Brrrrrrrrr. Is the polar vortex back or something because this weather isn’t jiving with my soul. I’m writing to you bundled up like I’m going into the arctic: I’ve got on Tony’s oversized Nike sweatpants, fluffy warm socks and a shirt that doesn’t match anything.
The upside? I reheated a big bowl of this warm turmeric chickpea chicken soup and it’s fantastic as ever, even on the third day.
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Seriously guys, this is one of the best soups I’ve really, really enjoyed in a long time. Flavorful, addicting, both sweet and spicy, and incredibly good for you. It made over the weekend as grand fluffy snowflakes fell outside. The streets were empty and I appreciated the ability to cozy up at home with an excuse of why I didn’t have to go out on a Saturday (too much snow!).
Also, let’s face it: Staying in is the new going out.
Yep, just said it.
Also, can we talk about all the other goodness happening in this recipe?
If you remember from a few earlier recipes, I challenged myself to enjoy more pulses (dry beans, dry peas, chickpeas and lentils) this past year. It’s been so wonderful introducing Tony to new foods and getting various sources of plant-based protein into his diet. For this soup, I decided on chickpeas because of their wonderful texture.
This soup itself boasts robust flavor and bright color thanks to the anti-inflammatory root turmeric and ginger. In reality turmeric isn’t just about being cool and millennial and adding it to all your smoothies, it’s tasty and beautiful in color. In this recipe it creates the most vibrant, tasty broth when mixed with ginger, coconut milk and a touch of peanut butter. The broth that wraps around tender chicken, sweet potatoes and those little chickpeas.
Cozy winter recipe, indeed.
I hope you enjoy this wonderful soup. It’ll fill your home with love, wonderful smells and warmth. xo!
Looking for more pulse recipes? Check out PulsePledge.com and sign-up to take the Pulse Pledge with me – a commitment to eating more pulses this year. If you haven’t yet heard, the UN named 2016 the International Year of Pulses, to bring awareness to this nutritious, sustainable, affordable and delicious superfood!
See how to make the soup here!
More healthy soup recipes you’ll love:
Paleo Coconut Chicken Sweet Potato Noodle Soup
The Best Chicken Soup You’ll Ever Eat
Butternut Squash Green Chile Chicken Soup
Golden Coconut Chicken Lentil Soup
Healing Thai Butternut Squash Lentil Soup (with a slow cooker option!)
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Golden Turmeric Chickpea Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced into small cubes
- 1 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 15oz can light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons all natural creamy peanut butter
- To garnish: fresh cilantro and green onions
Instructions
- Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add in garlic, ginger, jalapenos and chicken breast. Brown chicken for 3-4 minutes, then stir in onion, red pepper and sweet potato cubes.
- Cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally until sweet potatoes begin to slightly soften and chicken is no longer pink; this should take no longer than 5-7 minutes. Add in turmeric; stirring to coat the chicken and veggies.
- Next add in the following: chicken broth, chickpeas, peanut butter, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. If you want more heat, add in a few dashes of hot sauce.
- Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro and green onions. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz | Photography by: Sarah Fennel
This post is sponsored by USA Pulses & Pulse Canada as 2016 is the Year of the Pulses! Thanks for continuing to support AK and the brands that help make this site possible.
I love this soup. It’s been a winter staple for about 6 years now, we have it at least once a fortnight. My whole family love it and my relatives all make it too, every year. I add extra stock because I like it a bit soupier and it goes a bit further, I also add a leafy green vegetable, like spinach or Pak Choi.
So happy to hear that! This one’s great for adding extra veggies 🙂
Thank you for this recipe Monique. It’s by far my most used soup recipe and I’m so glad I found it. I double the recipe as it still fits in my pot and makes a huge amount of tasty meals the family can take out of the freezer on demand. It’s healthy, tastes delicious and has good servings of both protein and vegetables.
I sometimes add some extra vegetables if have them on hand to bulk it up further, but other than that it’s perfect as is!
So happy to hear that! This one’s great for customizing 🙂
This was absolutely delicious, thank you! Will be going into the regular soup rotation. The broth created by the combination of ginger, garlic, tumeric, coconut milk, and peanut butter was so so good. Don’t skip the peanut butter! I think you could add just about anything to this broth and the soup would be amazing. I followed the recipe exactly, except for adding a little more ginger.
Delicious! Glad you loved it!
This is SO GOOD! I make it often. It’s perfect as it is, but below are some variations if you’d like to try.
I add: frozen veggies, sometimes tofu for extra protein, dash of fish sauce. Wilt fresh spinach at the end. Cherry tomatoes into the pot, allow them to burst for added acid and umami.
Way to play around with it: if you have a Curry Paste, throw a tBsp into the chicken, Or Tbsp Garam Masala or curry powder.
I skip the peanut butter and don’t miss it. Sometimes add crushed peanuts on top w/ cilantro and lime.
Serve with: plain rice or noodles, if you’re not using the potato.
How big or how much is a “medium” sweet potato? Volume or weight measures are much more useful!
About 1.5-2 cups diced sweet potato should be good!
Another recipe that does not disappoint! The flavors are so amazing not to mention how it makes your whole kitchen smell magical. The fresh ginger added so much flavor. This is a new cold weather meal staple in my house.
This one’s truly perfect for the colder months. Happy you loved it!
Absolutely delicious, definitely a keeper and will make it many more times!
Prep and cooking time are very convenient.
Thanks!!
Yay! I am so glad that you are enjoying this soup 🙂
Very yummy soup! I cooked my chicken breasts whole in the soup and then shredded them. The heat from the jalapenos was perfect, for me, but I did add a tablespoon of yellow curry paste at the end for additional flavor. Very good!
So delicious! I love the chicken and chickpea combination – great textures in the soup. Also love the turmeric and Jalepeno flavors that stand out.
Ahh this is amazing! SO happy you’re a fan, Shannon ❤️
Easy to follow recipe turned out delicious! Highly recommend this – the flavor is outstanding very fresh and tasty! I added some fresh chopped kale and let it simmer longer- about an hour or so.
I’m so glad you loved it, Charlotte! Great idea to add kale, sounds amazing.
This may be the best soup we’ve ever made! It’s so full of flavor and absolutely delicious!!! The coconut milk thickens it just enough but it’s still very light. We used shredded chicken and added in just before stirring in the turmeric which worked perfectly. Other than subbing carrots for sweet potatoes (my husband isn’t fan!) we followed the recipe exactly and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. My new favorite soup for sure! Thank you!!!
Ahhh so glad to hear that!! Great idea to sub in the carrots. Thanks so much for the nice review!
So tasty! I made a few nights ago for myself and two friends. I realized I didn’t have chickpeas so I served the soup over top of rice noodles! I also added red curry paste with the turmeric for some heat. Loved it!!
That all sounds incredible! I’m so happy you loved it 🙂
This is one of my favorite Ambitious Kitchen soup recipes. I have made this soup so many times, especially in the last year and this past winter. Its so warm, comforting, and tasty. The warm turmeric and creamy coconut milk in combination with the fresh cilantro and green onions makes this soup incredibly tasty. This is a permanent recipe in my soup rotation!
I’m so glad! It’s one of our favs to make in the winter 🙂
Delicious soup we make regularly! We like to also make it with crumbled tofu instead of chicken and use fresh turmeric for even more flavour!
Love it! Glad it’s a favorite!
Perfect for a rainy day! Spicy, filling, and satisfying
Absolutely! One of our favs, too 🙂
Did a lot of modifications on this as I didn’t realize I didn’t have all the ingredients. Had no red peppers so used carrots, no sweet potatoes so used Yukon Gold. No coconut milk and so used a little 1/2 and 1/2. The flavors were surprisingly mellow I cut down on the fresh ginger and peanut butter. Flavors were subtle and peanut butter was good too. Husband is picky so had to be more cautious than I would have liked. Really surprising flavors and taste but in a really good way. I thought it would be over the edge chicken soup but not so.
I’m glad those swaps worked out well!
Can’t wait to make this! Would using a slow cooker also work or what adjustments should be made?
Yes that should work! You can add everything to your slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4. I’d suggest keeping the chicken whole (instead of cubing) and simply shredding it and adding it back to your slow cooker once it’s done cooking.