. Pinning this for all the chili days ahead!

    Reply