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This Curry Chicken Soup is ultra-comforting and loaded with veggies. I love how quick and easy it is to prepare, all in one pot!
How to Make Curry Chicken Soup
To make this flavorful soup, you’ll start by sauteing some onion, carrots, and celery, along with garlic and ginger.
I like to use curry powder to get the classic curry flavor in this soup, without relying on several individual spice jars. Stir the powder into the sauteed veggies to bring out the flavor, then you’ll add in the veggie broth, lentils, and chicken, and let it all simmer until the chicken is cooked-through, about 30 minutes.
Adding Raw Chicken to Soup
I don’t know about you, but I don’t love working with raw chicken on my cutting board– so I place the chicken thighs into this soup whole.
After the soup has finished cooking, it’s easy to grab the cooked chicken with tongs, shred it with two forks on a cutting board, and then return it to the soup.
If you would rather cut the raw chicken into bite-sized pieces before cooking, you are welcome to do that, too.
How to Thicken Soup (Without Flour)
This soup gets its thick texture from red lentils, which are one of the quickest-cooking variety of lentils. What I love about this addition, is how the lentils practically dissolve as they cook in this soup, creating a thick and creamy texture.
Eating a 1/3 cup of lentils each day may help to lower cholesterol (source) and they are an excellent source of iron (source) so I love adding them whenever I can. Plus, the fiber they contain should help keep you full for hours.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 carrots , chopped
- 3 celery stalks , chopped
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
- 4 teaspoons curry powder
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 pound boneless & skinless chicken thighs
- Fine sea salt (I use Real Salt brand)
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and saute the onion, carrot, and celery until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, and curry powder, and stir unti fragrant, about one more minute.
- Add in the broth and lentils, and give the pot a stir, then place the chicken thighs directly into the broth. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt, and bring the soup to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot, letting the soup cook until the lentils are tender and the chicken is cooked-through, about 30 minutes. (You can use a thermometer to make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF, or you can slice into it to check.)
- Use tongs to remove the chicken thighs, transfer them to a cutting board, and use two forks to shred them into bite-sized pieces. Return the chicken to the pot, and stir in the coconut milk. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding more salt, if needed. (I usually add an extra 1/2 teaspoon, but it will vary depending on the sodium in the broth that you use.)
- Serve with freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, if desired. (The lemon helps brighten up the flavor!)
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Try serving the leftovers over rice, too!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Curry Chicken Soup Nutrition above is for 1 of 6 bowls of soup. (Roughly 2 cups per serving)
Recipe Notes:
- I haven’t tested this recipe using chicken breasts, because I originally developed it for the Instant Pot, and the Instant Pot doesn’t create the best texture for chicken breasts cooked directly in liquid. (Check out my Instant Pot Chicken Breasts post for tips.) I imagine you could cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and cook them that way, if you prefer to use that instead of chicken thighs in this soup recipe.
- For a vegetarian recipe, feel free to leave out the chicken all together. You could add in a cut sweet potato for some added heartiness, and in that case the soup would only need to cook for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are as soft as you’d like them to be.
- If you don’t have broth on hand, you can use water instead and season with extra salt to compensate for the flavor.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite soup? My Chicken Vegetable Soup is another fan favorite, and Curried Butternut Soup is another easy option for your Instant Pot!
Excellent flavor! A quick dinner that the whole family enjoyed (including my 7 year old!).
Satiating and delicious! Easy to make in the Instant Pot and appreciated adding the chicken thighs whole to cook. Thank you Detoxinista for another great recipe!
May i use leftover Cornish hens instead of chicken thighs as listed. I love the idea of using sweet potatoes. Will sweet potatoes thicken the sauce as well? Are there substitutions for ginger and lentils in rhis reciepe? Please advise.
Can you use the green lentils instead of red?
You can swap the lentils, but the texture and cooking time will change a bit. Green lentils usually take 30 to 45 minutes to cook (compared to red lentils 10-15 minutes), so I would just check on their texture after the initial cook time and make sure they are tender. Green lentils also won’t dissolve and thicken the soup the way the red lentils do.
Loved the creamy taste! I used roasted chicken breast. Love also how much protein is in this! I also substituted chicken bone broth for more protein.
This will be a go to recipe from now on!
Thanks Again will be making this soup as long as I am Cooking💖🇺🇸
Your Curry Chicken Soup was EXCELLENT 💖
Thank You So Very Much🇺🇸
Appreciative Cindy
We made this for a school project. I was pretty successful, we forgot the chicken but it was still good. I totally recommend this recipe.
I love this recipe, it has become a staple this fall/winter. So easy and delicious.