Thai chicken soup

We've realized that the flavor of this soup is heavily dependent upon the type of red curry paste you use as well as the quality of the coconut milk.  The fattier the better!  There was an Asian market near us where I would get the best imported coconut milk (Arroy-D) but now they have been shut down, so I'm having a really hard time finding a good one. 

I finally found one that has come close to the Arroy-D brand and its called Asian Gourmet and has a nice rich coconut flavor.  

Thai-style curried chicken and rice soup

8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 ½ TBS canola oil (I use extra light olive oil)

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped mixed red, green and yellow bell peppers ( all I had were green, and I finely chop them)

¾ to 1 ½ tsp red curry paste (I used ¾ tsp, and then my husband just adds a little more to his after it is cooked because he likes things extra spicy)

2 ½ cups chicken broth

¼ cup long-grain white rice

½ cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 TBS chopped chives (for garnish—I didn’t have these)

       

   1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot.  Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until edges just begin to brown, stirring frequently.  Place on plate.

   2.   Add onion and bell peppers to saucepan.  Reduce heat to medium; cook 3 minutes or until just tender, stirring frequently.  Stir in curry paste; cook 30 seconds.  Add broth and rice; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to med-low; cover and cook 16-20 minutes (until rice is tender).

  
 3.   Stir in coconut milk and chicken with any accumulated juices.  Simmer 2 minutes or until heated through.  Sprinkle with chives.

*you definitely need to at LEAST double this, but probably triple this recipe!  

To get kids to eat this, it may be helpful to make a separate pot of rice, and serve their soup over the rice.  This helps to balance out the spiciness of the soup.