Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Autumn and Winter are perfect seasons to experiment with different soup recipes. I really love soup and stew! It is so easy to make a huge batch and freeze lunch or snack size quanitities. Soup can be refreshing, it can be rich, it can be creamy or spicy, but soup can always be satisfying. What better way to keep warm than to indulge in a huge, steaming bowl of soup?

That Coconut Chicken Soup is one of my all-time favorite soups. The recipe I'm posting today is made in the crockpot. One of the reasons why I love my crockpot (besides how easy they are to use) is the smell of a delicious meal that has been cooking all day. I will definitely be making this soup again this weekend, maybe you will, too!

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1L low-sodium chicken broth
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 C carrots, sliced diagonally (about 3 large)
1/2 large onion, diced
1 T fresh grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T lemongrass, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can light coconut milk
1-2 T Thai curry paste (found in the ethnic food aisle, it is a red colored paste)

Directions:

Add the following ingredients to your crockpot: chicken broth, chicken breasts, carrots, onion, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and red pepper flakes. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

15-30 minutes before serving: Add bell pepper, coconut milk and curry paste. Let stand at least 15 minutes in hot crockpot. Serve hot, garnish with peanuts, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

*Adding the bell pepper at the end will keep them from getting soggy and soft. The slight crunch of the pepper will be refreshing
*Add more curry paste, or sriracha sauce if you like your soup extra spicy

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!