This soup is good the first day, and absolutely delicious every day after. Heavily based on https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/coconut-tomato-lentil-soup/, with a little inspiration from https://www.skinnytaste.com/lentil-and-chicken-soup-3-pts/.
Warning: I typically eyeball measurements, so my spice amounts are just guesstimates. Please flavor to your preferred taste.
Lentil Chicken Curry Soup
Makes about 4 quarts
Ingredients:
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1 lb green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked through
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1 bunch cilantro, stems and leaves finely chopped
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1 green pepper, finely chopped
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1 large or 2 small onions, chopped (I use yellow)
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4 large cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
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Equal amount ginger to garlic, finely chopped (between 1 and 2 Tbsp)
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1 large (28 oz) or 2 small (14 oz) cans fire roasted tomatoes (I’ve tried making it with crushed and diced and both are nice)
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1 small (14 oz) can coconut milk
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2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb or a little over)
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Small amount olive oil for sautéing
Spices (I eyeball these, so there’s probably about a Tbsp altogether):
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Garam masala (or other curry spice blend; use the most of this, at least 1 tsp)
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Crushed red pepper (to taste)
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Black pepper
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Turmeric (probably 1/2 - 1 tsp)
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Ground cumin (probably 1/2 - 1 tsp)
Tools needed:
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Large soup pot (at least 5 qts)
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Knife
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Cutting board
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Strainer
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Can opener
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Spoon for sautéing and stirring
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Ladle for serving
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2 forks
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Plate or cutting board for shredding chicken
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in pot
- Add onion and sauté for a few minutes
- Add green pepper and sauté until pepper is soft (onion should also be soft at this point with some bits just starting to turn golden around the edges where in contact with pan)
- Push vegetables to side; add ginger, garlic, and dried spices and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds) before stirring into vegetables
- Add cilantro and mix into vegetables, wait 30 seconds or so until fragrant
- Add lentils
- Add fire roasted tomatoes and coconut milk and equal amounts water (you can add water directly to the cans and then pour it in) and stir to combine ingredients
- Add chicken breasts and make sure fully submerged
- Bring pot to boil and then simmer for 30 minutes (can simmer covered or uncovered)
- Pull out chicken breasts and shred with forks
- Put chicken back into soup and cook 5-10 minutes longer, until chicken begins to pick up color of soup
Optional: This soup comes out very thick, more like a stew as the lentils absorb a lot of the water. Feel free to add more water (or even some broth) to the soup to thin it to your preference.
Enjoy! Good the first night, much better the second day and beyond. Can last in refrigerator for a week or so and freezes very well.