Thai Inspired Red Curry Satay Chicken Soup

I can't get enough of the Thai flavors. The red chilis, lemongrass, peanuts and coconut milk to name a few. You name it- I'm hooked. Last night's dinner was simple to make and fabulous to slurp. And served with Jasmine rice, well it was over the top delish. Want to make this? I can't wait to re-live putting this simple dish together. And don't let the long ingredient list stop you from making this. It's mostly a "can opener" experience and very little prep. Let's get going.

Red Curry Satay Chicken Soup
Serves 4

1-1/2 to 2 pounds bone-in chicken breast or breasts with skin removed
Kosher salt
1 T canola oil
1 small onion diced
2 T Thai red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen)
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 can (14 oz) lite unsweetened coconut milk
1-1/2 cups water or chicken broth (I used water)
1-1/2 T fish sauce
2 T brown sugar
1/2 cup Thai Kitchen Peanut Satay Sauce (easy to find in international aisle of your market)
1-1/2 T chili garlic sauce
1 red pepper sliced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
Juice of one lemon or lime (I used a lemon, no lime in the fridge)
chopped dry roated peanuts for garnish
scallion slices for garnish
Fresno chilis sliced for garnish

Clean and wash your chicken breasts. I had a breast in my package that was soooo big, I ended up just using the one. It was about 1-3/4 pounds. Remove skin, sprinkle with kosher salt and set aside.

In large soup pot on stovetop, add canola oil and heat on medium to low heat. Add onions and sweat for about 3-4 minutes. Now add your chopped garlic and red curry paste.

Let aromatics cook for a few more minutes on low until you can smell the chili and lemongrass in the paste. It's now time to add the coconut milk, water, fish sauce, brown sugar, peanut satay sauce, and chili garlic sauce. Stir together with a spatula to combine and add your chicken breast(s).

Well, I had a nice photo array of the chicken cooking, veggies being added and it seems that my photos are no longer compatible with my blog. So, trooper that I am, I'm finishing the post without anymore new pics. Grrrrrrrrr. That's directed at you Google.

Anyway, cook chicken on low, covered, until done. Don't over cook it. My whopper breast cooked for 36 minutes on low/simmer and rested for about 10-15 minutes until I could handle it and shred it.

While chicken is resting, slice your red pepper in strips, prepare your garnishes and make your Jasmine rice in a separate pan. I'm not a great rice cooker so I use the Success brand Jasmine rice. Ready in 9 minutes.

Add shredded chicken to soup, add sliced red pepper and let them cook together 10-15 minutes. Now add the peas and corn. Cook about another minute and add the juice of one lemon or lime. When plating, I put a dome of rice in the center of each bowl and added the soup around the edges. You see, sometimes I just enjoy a mouthful of rice with very little broth and sometimes I like it nicely mixed. This way you can do both. Garnish with scallions, Serano chilis and crushed roasted peanuts. Cilantro would be a natural, but there was none available in my market. I hope you enjoy this. I had a taste tonight before writing and it's just as good if not better than yesterday. And look at that fabulous color. A very happy meal I must say!

Curried Pot Sticker and Vegetable Soup

My friend Dan Clark has some fabulous recipes that he shares in an online recipe group I belong to. I've shared his chili mac in the past and make it whenever I need a cozy little taste of Tex-Mex cooking. But his recipes don't stop at Tex-Mex. This little jewel of his is Asian inspired and really simple in comparison to some of the Asian soups I've tried to make. If you like the flavor of curry, this is a soup for you. His soup has chicken and rice noodles, but I couldn't wait to make this and used what was in my freezer- Tai Pei frozen chicken pot stickers. It worked like a charm and I know the secret to this soup is the flavorful broth- so you could add rice, spaghetti or lots of veggies and you'd be happy with this bowlful of goodness. Ready to cook and get this on the table in about an hour? Let's go!

Curried Pot Sticker and Vegetable Soup
Inspired by Dan and Jerry
Serves 6

1 small onion chopped
1 T canola oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (Dan uses 1 tsp)
1 T curry powder- I used McCormick regular (not spicy) curry powder, it sounds like a lot, but it is a curry soup
1-1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 dried Anaheim chile chopped
6 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup white wine
3 green onions sliced
3 cloves garlic chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
3 carrots chopped
12 frozen pot stickers
3/4 cup frozen peas
Garnish with cilantro

Prep your raw vegetables and dried chile.

 Combine all your dry spices.

In large soup pan on medium low heat, add the canola oil and onions. Soften (sweat) onions for a few minutes and add your spice mixture and stir the spices into the softened onions. Let cook a few more minutes until the aroma is permeating your kitchen. Add the wine, broth and the rest of the fresh vegetables and dried chile. Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to a very low simmer.

Simmer broth and vegetables on stove top for 45 minutes covered. Now add the pot stickers, cook 5 minutes with lid on. Add your peas, cook another 2 minutes and your soup is done. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Super fabulous dish Dan and Jerry. Thank you both once again for inspiring me!