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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!
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 1149 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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!
I made this last night and based on previous comments I added an egg to the chicken meatball mixture as a binder and had no troubles.
There is one error in the recipe: the meatballs and broth base each require 1 tablespoon of ginger, so 2 tablespoons total, but the recipe ingredients call for just 1 tablespoon, unless I’ve totally missed it but I checked twice. I had to chop another tablespoon quick quick but no big deal.
This soup ended up tasting just like a spicy Thai soup from the shop around the corner and I’m all about it. The use those super thin cellophane noodles in theirs so I may give that a try next time.
Hey Meredith,
Wonderful!!❄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a winner:)
Winner winner Turkey dinner. I also used ground Turkey and it was perfect. And used homemade chicken broth and that seemed to thicken well. Definitely making this again!
Hey Kristen,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
I made this for dinner tonight. So delicious and pretty easy. I did only use 1 can of coconut milk mostly because of so many added calories. Added a little more curry and some cayenne. Will definitely make it again!
Hey Christine,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx
used turkey instead of chicken because it was cheaper.. then accidentally added all my ginger and shallots to the meatball mixture but no complaints there! added carrots and chickpeas too for more vegetables, and used less coconut milk per the other reviews. will definitely be adding this to my winter recipe rotation 🙂
Hi Syd,
Happy Thanksgiving!!🦃🍁 I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Great recipe, easy to make. I only used 1 can coconut milk and added extra chicken bone broth instead which worked well. I also added extra curry paste and other seasonings to give more depth/make it spicy. But the base flavors of this are great. Will definitely make again!
Hey Lauren,
Happy Wednesday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
Let me preface my comments with the information that my husband a) does not like ground chicken or turkey and b) doesn’t care for meatballs. He raved over this soup and declared this recipe a KEEPER! My broth really didn’t thicken up but I’m not worried about it. I loved the simple ginger & tamari seasoning of the meatballs and all of the flavors in the broth. I may add more curry and ginger to broth as I felt the coconut milk kind of “washed out” those flavors. Thank you Tieghan!
Hey Maurelda,
Happy Thanksgiving!!🦃🍁 I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
my new go to recipe! i usually don’t eat leftovers and i’m gobbling this up as we speak. The only thing i changed was adding a squeeze of lime and it’s perfect! i think the brand of curry paste makes a big difference. My favorite is Mae Ploy. Always has the best flavor.
Hey Erin,
Amazing!! Love to hear that you have been enjoying this recipe, thanks so much for making it so often:) xx
The meatballs have amazing flavor! I will have to try this recipe again because I accidentally grabbed spicy curry paste. It was way too spicy for my family. BUT we strained out the soup and ate the meatballs and veggies with the rice and it was just the perfect amount of spice. My only tip for others is to be careful which curry paste you grab if you have small children or are sensitive to spicy.
Hey Whitney,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your review:) Happy Thanksgiving! 🍽
I would give this 5 stars except I made it with some modifications. It made a wonderful dish to serve to friends for dinner on a cold night. I served it along with oven toasted naan & a Pinot Noir.
I added some panko to the meatballs to hold them together better and substituted a couple of minced scallion whites for the shallot.
I added twice the amount of sweet potatoes and spinach along with a red bell pepper to the soup. With all the coconut milk & chicken broth, I think I can add more veggies next time I make this dish.
When I made the base for the soup, I added a little gochujang paste. Lastly, to finish off the dish, I squeezed in some fresh lime juice.
I actually made this a day in advance and then heated it up the next night for dinner and wilted in the spinach and added the lime juice just before serving.
Really tasty!
Hey Virginia,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you:) xT
Hi Tieghan! This recipe was great – added lime juice similarly to others, it needed a little more zing! Also some cayenne for added spice. A few questions:
1) You say to add ginger to both the meatball mixture AND the curry itself, but only one is listed in the ingredients list. I found that chopped raw ginger was a bit too strong for the meatballs, and wish I had put it in the curry instead.
2) Did you use ground chicken breast or thigh? I used thigh and found it looked very different/was harder to keep the meatballs together and harder to get them crispy.
Thanks!
-H
Hey Haley,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! Sorry about the ginger, I need to fix that, but it should be 2 tablespoons total. I used ground chicken breast:) Have the best weekend!❄️
You are supposed to let flavors meld, not mend. I’m assuming that was just a typo that you can easily correct.
This recipe was easy to follow and so delish. It reheated well as left-overs also.
My hubby felt like it didn’t have enough “depth” so next time I will try adding more of the curry paste and powder.
Hey Catherine,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
A big hit on a busy Tuesday. Giving it 4 stars because I made some changes mostly because I had to. I tripled it because I have 3 teenage boys. I used meatloaf mix instead of chicken because I defrosted the wrong thing- still delicious. I did not use sweet potatoes because I hate the. I added kale instead of spinach because that’s what I had. I added some fish sauce at the end- just a little- and a good slug of lime juice. Also one can of coconut milk and I think 2 would be too much. Also we only had one can. Found it to be quite busy-family-on-a-weeknight-friendly, which is great. It’s the only weeknight where there’s a chance we MIGHT all be able to sit down so I try to make it a nice dinner but it needs to be weeknight and left over friendly.
Hey Amy,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
Amazing! So flavorful. Great fall dish!
Two cans of coconut milk is too much… you even showed yourself pouring one can of coconut milk in your IG video making this recipe… it unfortunately turned out too coconut milk tasting. But will try it again without the second can because it looks to be delicious!
Hi Katie,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the coconut milk, I did use 2 cans:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hey Ciara,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out tasty for you! xT
Such a great recipe! I added some soy sauce and panko breadcrumbs into the meatballs and baked them for 25 minutes at 400 degrees then added to the soup. I used more curry paste and powder than in the original recipe and only one can of coconut milk. It was so so so yummy. All of my kids loved it!
Thanks so much Sarah!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
This soup is delicious! Truthfully, I love all of Tieghan’s curry soup variations. I didn’t have much of an issue with the meatballs falling apart, but I did rotate them regularly using tongs to prevent sticking so maybe that helped. I will definitely make this again. Thanks, Tieghan, for another go-to dinner recipe!
Hey Jessica,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx