Description
Easy and affordable Vietnamese comfort curry soup made with chicken stock, coconut cream, marinated chicken thighs, carrots, and potatoes. Immensely flavorful using simple ingredients that store well.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
- 6–8 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 can full-fat coconut cream (7 oz, add more if preferred)
- 1 can coconut soda or water (12 oz)
- 2–3 medium yukon gold potatoes or 1/2 lb baby yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled & diced into 1” pieces
- 1 medium sweet potato (peeled & diced into 1″ pieces)
- 1/2 lb baby carrots
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 5” pieces
- 2–3 Thai chilis (optional)
- cooking oil (as needed)
Chicken Marinade
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp kosher salt or 1 1/2 tsp table salt
- 3–4 tbsp oil
Garnishes
- lime wedges
- cilantro
- microgreens (optional if cilantro isn’t your thing!)
Instructions
Marinate Chicken
- In a zip-top bag or bowl, marinate chicken thighs (cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces) with curry powder, garlic powder, salt, and oil for a minimum of 2 hours.
Sear Potatoes & Chicken
- Peel the sweet potato and dice into 1-inch pieces. Cut the yukon gold potatoes the same size. (If you’re using baby Yukons, just cut them in half). Drizzle about 2 tbsp oil over the potatoes to coat. Pan fry the potatoes until lightly browned on the outsides so they hold their shape in the curry. They will be par-cooked. Remove from pan.
- In the same pan, sear the marinated chicken on all sides until browned. Remove chicken (it will be par-cooked as well), drain any fat or char marks from the pot, and place pot back on the burner.
Make the Curry
- On medium heat, add onions and oil to the pot and sweat the onions until soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the par-cooked chicken, sugar, curry powder, garlic powder, bay leaves, and lemongrass to the pot. Caramelize the chicken on medium heat for about 5 minutes until fragrant.
- Add potatoes, baby carrots and 2 tbsp kosher salt to the pot. Pour in the chicken stock (and coconut juice/soda if you’re using it)*, and bring the broth to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender and chicken is cooked.
- Turn off the heat. Pour in the coconut cream and stir to incorporate. Add kosher salt to taste and chopped thai chilis for heat (optional). Serve with French bread, jasmine rice, or just as it is!
Notes
Coconut Soda/Juice: I like to add coconut soda (specifically COCO Rico) to amp up the delicious coconut flavor in this curry, but this is totally optional! If you do add it, just decrease the amount of stock you use.
Keywords: Asian recipes, comfort food, curry, curry recipes, Vietnamese recipes