Curried Chicken, Chickpea, and Rice Soup

This Coconut Curry Chicken Soup is packed with shredded chicken, cauliflower, chickpeas, and Indian spices. A bowl of this will warm you up from the inside out!

Creating This Recipe for Chicken Curry Soup

I love making a big, steaming pot of soup or stew that will last for a few days during a busy week where I find that I don’t have as much time to spend in the kitchen as I’d like.

I took a traditional recipe for Chicken, Chickpea and Rice Soup and tweaked a few things to create a rich Indian flavored chicken chickpea soup.

This red curry chicken soup is a wonderful hearty soup recipe and a great way to use up any leftover chicken thighs, baked chicken breast, or meat from a leftover whole roasted chicken that you may have in your refrigerator.

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup Ingredients

I made this chicken curry soup with coconut milk to deliver that authentic curry flavor as well as plenty of creaminess.

Here’s what you’ll need to make the red curry chicken soup:

• Coconut oil
• Yellow onion
• Garlic
• Poblano pepper
• Fresh ginger
• Indian red curry powder
• Garam masala
• Tomato paste
• Fire-roasted tomatoes
• Chicken or vegetable broth
• Canned coconut milk
• Chickpeas
• Cooked chicken
• Cauliflower
• Frozen peas
• Cooked rice, for serving

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

This curried chicken chickpea soup is incredibly easy to make, and the whole recipe takes less than 40 minutes to prepare.

1. In a large soup pot, melt the coconut oil. Sauté the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and poblano and sauté for 1 more minute.
3. Add the curry powder and garam masala. Stir in the tomato paste.
4. Add both cans of tomatoes and their juices, the broth, coconut milk, chickpeas, and chicken.
5. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until chicken is heated through.
6. Stir in the cauliflower and cook just until it reaches your desired tenderness.
7. Stir in the peas right before serving and cook only until heated through.
8. Spoon a small amount of rice into an individually sized serving bowl. Top with desired amount of soup and garnish with chopped cilantro.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Can This Recipe Be Made Vegetarian?

Yes! As an alternative, you could easily shape this into a vegetarian curried chicken and rice soup, leave out the chicken, substitute vegetable broth, and increase the vegetables (or use browned, firm tofu cut into small cubes).

Can I Use Other Veggies in This Soup?

Yes! In this easy chicken curry and rice soup you may use whatever vegetables you have on hand. I like cauliflower and frozen peas and think they pair well with coconut milk and curry, but I already had them in my kitchen.

Other vegetable ideas that would work well in this soup include items such as carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, green beans, or diced butternut squash.

Whatever ingredient combination you end up using, I think you’ll find this is a tasty soup that is very forgiving of what vegetables you have on hand.

Tips for Making Chicken Curry Soup

• I found that this chicken curry soup was full of flavor, but not too spicy. However, if you like a hotter curry soup, you can add extra poblano pepper, increase the spices, and/or add diced jalapeños to the soup.
• If you will be consuming all of the soup in one meal, you can stir your desired amount of rice directly into the pot before serving.
• If you will have leftovers, spoon the rice directly into the bowl to avoid mushy rice in your leftover soup.

More Chicken Soup Recipes:

This Kale and Broccoli Chicken Tortellini Soup is a comforting twist on the classic soup!

Make a big batch of Italian Wedding Soup with Chicken Meatballs to warm up on a cold winter’s day! Serve with crusty bread or a green side salad for a full meal.

This Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup is a fun twist on classic chicken noodle soup. It’s the perfect soup for soothing sore throats year-round!

This Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup is warm and spicy. Plus, you likely have all the ingredients on hand!

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