Curry Chicken and Quinoa Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Curry Chicken and Quinoa Soup is an incredibly flavorful and hearty soup. It’s loaded with veggies, protein rich quinoa, chicken and chick peas and all the warn Middle Eastern spices will leave you craving more!
The inspiration for this recipe came from a local restaurant we dined at. Out of everything we ordered this was easily my favorite, I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it was so I knew I had to make it at home.
Their version had ground lamb but I prefer chicken so I went with that instead but feel free to try it with cooked ground lamb if you’d like.
This soup is brimming with nutritious ingredients and finished with a bit of cream to make it rich and take it over the top. But if you are wanting to keep it healthy go with coconut milk or even half and half.
We often get in the rut of making the same easy things but I love recipes like this that have so much flavor and are something out of the norm. This is a soup that’s sure to impress!
What Ingredients do I Need for This Soup?
- Olive oil
- Vegetables – carrots, yellow onion, red or yellow bell pepper, ginger, garlic, cilantro
- Spices – coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
- Low sodium chicken broth
- Canned fire roasted tomatoes
- Quinoa
- Shredded cooked chicken
- Canned chick peas
- Heavy cream or coconut milk
I know it seems like a long daunting list of ingredients but it’s a lot of veggies and spices and each one really adds great flavor.
How do You Make Curry Chicken and Quinoa Soup?
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add in carrots, onion, bell pepper and ginger and saute 5 minutes.
- Add in garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Toss in coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne pepper and saute 1 more minute.
- Pour in chicken broth, tomatoes, and quinoa and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cover and simmer stirring occasionally, until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in chicken, chick peas, and cream and heat through, about 1 minute.
- Stir in cilantro and serve warm.
Tips for this Recipe
- Want to make it vegetarian? Just omit the chicken and you’ll still have an incredibly filling soup.
- Don’t replace the spices with a curry powder blend. I don’t really care for curry blends because they vary so much and some are quite bland or too spicy for my family.
- Why rinse the quinoa? When I first started cooking with it I didn’t know rinsing was so important. It helps remove that bitter coating (called saponin) on the quinoa. Some brands are labeled pre-rinsed but I still rinse anyway.
- Can I freeze it? It should freeze fine without the cream mixed in, dairy doesn’t tend to freeze well.
More Delicious Recipes to Try!
- Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma
- Moroccan Spiced Salmon with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
- Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Veggies
- Curry Chicken Salad
- Buddha Bowls with Tahini Sauce
Follow Easy Cooking Zone
Curry Chicken and Quinoa Soup
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 medium carrots, diced (1 1/4 cups)
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped (1 3/4 cups)
- 1 large red or yellow bell pepper, diced (2 cups)
- 1 Tbsp peeled and finely minced fresh ginger
- 6 garlic cloves, minced (2 Tbsp)
- 1 Tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- 3 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (15 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup (heaping) quinoa, well rinsed and drained
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breasts or thighs (I used rotisserie chicken)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can chick peas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add in carrots, onion, bell pepper and ginger and saute 5 minutes. Add in garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Toss in coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne pepper and saute 1 more minute.
- Pour in chicken broth, tomatoes, and quinoa and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer stirring occasionally, until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in chicken, chick peas, and cream and heat through, about 1 minute.
- Stir in cilantro and serve warm.
- Recipe source: Easy Cooking Zone