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.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
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.
I love, love, love this soup. I never write reviews, but this recipe deserves it. It has great flavor made just as written. I add lots more vegetables cuz that’s what I like. I’ve added baby bok choy, mushrooms, peppers and baby corn. I have also made it with shrimp in place of the chicken. Thanks for a great recipe!
I have been holding onto this recipe for awhile to try. Finally made it tonight and it did not disappoint! So delicious and comforting with simple ingredients. 5 stars!
Yummm!! The perfect soup for a cold winter day. I’ve never had a budget bytes recipe that I didn’t like :)
LOVE THIS SOUP!!! OMG!
I make this regularly thanks so much for this recipe. I leave out the cumin because I don’t like it.
I crave this soup all the time and it is so easy to make.
Love it over coconut jasmine rice with cilantro and lime as suggested.
This is one of my all-time favorite recipes and I am not even a soup person. I switched it up a little by adding two teaspoons of Thai green curry paste, leaving out celery, and throwing in a bag of spinach at the end. It was absolutely delicious.
This soup is spot on — it’s flippin’ delicious. I’m pretty sure it has medicinal qualities too. In the autumn/winter, I make a big batch of this when I feel the onset of an illness. I swear it reduces cold/flu symptoms. Maybe it’s because it’s hot and broth-y, maybe it’s because the leftovers are convenient and just as delicious, but something about this soup is on another level. Don’t do yourself a disservice; make a big ol’ pot of this!!!
Delicious! I like to mix it up sometimes and use udon noodles/some other type of noodle instead of rice sometimes and I usually add spinach. It’s become a regular chilly day meal!
SUPER TASTY! I was a little cavalier with the recipe, but it turned out great! I didn’t have an onion so I dumped some toasted onion chips and some onion powder in there, and I didn’t have enough carrots so I threw some frozen veg in. I added extra turmeric, cumin, and garlic. I also tossed the chicken (cut into pieces) in flour and Sazón Goya and seared it in the pan after sautéing and removing the carrots and celery. I tossed more of the Sazon Góya (what can I say, that stuff is magic, MSG is amazing in soups!) into the pot, and at some point I also deglazed the pot with cheap beer. My only regret was not making any rice to go with it, but I was too hungry and didn’t have the foresight to follow the extra suggestions. I think the lime, cilantro, and rice would have made it perfect.
Can you make this in the slow cooker? If so, what modifications need to be made
This is one of my favorite soups ever. I like to throw in a second chicken breast for extra protein and add about a cup more broth, but otherwise I don’t change a thing. The flavors are just perfect.
This is a hit for the entire family and is asked for often. Dang yummy and a good tummy filler with rice. Sometimes I cheat and toss in a bag of frozen veg soup mix to add even more veg — pretty and delicious! #SoupSundaySupper
Good recipe. Flavor was more subtle than I expected, but we all agreed it was tasty.
How strong is the ginger flavor in this? I don’t care for ginger. If the ginger flavor is present, do you think I can leave it out/substitute and it will taste fine? Thanks
Just leave it out.
This is a lovely recipe that feels healthy and great in my gut. I definitely recommend including the cilantro and lime – otherwise the flavor profile is a little bit incomplete. Thanks for another great one!
Excellent. Served over rice. All 5 in the house LOVED it!. Double batch was gone same day. Making it again today. Only changes were thighs instead of breasts. One can coconut instead of 2 for the double batch. Added curry powder suggestion from comments.