Chicken mulligatawny soup – a spiced, hearty Indian-style soup.
Chicken mulligatawny soup – a wonderfully warming, spiced and hearty soup packed with vegetables, red lentils and juicy chicken. This soup is simply bursting with flavour – perfect for the chilly autumn and winter months, though it is certainly one I’m happy to eat all year round.
Mulligatawny is an Indian-inspired soup with British roots, and it comes in countless versions. I make mine with chicken, red lentils, vegetables and apple – and, of course, plenty of warm spices. Curry powder, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander and cardamom give the soup a deep, aromatic flavour, while fresh ginger and chilli bring heat and bite.
The chicken breasts are cooked directly in the soup, which works brilliantly. The chicken gives up plenty of flavour to the soup, while the meat stays wonderfully tender and juicy. Once the chicken is cooked through, it is shredded with two forks and folded back into the soup.
Finally, the soup is finished with coconut milk or cream and freshly squeezed lime, which balances the warm spices beautifully. The result is a creamy, hearty and satisfying mulligatawny soup with plenty of protein and vegetables – true comfort food that warms you right through.
Looking for a vegetarian mulligatawny? You’ll find the recipe here.
Chicken mulligatawny soup
Ingredients
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, cut into small dice
- 2 sticks celery, cut into small dice
- 1 apple, cut into small dice
- 1/2-1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 3 tsp curry powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 900-1000 ml chicken stock
- 200 ml red lentils, uncooked rinsed
- 350 g chicken breast fillets
- 150 ml coconut milk or cream
- 1 lime, juice of
- Olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
- Heat a splash of oil in a large pan and fry the onions for a couple of minutes.
- Add the garlic, carrots, celery, apple, chilli and ginger and fry for around 5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Stir in the spices, then add the tomato purée and cook through for a couple of minutes.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes, rinsed lentils and stock and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken fillets to the pan, cover with a lid and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Lift out the chicken and shred it with two forks – meanwhile, let the soup continue to simmer until the lentils are tender and starting to break down.
- Add the coconut milk or cream, heat through and season to taste with freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Return the chicken to the soup and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper before serving.
- Serve topped with fresh coriander or parsley.
Nutrition
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