It’s self care Saturday over here at the Budget Bytes house and I’m eating this super cozy Coconut Turmeric Chicken Soup. With chilly temps outside I knew I wanted to make a pot of chicken soup, but decided to change up my classic version by combining it with my favorite aspects of my Golden Coconut Lentil Soup. The combo is absolutely FANTASTIC! Warm, cozy, creamy, and aaaahmazing.
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How to Serve Coconut Turmeric Chicken Soup
This soup itself is awesome, but I topped mine with a small scoop of jasmine rice, a little fresh cilantro, and wedge of lime. You could also serve it up with a piece of naan bread for dipping into the delicious broth.
Coconut Turmeric Chicken Soup
Servings 6 1.3 cups eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.21)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.15)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil) ($0.32)
- 1/2 Tbsp turmeric ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 lb. carrots (about 3) ($0.45)
- 1/2 bunch celery (about 4 stalks) ($0.65)
- 1 skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.)* ($2.97)
- 3 cups chicken broth** ($0.39)
- 1 13oz. can coconut milk ($1.99)
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste) ($0.02)
Optional for Serving
- 3 cups cooked jasmine rice ($0.53)
- 1 handful fresh cilantro ($0.25)
- 1 lime ($0.22)
Instructions
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large soup pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
- While the onion, garlic, and ginger are sautéing, peel and chop the carrots, and chop the celery.
- Once the onions are soft, add the turmeric, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for about minute more to toast the spices. Add the carrots and celery and sauté for a few minutes more, or just until they begin to soften.
- Add the chicken breast to the pot along with the chicken broth. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the broth to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the broth simmer for 30 minutes.
- Once the chicken and vegetables have simmered in the broth for 30 minutes, remove the chicken breast and shred it with two forks. Return the shredded meat to the soup and add the coconut milk. Stir to combine and heat through over medium-low heat. Taste the soup and add salt to taste (I added 1/2 tsp).
- To serve, ladle about 1 1/3 cups soup into a bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked rice, a few fresh cilantro leaves, and a wedge of lime.
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Notes
Nutrition
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You can find this red 6-quart Amazon Basics Dutch Oven in the “cookware” section of my Amazon Shop.
How to Make Coconut Turmeric Chicken Soup – Step by Step Photos
Begin by dicing one onion, mincing two cloves of garlic, and grating about 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic to a large soup pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Once soft, add 1/2 Tbsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Sauté for about one minute more to toast the spices.
While the onion, garlic, and ginger are sautéing, peel and chop 1/2 lb. carrots (about 3 medium carrots), and chop 1/2 bunch celery (about four large stalks). Add them to the pot and continue to sauté for a few minutes more, or just until they begin to soften.
Add one chicken breast to the pot along with 3 cups chicken broth. It’s okay if the chicken broth doesn’t completely cover the chicken. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the broth to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the pot simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes of simmering, remove the chicken breast and use two forks to shred it.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot and add one 13oz. can of coconut milk. Stir to combine and heat through over medium-low. The fat from the coconut milk will look a little clumpy until it heats up and melts into the soup.
Once heated through, give it a taste and add salt as needed. I added 1/2 tsp, but this amount will depend largely on the salt content of the broth you used.
Serve the Coconut Turmeric Chicken Soup with a small scoop of cooked jasmine rice, a few fresh cilantro sprigs, and a wedge of lime.
Not bad! Love how healthy this is. It’s pretty bland without the rice tho. The soup needs more depth so next time I’ll try simmering the broth for way longer.
I’m going to try this recipe tonight. I haven’t made it yet, but I’m wondering if a little fish sauce would add the depth you’re wanting.
This was a semi sweet delicious soup. Glad I stepped out the box. Thanks
I can’t wait to make this soup but I have two questions:
1- can this be made in a slow cooker?
2- is it detrimental to the recipe not to use ginger?
Thanks!
Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this one with a slow cooker, so I’m not sure how this would turn out. And yes, I would say you definitely don’t want to skip the ginger. :)
my husband is allergic to coconut is there a substitute for the coconut milk. I really want to make this!!! Thanks!
No, unfortunately, the coconut is one of the main flavors for this one, so the recipe wouldn’t be the same without it. :(
Made this to eat for lunches this week! Really satisfying with the rice. I ended up adding some curry powder in addition to the turmeric and topping with sriracha for a little extra spice! Also added half a bag of spinach at the end because I needed to use it soon and it complemented the dish nicely and got some more veggies in there
Made this for dinner and my husband and I loved it!
I think I may try the cauliflower substitute one of the reviewers mentioned with vegetable broth for my vegan/vegetarian friends!
This recipe is easy and delicious! Nice flavor and very versatile. I had it for breakfast & used homemade naan to soak up the broth. Appreciate the accurate cost breakdown and cooking/prep time. Blogs that underestimate cost & time for recipes drive me nuts!
Wow so cozy! Tasted great, thank you!
Reminds me of a recipe from this new cookbook I found with 108 veggie/vegan recipes, they use cauliflower to give the bite rather than chicken but it’s still got that golden glow like this one!
https://doronyoga.com/doron-yoga-cookbook/
I have made this soup several times and absolutely love it! I usually add more turmeric because I love it.
Question: I found fresh turmeric at my produce store. Any idea how much I would use?
Love the soup! Just a question though… does the nutritional info count the optional rice or is it just the soup alone?
The nutrition data provided is calculated using all ingredients listed on the recipe card, including any ingredient listed as optional. Keep in mind that recipes that involve marinades, breading, salad dressings, oil for frying, or salt for cooking pasta and potatoes may be skewed because some of these ingredients will be discarded and not included in the final edible portion.
This has become one of our go-to meals. My daughter begs for it!
This was simple and delicious! I used an extra cup of broth and 2 chicken breasts. My son called it “magic. soup” because it cleared up his sinus congestion. Thanks for the great recipe
Just made with additional two cups of broth and my last 2/3c wild rice. Just what we need this cold winter night!
This recipe is amazing. I personally love to add bell peppers and pickled red onions (your recipe!) on top of it before serving.
Love this recipe! I’ve made it several times for my husband and I. It’s easy to put together and always turns out flavorful. I’ve had leftover rotisserie chicken on hand a few times and subbed that in place of the chicken breasts and it still turns out wonderfully!
Love hearing that you used your leftover rotisserie! Thanks for sharing Miranda