East Asian Inspired Chicken Soup

I was looking for a deep flavored chicken soup online and stumbled upon Burmese Chicken Soup on one of my favorite recipe bloggers website Zen Belly. This recipe is inspired by hers. I needed to tweak it somewhat as my kiddo hates coconut milk. I’ve been a little obsessed with Thai red curry paste so I threw some of that in there (in my opinion it’s the secret sauce) I also wanted something with greens so I added Kale which is not very East Asian I know. Anyway, I improvised, and this what I came up with.

I hope you love it as much as we do in our house. It’s become a recent favorite. It has a nice deep flavor that's super satisfying. I also love that it’s hearty enough to be a meal.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-2 inch pieces

• 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric powder

• 1 ½ teaspoons paprika

• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar

• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (I use this one)

• Sea salt to taste

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced

• 1 bunch of kale, washed, ribbed and chopped

• 1 - 2 tablespoons ghee 

• 1-2 quarts of chicken broth

• 1 package mung bean thread noodles 

Directions

1. In a medium bowl place the chicken, turmeric, paprika and coconut sugar and toss until the chicken is evenly coated. Set aside.

2. Heat the ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When the ghee has melted, add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add a pinch of salt, and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until the onions are soft. 

3. Add the curry paste and chicken to the onions and turn up the heat to medium-high. Cook until the chicken is cooked through. Add the kale and stir until it is all coated and started to soften. 

4. Add the broth and continue to cook at a simmer for 20-30 minutes. Adjust flavor with sea salt to taste.

5. Serve over cooked thread noodles.