© Sunshine Urbaniak
Coconut & Curry Chicken Bisque
I first had this soup from Safeway in California, in one of those take-home containers you find in the prepared food section. I fell in love with the rich flavors—red curry, coconut milk, ginger, and lemongrass. The broth alone was like gold. After buying it many times, I removed the label and kept it in my cookbook, knowing someday I’d re-make it. It took moving across the country to finally give it a shot.
Between the label ingredients and researching similar soups online, and after many attempts, I finally nailed that distinct flavor I love so much. Here are some tips I learned along the way.
- Cook the chicken and rice at the same time—to save time!
- Use lemongrass paste versus fresh chopped lemongrass—it’s much smoother.
- Go light on the red curry at first, just a teaspoon, you can always add more at the end if you prefer more heat.
- Don’t overpack this soup with too much chicken or rice or you’ll end up with a bad ratio of broth to ingredients. Best to have a higher broth percentage as it does evaporate a bit. To help with that, I add an extra cup of water to the stock, it helps.
- Don’t get worried about squeezing lime into the pot—it won’t taste “limey”—it actually brightens the broth very nicely.
You can easily make this vegetarian by omitting the chicken and replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth. Enjoy!
Coconut & Curry Chicken Bisque
Servings: 4-6 people
AuthorSunshine UrbaniakCategorySoupsTotal Time1 hrINGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet lined with tin foil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook for 20 minutes in 350 degree oven. Let cool to handle, then shred with two forks. Measure out about 2 cups. Set aside.
While chicken is baking, cook the rice as well. Pour 1/2 cup of jasmine rice into a shallow pan with a lid. Cover with 1 cup of water. Cover and bring to a soft boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Set aside.
In a large stockpot, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, lemongrass, and 1/4 cup of water. Cook until carrots are tender, about 8-10 min.
Then add chicken and the pan juices, red curry paste, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, garlic powder, cumin, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir and cook for another 5 min.
Next, add the chicken stock, coconut milk, water, tomato paste, and green onions. Bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 15 min.
Turn off the heat. Add the rice, the juice of half a lime, and cilantro. Let rest for 10 min, taste, and add more salt if needed. For more heat, stir in some more curry, and if it's too spicy, add some more brown sugar. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet lined with tin foil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook for 20 minutes in 350 degree oven. Let cool to handle, then shred with two forks. Measure out about 2 cups. Set aside.
While chicken is baking, cook the rice as well. Pour 1/2 cup of jasmine rice into a shallow pan with a lid. Cover with 1 cup of water. Cover and bring to a soft boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Set aside.
In a large stockpot, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, lemongrass, and 1/4 cup of water. Cook until carrots are tender, about 8-10 min.
Then add chicken and the pan juices, red curry paste, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, garlic powder, cumin, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir and cook for another 5 min.
Next, add the chicken stock, coconut milk, water, tomato paste, and green onions. Bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 15 min.
Turn off the heat. Add the rice, the juice of half a lime, and cilantro. Let rest for 10 min, taste, and add more salt if needed. For more heat, stir in some more curry, and if it's too spicy, add some more brown sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
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