Delicious coconut milk chicken soup

Who doesn’t love a delicious and creamy chicken soup on a cold day? Or those times when you’re either feeling a cold coming or simply in the need for some good old comfort food? If so, you’ll find this recipe to hit the right spot.

I’ve been experimenting with chicken soup – or maybe just soup in general – a lot in the last few years, and especially since G and I got this great and beautiful looking slow cooker. I’m absolutely sold for slow cookers now, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thrown everything into the pot in the morning right before work, or late at night before sleeping. It’s a real life – and time – saver! And there are just so many recipes that you can adapt to slow cooking to make your evening meals easier and healthier. Have I convinced you yet? And before you ask, no, this is not an ad and I’m not being paid for this. I’m also not recommending you to buy this particular slow cooker, just any at all! If you have kids especially, or just a busy life, you will find that this gadget definitely pays off.

This really creamy chicken soup is the stuff dreams are made of. It’s got a hint of Asian thanks to the coconut milk and the coriander, but all the flavour of grandmother’s good old chicken soup for those cold winter days before a storm hits.

I’ve made this recipe in a regular pot, but it can be very easily done in the slow cooker as well. The recipe is for 4 servings.

• 500g boneless chicken or chicken breasts
• 500ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 apple, diced
• 200ml coconut milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• a dash of cumin
• fresh coriander leaves

1. Put a big pot on medium heat with some olive oil.
2. Pulse or mash the garlic cloves and throw in the oil to brown.
3. Add the onion and the leek and stir for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the chicken, stock, carrots and apple, and cover with the lid. Bring to a boil.
5. Once it’s boiling, add salt and pepper, the cumin and coriander. Reduce the liquid by leaving the lid off.
6. Once it’s reduced by a rough quarter, add the coconut milk.
7. As soon as the chicken is cooked, fish it out of the pot and chop it, slice it or shred it (I like it shredded). Throw it back into the pot and cook with the lid on for another 15 minutes.
8. Serve with slices of bread as it’ll help you scrape the bottom of the bowl once you’re finished. Enjoy!

If you’re making this recipe in the slow cooker:

1. Follow previous steps 1 and 2.
2. Throw the onion and leek into the slow cooker, together with the chicken, stock (use 200ml instead of 500ml), carrots and apple. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
3. Add salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and the coconut milk.
4. Follow previous steps 7 and 8.

BONUS TIPS:

• Ditch the chicken and replace the chicken stock for veggie stock to make this vegan! As I’ve said many times, I’m not a vegan but I do cross over from time to time and I love learning new recipes with vegan and vegetarian ingredients and see how they interact and change the recipes in their own unique way.