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When you’re in need of warming comfort food, this vibrant, wholesome Coconut Curry Chicken Meatball Soup with Rice is just the creamy soup to make. Made with chicken, ginger, sweet potatoes, warming spices, and creamy coconut milk. It requires just one pot and can be made in under an hour’s time. It’s cozy, a little spicy, and filled with vegetables. Finish each bowl off with steamed rice and you’ll have the perfect bowl of creamy, curry soup. Fresh naan on the side is highly recommended!
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During these late fall days and into November I find myself repeating the same flavors over and over. Lots of cheese pasta, caramelized onions, and slow-cooked chicken. I’m using plenty of sage, apples, and pumpkin – basically all the most delicious fall flavors.
And the truth is, I LOVE every single recipe. These are my favorite recipes to create. But I’ve finally hit that time of the year when I need a little more. I start to look for something bold in flavor with spice and color.
I put on my thinking cap for a minute and I brainstorm. This was me last week. I needed to switch things up!
I’ve been missing cooking for my older brother, Creighton. so I used Creighton and the foods he loves for some inspiration.
There is nothing Creighton loves more than a spicy curry. It can be Indian or Thai-inspired, he loves it all. And he loves meatballs. I put curry and meat together and this is what I got.
Truly the most delicious bowl of warming spicy flavors are in this chicken meatball soup recipe.
The details
Start with the chicken meatballs. I love to make meatballs because you can really season them up with flavor. I mixed ground chicken (you could also do ground turkey, ground beef, or ground pork) with shallots, and ginger, and then added a splash of tamari for saltiness.
Once the meatballs are together, the rest is easy. Sear the meatballs in a pot. I usually just use a medium size soup pot or dutch oven.
Then pull the meatballs out and set them aside. To that same pot, I add red curry paste, curry powder, another shallot, more ginger, and some garlic. Cook everything together until fragrant.
Now pour in the chicken broth and add the sweet potato. Simmer the sweet potato until it becomes soft, then stir in the coconut milk, spinach, and meatballs. Allow everything to cook together until the soup thickens.
The soup should be creamy and almost more like a curry than a soup, just slightly thinner than a curry.
Serve over steamed rice and top with sesame oil. You can add some cilantro or parsley if you like too! And of course, I recommend naan for scooping up all the creamy, coconutty broth/sauce.
So flavorful, full of color, and filled with good-for-us ingredients. It’s the creamiest, most flavorful bowl. And lastly, the leftovers – they taste even better the following day. The flavors have time to mend, and the broth is even more delicious. Just store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Looking for other warming fall dinners? Here are a few ideas:
Better For You Chicken and Spinach Ramen
Creamy Butternut Squash Butter Chicken
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken
Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice
Lastly, if you make this Coconut Curry Chicken Meatball Soup with Rice be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs Soup with Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 small shallots, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
- black pepper + kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup cubed sweet potatoes
- 2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- toasted chili sesame oil
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, 1 shallot, 1 tablespoon ginger, tamari, and a pinch of pepper, Coat your hands with a bit of oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs).2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add the meatballs and sear until crisp, about 4-5 minutes, turning them 2-3 times. Transfer to a plate.3. To the same pot, add the curry paste, curry powder, 1 shallot, 1 tablespoon ginger, and the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and sweet potatoes. Cover and cook over medium heat until the potato is tender about 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk and spinach. Simmer, uncovered another 5-10 minutes, until thickened slightly. Slide the meatballs back into the soup. Stir in the cilantro. Season with salt. 5. Divide the rice among bowls and ladle the soup and meatballs overtop. Drizzle with chili oil. Serve with Naan on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I’m excited to make this! If I make and serve it with your naan do I add the garlic butter mixture from naan recipe or I’m assuming keep it plain?
Thanks so much Meghan!! Totally up to you:) I hope you love the recipes! xT
Awesome dish. I made it with ground turkey and it was delicious. Devoured by all including my picky preteen (even though I added a generous portion of spinach). It’s not too spicy or hot and we made the chili oil optional for all
Hey Patricia,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
Delicious! Cozy, warm, spicy, FLAVORFUL dish. Came together quickly.
Hey Katie,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
Four thumbs up!! I made this tonight and my wife said “Put this in the make again soon list”!!
Hey Don,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
So yummy!! My picky kids gobbled this up. Great flavours. My 5 year old who doesn’t typically eat much, ate 6 meatballs!! She kept asking for more, which has never happened before. I had to give her mine 🙂
Hey Lauren,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
love love LOVE this recipe! Combining two of my faves – meatballs and curry – the saucy rice at the end absolutely delicious. I used kabocha squash (love squash!) instead of sweet potato and followed everything else Thank you Tieghan! xx
Thanks so much for your kind message Tia!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed:) Thanks for making it! xT
This recipe is DElicious!! I made it exactly as written and it was perfection!! The flavor is so rich and it’s a perfect dish for Fall!
Me too. I made as instructed and it was the perfect fall dish!
Thanks so much Kiera!
Hey Traci,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
Anybody try making this with ground chicken instead of forming meatballs?
Hey Jennifer,
Sorry, I haven’t tried that with this recipe, it could get a little messy! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Looks delicious! Question is the calories for the entire batch or a serving?
Hey Debbie,
It could be for the whole batch!! I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Is 1149 calories correct????
2 cans of coconut milk have 900 calories total and the rest of the ingredients can’t add that much ( and divided by 4 servings) so this must be wrong. Of course you can always use light coconut mild to cut back calories even more.
Hey Mary,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Do you have a suggestion on what to do if you wanted to swap out the sweet potatoes?
Hey Tanisha,
You could use another veggie that you like, regular potatoes would be great, squash, or even zucchini. I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Do you have a instant pot version of this?
Hi Janice,
So sorry, I don’t, but I think it would probably work well for you if you want to give it a try! I hope you love the recipe! xT
Curios … when you use coconut milk, do you taste the coconut flavor? My husband gags on coconut! I love coconut and would love to try this recipe but scared I’d waste my time. Appreciate your thoughts.
No you won’t taste coconut.
Is it spicy? I’m wondering if my Mr 7 and miss 9 will eat it.
It’s mild, but a bit spicy from the red curry paste. I guess you could try just using regular yellow curry powder. It’s really delicious!
My 2 year old, 5 year old, and 52 year old mom that doesn’t like spice ate it. My husband and I didn’t think it was spicy enough. So you should be good! Definitely delicious.
Thanks for sharing Josee!!
Hey Joanne,
Yes, you can taste the coconut, but you could also use another milk that your husband will enjoy! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Thanks for a dairy-free option. My daughter was diagnosed about a year ago and it has been a real challenge. We can’t wait to try this soup!
Of course, I hope you love the recipe Lisa!!
Beautiful dish.
Thanks so much Alex!!