Chicken Curry Soup

The original version of this recipe came from our friend Colleen at the gym, although where she originally found the recipe, I’m not sure.  When I pulled it out of the folder to put on our menu recently, I couldn’t help but make some adjustments that would put our own spin on things.  The result is a mild green curry with lots of liquid and a ton of flavor.  And if you’ve got some leftover pre-cooked chicken in the fridge like we did, you can actually have this soup ready to eat in under 30 minutes.

Gather Up:

• 1-1/2 to 2 lbs chicken, cut into 3/4″ chunks (we had leftover Cayenne Grilled Chicken that was perfect)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2~3 cups chicken stock (homemade in the freezer bag)
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin
• 10 stalks asparagus, tough ends snapped and cut into 1″ long pieces
• 1/4 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1″ chunks
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted cashews
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup fresh basil, whole or larger leaves torn in half
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp green curry paste
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Start out toasting your cashews if they are raw.  Heat a large sauce pan on medium-high heat and add the cashews when it is hot.  Stir them constantly for about 2 to 3 minutes until they are lightly toasted and aromatic, but stop before they start to burn or get bitter.  Transfer immediately to a prep bowl to cool.  Obviously, if your cashews are already roasted, you can skip this step.

Get all of your veggies and chicken cut up as listed above and separated into prep bowls.  Place 1/2 of the can of coconut milk into the large sauce pan you used for the cashews.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then whisk in the curry powder, paste, and salt.

Toss in the garlic and red onion and stir well.  Cook for about two minutes, then stir in the remaining coconut milk, chicken stock, and chicken.  If your stock is frozen when you add it in, keep the heat on medium and stir until the stock is fully melted and the pot returns to a simmer.  If your chicken is uncooked, then once the pot returns to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain the simmer and let cook for 10 minutes.  If your chicken is already cooked, jump right in to the next step.

Add the cauliflower and zucchini to the pot and cover.  Reduce the heat (if not already reduced above to simmer the uncooked chicken) and continue simmering for about 5 to 10 minutes until the cauliflower and zucchini are tender and the chicken is fully cooked.  Add the asparagus to the pot and let cook for about 1 minute longer.

Shut off the heat and stir in the basil, cilantro and cashews.  Let sit an additional minute or two while you get the bowls and spoons out.

To serve up, spoon into wide shallow bowls.  Make sure to get plenty of the different goodies in each bowl.  You can add a dash of turmeric, or for something out of the ordinary a pinch of allspice.  Best of all are the leftovers, though the asparagus will sort of disintegrate when reheated, leaving a thicker texture to the soup but also a very distinct green color…