I have childhood memories of this soup, which is a little unusual because it certainly isn’t from a standard repertoire. I think, however, that memory comes from Pepperidge Farms Chicken Curry Soup. Yes, that’s right, in the 60s and 70s, Pepperidge Farm had a line of “gourmet” soups and my mom was a huge fan (there was lobster bisque, black beean with sherry and hunters soup in the line up). I think she might have zhuzzed up that can of soup and called it Mulligatawny. Mulligatawny is, besides being a fun word to say, a creation of the British empire in India, a sort of mashup of the flavors of the subcontinent with the familiarity of England. At its heart, it is a creamy chicken soup with curry spices, apple and coconut milk. Some recipes use lentils, some rice, some use neither. Some toast and grind whole spices, but I just rely on curry powder and garam masala blends. The end result is rich and hearty, savory with a little sweetness from the apple and coconut milk and hearty with rice and chicken. It’s a bright and sunny soup for cold weather.
I use really flavorful spices from Burlap and Barrel and sometimes my soup comes out less of the classic curry yellow, so I bump up the turmeric – you can leave it out if your curry powder has lots of turmeric already. A little cayenne pepper in the spices can add some kick if you like. I am calling this stew because it is a rather thick finished product, but you can add some extra chicken broth to make it thinner. I whir it with an immersion blender to create a creamier base, but you don’t have to. I chop a little cilantro over the top for color, but you don’t have to. A dollop of yogurt would be a nice touch as well. I love to serve this with some warm naan for scooping.
Kitchen Favorites
Ingredients
- For the Chicken
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 carrot finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 ½ Tablespoons curry powder
1 Tablespoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 Tablespoon flour
4 cups (32-ounces) chicken broth
½ cup white basmati rice
1 granny smith apple, peeled
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
Chopped cilantro to sprinkle (optional)
- For the Stew
Directions
- For the Chicken
- Put the flour, salt, pepper, garam masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric on a ziptop bag or a medium bowl, Shake or whisk to thoroughly combine. Cut the chicken breast into thin strips, then cut the strips into small pieces. I use scissors, cutting the strips acroos the length of the breasts, then cut those strips into pieces. Remember you will be eating this with spoons so you want appropriately sized bites. Put the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour and toss to coat each piece completely with the mix. Heat 2 Tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a 6-quart pot, then add the chicken and cook, stirring, until the outsides are browned (you don’t need to cook it completely now). Remove to a plate.
- For the Stew
- Place the rice in a wire mesh sieve and rinse until the water runs almost clear, Set aside. Add 3 Tablespoons of oil to the pot and add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring, until the onion is glassy and the carrots are soft. Push the vegetables to the side of the pot, leaving a little open space. Sprinkle the curry powder, garam masala and turmeric on the surface, then cook, stirring, for a few seconds until fragrant and toasty. Stir in the vegetables, coating well, the sprinkle over the flour. Stir to coat the vegetables and cook for about a minute to get rid of any floury taste. Pour in 1 cup of the chicken broth and cook, stirring, until you have a thickened roux. Pour in the remaining broth and stir to combine. Bring to a low bubble. Blend the soup with an immersion blender, not until completely smooth, but just to create a creamier base (you can skip this step). Reduce the heat to low, pour in the rinsed rice, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes.
- Uncover the pot and grate the apple into the soup. I do this directly over the pot with a flat grater so you get all the juice as well (a box grater works). Stir to combine, raise the heat to medium and add the reserved chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, then lower the heat back to low and stir in the coconut milk. Let the soup simmer to heat through.
- Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro if you like.
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