Curried chicken and butternut squash soup is a bowl that eats like a main course: a whole chicken simmered with sweet butternut squash and curry powder, then blended silky and finished with coconut milk and diced chicken. The squash gives it a natural sweetness and luxuriously creamy texture without any cream. Hearty enough for dinner, cozy enough for the coldest night.
SERVES 6
Butternut squash makes for a naturally sweet and luxuriously creamy soup. With the addition of diced chicken, the soup is surprisingly filling and can be served as a main course.
INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp/60 g butter
1 cup/150 g white onion, chopped
2 tbsp/15 g curry powder
1 large butternut squash, about
4-4 ½ cups/600-675 g chopped
1 whole chicken, quartered
3 cups/710 ml Chicken Broth
2 cups/475 ml coconut milk
sea salt and pepper to taste
chives, chopped (garnish)
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Melt the butter in a stockpot. Add the onion and curry powder, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the butternut squash, chicken and broth. Cover and cook on low heat until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes.
Cool chicken in the stock. Remove the meat from the bones and dice it. Pour the soup through a strainer. Put the solids into a blender with 1 cup/236 ml of the broth. Purée until smooth. Return puréed soup to the pot with the remaining liquid. Stir in coconut milk. Add diced chicken and simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives.
Pro Tips
- Cook the onion and curry powder together for the full 10 minutes — blooming the spices in butter is what makes the curry flavor round instead of raw and powdery.
- Cool the chicken in the stock before removing the meat; the juices stay in the soup and the chicken dices far more cleanly when cool.
- Blend only the solids with a cup of broth, then return to the pot — this controls thickness and keeps the soup velvety rather than gluey.
- Stir the coconut milk in after blending and never let it boil hard afterward, or it may split.
- The final 15-minute simmer with the diced chicken lets the meat warm through and absorb the curry broth without toughening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use leftover roasted chicken?
Yes — about 3 cups of diced cooked chicken added at the end works perfectly. You'll want to use all broth in place of the poaching liquid, and the soup comes together much faster.
Is this soup freezer-friendly?
It freezes well for up to three months, though the texture may be slightly thinner after thawing. Rewarm gently and stir in a splash of coconut milk to refresh it.
How spicy is the curry?
Two tablespoons of curry powder give a warm, fragrant heat rather than fierce spice. The butternut squash and coconut milk round out the flavor beautifully.
Can I use another squash?
Kabocha or buttercup squash are excellent substitutes with similar sweetness. Avoid spaghetti squash, which lacks the creamy body this soup depends on.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- COOKING INSTRUCTIONS Melt the butter in a stockpot.
- Add the onion and curry powder, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add the butternut squash, chicken and broth.
- Cover and cook on low heat until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes.
- Cool chicken in the stock.
- Remove the meat from the bones and dice it.
- Pour the soup through a strainer.
- Put the solids into a blender with 1 cup/236 ml of the broth. Purée until smooth. Return puréed soup to the pot with the remaining liquid.
- Stir in coconut milk.
- Add diced chicken and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with chives.
