Chicken Curry Soup is an Indian curry-flavored creamy chicken soup that’s going to have everyone going back for seconds. Serve this curried chicken soup with crusty bread or over rice. If you’re a fan of chicken mulligatawny soup, this soup is very similar. [Instant Pot and Stovetop instructions included.]
[This post was completely updated in March 2021 with clear instructions and new images.]
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Table of Contents
Introduction
This is one of my favorite soups. This chicken curry soup is going to be a part of your regular meal rotation if you like the flavor of curry and are looking for a hearty and satisfying curry soup recipe.
This curry chicken soup recipe contains an ingredient that I don’t use very often: curry powder. Confession time: I once was a curry powder snob, as in “no one who cooks authentic Indian food would EVER use curry powder!”
But that was before I tried it out in this curry soup, and I realized that there are definitely occasions when curry powder is a great option.
Most Indian cooks don’t use curry powder in their cooking, but rather use individual spice flavorings (like coriander, cumin, turmeric, garam masala) or prepared spice mixes (available at Indian grocery stores) that are specifically tailored for each dish.
Curry powder was invented back when India was a British colony and the British prepared it as a spice mix to duplicate the intricate flavorings they liked in Indian cuisine. There are many different brands of curry powder, and you can find one that suits your tastes.
I think you’ll agree with me that curry powder is the star of this delicious curry soup recipe! And if you’re looking to try an authentic curry, give my Instant Pot chicken curry or my Instant Pot chana masala a try.
Here are some Soup Recipes you might enjoy:
– Thai Coconut Curry Soup Recipe
– Chipotle Shrimp Soup
– Italian Wedding Soup
– Pork and Hatch Chile Soup
Tips and Substitutions
Butter
I tend to use either butter or ghee in this recipe. I love the flavors, especially that of homemade ghee. If you wish to avoid the calories, feel free to use vegetable oil instead.
Curry Powder
I’ve tried McCormick, Spice Islands, and Simply Organic curry powder in this chicken soup curry recipe and all have worked out great. If you’re using another brand, check the ingredients for salt and adjust the quantity of added salt in this recipe.
The amount of curry powder called for in this recipe can be increased if you want a stronger flavor. If your curry powder has been sitting in your cupboard for a long time, do yourself a favor and get a fresh new bottle; you’ll be glad you did!
Coconut Milk
I use full-fat coconut milk. I find some coconut milk brands don’t do well during pressure cooking, including some brands that are widely available at grocery stores. My two favorite brands are Aroy-D and Chaokoh. Some readers recommend Trader Joe’s brand coconut milk.
If you’re not a fan of coconut milk, substitute with ½ cup of heavy cream for this curry chicken soup. Many recipes for mulligatawny soup use heavy cream.
Spiciness
If you like things spicy, you can add some more jalapeno. Or here’s a tip: I frequently use serrano chili peppers instead of jalapenos because they have more heat, and I find their spice to be more consistent.
Some jalapeno peppers can be really hot while others can be milder. And if you don’t like a lot of spice, you can omit the jalapeno.
Tomatoes
I find that canned diced tomatoes work great in this Indian curry soup recipe, but I do use fresh diced tomatoes on occasion.
Chicken
I always prefer to use chicken thighs over chicken breast, especially because the Instant Pot cooks them so well. If you’re a fan of chicken breast and wish to use it instead, feel free to do so.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Curried Chicken Soup – Ingredients
- Chicken
- Onion
- Tomato
- Spinach
- Jalapeno
- Salt
- Garlic
- Curry powder
- Ginger
- Chicken broth
- Butter
- Black pepper
- Coconut milk
More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to Make Chicken Curry Soup in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Turn on Saute Mode.
- Saute onion mixture.
- Saute spices and deglaze.
- Saute chicken and add broth.
- Pressure cook.
- Release pressure.
- Stir in coconut milk.
- Sprinkle with cilantro.
How to Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Saute Onion Mixture
- Once Instant Pot has heated up, melt butter or ghee in the inner pot.
- Stir in onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapenos, and saute the onion mixture until onions are light golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Press Cancel. The spices will cook in the residual heat.
Saute Spices and Deglaze
- Add curry powder, salt, and pepper; stir till fragrant.
- Deglaze with a small amount of broth if you find that the spices are burning or food is sticking to the bottom.
Saute Chicken and Add Broth
- Add the chicken and stir to coat with the onion spice mixture.
- Deglaze with a small amount of broth and scrape up all the brown bits.
- Stir in remaining broth.
- Add the tomatoes but don’t stir.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 5 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads ‘5′ (5 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 5 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 5 minutes (00:05).
- Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Naturally Release Pressure (NPR) on the DUO and ULTRA
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). The float valve will be in the down position. This may take 15 to 30 minutes. [Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
Stir in Coconut Milk, Spinach and Cilantro
- Stir in Coconut milk and spinach.
- Select Saute mode and heat until spinach wilts and soup is heated through.
- Press Cancel and stir in cilantro.
- Serve soup in individual soup bowls over Instant Pot Rice or with crusty bread.
Stovetop Directions for Chicken Curry Soup
To make this recipe on the stovetop:
- Saute onion, garlic, ginger, and green chilis.
- Saute curry powder.
- Stir in broth, tomatoes, and chicken.
- Simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in spinach and coconut milk and heat through.
- Garnish with cilantro.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
More Chicken Favorites
Love cooking chicken in the Instant Pot but looking for new recipes? Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot chicken recipes that are easy, delicious, and fast to make.
- Instant Pot teriyaki chicken wings
- Instant Pot sous vide chicken breast
- Instant Pot chicken curry
- Instant Pot chicken shawarma
- Instant Pot chicken stew
For more chicken recipes, be sure to head over to my list of amazing Instant Pot chicken recipes you need to try!
Coconut Chicken Curry Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon ghee or butter
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon ginger finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno sliced (optional)
- 2 Tbsp curry powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste) *
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 kg) cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth low sodium
- 1 cup diced tomatoes canned or fresh
- 1 cup coconut milk preferably Aroy-D or Chaokoh brand
- 3 cups baby spinach chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Instructions
- Select Saute mode and allow the Instant Pot to heat up. Once the inner pot has heated up, add the butter or ghee.
- Once the ghee has heated up, add onions and saute until light golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeno and cook mixture until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Press Cancel. The spices will cook in the residual heat.
- Add curry powder, salt and pepper and stir till fragrant, about 30 seconds**
- Add chicken and stir to coat with the spice mixture.
- Stir in ¼ cup of broth to deglaze. There should be no brown bits stuck to the bottom of the inner pot.
- Stir in remaining broth. Add the tomatoes, but don't stir.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). If you're pressed for time, after 10 to 15 minutes, release any remaining pressure. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
- Stir in spinach and coconut milk.
- Cook soup in Saute mode until spinach wilts and soup is heated through.
- Stir in cilantro and serve soup in individual soup bowls over rice or with crusty bread.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat butter or ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
- Add onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeños to the pot. Saute for a couple of minutes or until the onion is lightly browned.
- Add curry powder, garlic and salt and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute.
- Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, and chicken. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in the coconut milk and heat till the soup thickens.
- Add the spinach and heat through till the spinach wilts.
- Garnish with cilantro.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onions, minced garlic, diced chicken, etc.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Deborah
I can’t eat spinach. It gives me kidney stones. Would it hurt the recipe to leave it out? Would parsley work? Thank you.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Deborah – yes, you can leave it out. I wouldn’t use parsley but frozen peas are an option – I do that sometimes. Hope you like it!
Jessica
Hi,
I am using frozen chicken thighs (whole). How long do I cook for? Same?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Jessica – you would need to cook for 8 to 10 minutes. If you find it’s not completely cooked, just cook on ‘Saute’ mode or pressure cook for another few minutes.
Patti
Excellent soup, better than restaurant .
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Patti – that’s a great compliment 🙂
Lillian
This is delicious! People keep asking for the recipe but then say they don’t have an Instant Pot. Any chance you have a stove top version?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you Lillian! Yes, I do have the stovetop version of the recipe on the site. It was one of my first recipes, and so the photos and the blog post are pretty basic, don’t judge 🙂 Here’s the recipe for Indian Chicken Curry Soup.
Laurie
This was delicious and so easy to make. Felt like I was at a Thai restaurant! Thanks for the great recipient!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you for the comment, Laurie. It is actually Indian-flavored, but similar to some Thai soups due to the coconut milk 🙂 I’m glad you liked it.
Savanna
LOVED this recipe! Do you think it work to toss everything into a slow cooker and cook all day?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Savanna, I’ve never tried it in the slow cooker but I think it should be just fine. Would you saute the onions etc first?
Marit DiRado
Delish and very easy to throw together!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Marit! Glad to hear you liked it!
Ashley
Do you think this would freeze well?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Ashley, I think you could. The coconut milk might separate a bit, but I think the flavor would be fine. I recommend that you go up to the point before adding the spinach and coconut milk and freeze. Then add them when you’re reheating. Hope that works for you.
Niki
I made this last night and it was a hit with everyone in my family! After reading the comments, I added a few potatoes that we had on hand, and next time I will add some cauliflower as well (just because we love it and I think it would go well!). I used low sodium chicken broth and with that and the potatoes, I found we needed just a little more salt. But we will definitely make this again!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for your comment and rating, Niki. When you add cauliflower, just watch out for the cooking time. Cauliflower can become mushy if pressure cooked for too long 🙂
Becky Hamilton
Delicious!!!
Ducky R
Hello! Do you think I could substitute the cubed chicken thighs with a whole chicken that I have cut up? If that works, should I leave out the backbone of the chicken or can I put that in too? I love your recipes and your blog! Thank you.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for your question. I’ve never thought to use bone-in chicken. I think that would work. You can pressure cook for about 12 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. I think all the bones will add a ton of flavor to the recipe. I think you’re going to have a delicious soup!
Leigha
Love this recipe!
Melissa
I’m planning to make this soup tonight and am super excited. Can I use frozen chicken breast and increase the cooking time?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Melissa, I’m assuming you would cut the frozen chicken into small pieces? If you do, I think you should be able to do it without changing the cooking time or just a minimal increase. The Instant Pot will just take longer to come to pressure due to the frozen chicken. Good luck!
Aisha
If I’m suing ginger/garlicpaste, how much should I put?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Aisha, I would use the same quantity. One for one.
Aisha
Thanks!
Reena
My soup is quite liquid as opposed to creamy. Was that the intent?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Reena – it is more soup-like than a stew, however I don’t find it too liquidy. Did you use regular coconut milk or light? Were any of your ingredients frozen? Next time you could reduce the amount of broth to 3 cups, or you could up the quantity of chicken and/or veggies. Thanks for your question.
Aisha
Where can I find curry powder?
Can I substitute all spice powder or garam masala?
Aisha
Where can I get curry powder?
Is garam masala or “all spice” ground powder a reasonable substitute ?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Aisha, no those spices won’t give you the same flavor. Curry powder is a combination of coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, etc. Are you in the US? You can find curry powder in any grocery store spice aisle. And you can order it on amazon/online. Or you can make your own curry powder spice mix. There are many recipes online if you do a google search. Thanks for your question.
Aisha
Gotcha
Yes I’m in the US. What about the national curry masala at the Desi stores?
Oops reposted the question accidentally!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Yes, that should work!
Steve
Thank you Neena!
I added some veggies I had in the fridge: carrot, broccoli, mushroom, and replaced the spinach with Dino kale.
So easy and
So
Freaking
Delicious!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Steve – awww, thank you! If you like beef, give the Instant Pot Beef Curry/Stew recipe a try. Just made it last week – it’s one of our favorites! You can eat it with rice as a curry but I like to have it as a stew/soup.
Leigha
Made this tonight. Delicious!
Liz
This looks really wonderful and based on all the rave review I’m guessing it is! I’d like to make this vegetarian and use tofu or chick peas. Would you adjust the cooking time? I”m a beginner at my Instant Pot, so all suggestions are welcome! 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Liz – for tofu, you can pressure cook for 2 minutes. If you’re using canned chickpeas, you can just do 1 minute or so. Hope you like it!