Mulligatawny Soup
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This Mulligatawny Soup is a traditional curry soup with origins in Indian cuisine that is deeply satisfying, comforting and delicious. Mildly spicy, creamy, loaded with chicken and apples, simply incredible!
What Is Mulligatawny Soup?
What do you think of when you hear the name “Mulligatawny”? Seinfeld! Thought so. No soup for you! Just kidding! I have soup for you. And I have a yummy, creamy, curry soup, a.k.a. Mulligatawny soup. It’s one of my favorites really, I mean how can you go wrong with curry and apples?
Mulligatawny Soup is a traditional curry soup with origins in Indian cuisine made with meat or chicken. There are so many different variations of this Mulligatawny soup, so this is just my version of this amazing soup.
I like my soups thick and creamy so they’re perfect for dipping your crusty bread in.
Why You’ll Love This Mulligatawny Soup
- Quick and Easy! This yummy simple one-pot soup comes together in just about 30 minutes and requires no fancy hard to find ingredients or special skills.
- Authentic Indian Flavor! With perfectly cooked chicken, veggies, and rice in a delicious authentic broth composed of curry powder, turmeric, and oregano this traditional recipe is incredible.
- Make Ahead Meal! Soup is a fantastic meal prep option that keeps well in the fridge and is super freezer friendly. It’s a weeknight meal that you can make days ahead to just reheat and eat.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter to control the amount of added salt. If you only have salted butter you will need to reduce the amount of salt that you use to season the soup.
- Onion – I like to use brown onion or yellow onion, but any type of onion will work.
- Carrots – Adds just the right touch of natural sweetness along with the apples.
- Celery – A classic soup vegetable that helps to round out the flavors.
- Garlic – Use fresh minced garlic cloves for the most authentic taste. Jarred garlic will work, yet it can sometimes have an acidic taste due to preservatives.
- Seasonings – Salt and pepper are used to season the soup.
- Chicken – You will need whole boneless skinless chicken thighs. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts, but I find that thighs add more flavor.
- Herbs and Spices – Turmeric and curry powder are classic Indian spices used in the soup. As well as, a pinch of oregano which is not used as often in Indian dishes but adds a lovely herb flavor to curry based recipes.
- Flour – Just a bit of simple all-purpose flour is needed to thicken the soup.
- Chicken Broth – I always use a low sodium variety to control the saltiness. You can use vegetable broth if you prefer.
- Rice – Any type of rice will work in the soup. A popular choice is basmati rice but simple white rice is perfect too.
- Coconut Milk – Creates a yummy coconut curry broth with the curry powder and a lovely creamy consistency
- Apples – When added to soup apples beautifully balance out the curry broth with just the right touch of natural sugar. I like to use Granny Smith, but any type of apple will work.
- Parsley – Used to garnish the soup and add a final layer of fresh herb flavor.
Don’t let the sound of curry soup scare you away! It’s actually super easy to make in just a few simple steps and only requires one pot!
To begin, you need to get the veggies going. First, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large pot. Then add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pot. Now, sprinkle the veggies with a bit of salt and pepper to season, and then cook them for about 3 minutes or until they soften and the garlic becomes aromatic.
Once the veggies are sautéed, add the chicken thighs to the pot and then season them with salt and pepper. Now, stir everything together and cook the thighs for 5 minutes or until they are no longer pink. However, don’t worry if the chicken is not cooked through yet.
Now let’s add some more flavor! Add the oregano, turmeric, and curry powder to the pot and stir. Then sprinkle everything with the all-purpose flour and stir the mixture once more. The flour is added to help thicken up the soup broth a bit.
Next, pour in the chicken broth, rice, and coconut milk and bring the soup to a boil. Then turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup cook for about 10 minutes or until the rice is done. But make sure to keep an eye on the soup and add more broth if needed.
After the rice is done, remove the chicken thighs from the soup and place them in a bowl. Then use two forks to shred the meat. Now, put the shredded chicken back into the pot and mix it into the soup. Next, add the apples and cook the soup for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Finally, taste the Mulligatawny soup and season with more salt if necessary. Now, ladle the soup into bowls and serve it topped with fresh parsley.
What Can I Add To The Soup?
Like all soups, this recipe is easy to customize. So feel free to add any additional veggies you like or even replace the rice with quinoa. You could even add some cayenne pepper to make it spicy if you prefer. It’s totally up to you and your taste.
Can I Make Vegan Mulligatawny Soup?
Yes! Just substitute the butter with a vegan butter, use vegetable broth, and omit the chicken. You can easily use a plant-based chicken for the meat or extra firm tofu if you prefer. The other option is to use chickpeas or red lentils in place of the meat.
Expert Tips
- Simmer the rice. Once the soup comes to a boil turn the heat down and just allow the rice to simmer. If you boil the rice it will not properly cook.
- Don’t overcook the apples. Add the chopped apples at the very end and only let them simmer for just a few minutes. You don’t want them to turn to mush and disintegrate.
- Season at the very end. Don’t add too much salt before the soup is done. Because all soup reduces as it cooks, the salt can get really concentrated if you add too much too soon.
Storage
Leftover Mulligatawny soup will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months when stored in an airtight container. Just put the soup in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power to reheat. You can also warm it in a saucepan over medium heat on the stovetop. However, if the soup has been frozen, you can either let it thaw out first overnight in the fridge or reheat it from frozen.
Other Delicious Soup Recipes To Try
- Romanian Meatball Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cream Of Mushroom Soup
- Beef Stroganoff Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Vegetable Tortellini Soup
- Zucchini Soup
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Mulligatawny Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1 large carrot (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 4 chicken thighs (about 1 lb) (boneless and skinless)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
- ½ cup rice
- 14 ounce unsweetened coconut milk ((1 can))
- 2 small apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven or soup pot melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pot, season with salt and pepper, stir then cook for about 3 minutes until the onion and carrot softens and the garlic becomes aromatic.
- Add the chicken thighs to the pot then season them with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink. Don't worry if it's not cooked through.
- Add the oregano, turmeric, curry powder and stir. Dust with the flour and stir again.
- Add the chicken broth, rice, coconut milk, lower the heat to a medium-low then let the soup cook for about 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked through.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to a bowl and shred with a couple forks, then add back to the pot. Add the apples and cook for a couple more minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
- If you find the soup is too thick, feel free to add more chicken broth as needed.
- Simmer the rice. Once the soup comes to a boil turn the heat down and just allow the rice to simmer. If you boil the rice it will not properly cook.
- Don’t overcook the apples. Add the chopped apples at the very end and only let them simmer for just a few minutes. You don’t want them to turn to mush and disintegrate.
- Season at the very end. Don’t add too much salt before the soup is done. Because all soup reduces as it cooks, the salt can get really concentrated if you add too much too soon.
- This soup will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months when stored in an airtight container. Just put the soup in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power to reheat.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
