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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!
This was great however VERY spicy! For anyone who doesn’t like spice I would definitely reduce the red curry paste to 1 TBSP or even 1 teaspoon! I’m seriously so bummed because I love this soup but my mouth is on fire from using the full amount of red curry paste. I added some rice vinegar and brown sugar to try to cut the spice but it’s just too much for me sadly. I’ll make it again for sure but just cut back on red curry 🙂 !! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Hi Emily,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback! So sorry about the spice! Let me know if you give it another try:) xT
Made this tonight! The flavor was amazing but I think the red curry paste I used was too spicy. Next time would cut in half. It over powered the flavor. Great weeknight comfort meal
Hey Lauren,
Happy Wednesday!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was delish! xT
This recipe was good, but not my favorite. Surprisingly, I felt it lacked flavor. I expect my curry to pack a punch and this felt a little flat. The meatballs were the star of the dish.
Hi Lindsey,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it wasn’t a fave! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Would lite coconut milk work in this recipe as well? Thank you!!
Hi Tabitha,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I made it tonight and LOVED it! Delicious!!
Hey Tabitha,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! Have a great weekend! xT
I really enjoyed this. I found it mild, heat-wise, so I added some additional spice in the end.
Hi Djienne,
Fantastic!!🌻 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Hi I’m making this recipe now. I noticed that the ingredients list says 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger but that there are two different steps that say add 1 tablespoon of ginger, so I’m not sure which step it should be added?
Hi Kaylee,
So sorry for any confusion, you are going to need 2 tablespoons, 1 in step 1 and the other in step 3. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I don’t know what I did wrong but this really didn’t have much flavor…………….
Hey Francine,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it lacked flavor. Was there anything you may have adjusted? Let me know how I can help! xx
This was SO delicious! But it was a journey for me – I accidentally overdid it on the chicken broth and ended up with a lot of heat and not much else, taste-wise. An extra half can of coconut milk, about a table spoon of fish sauce, and big dollop of white miso paste saved the day, and now it is DIVINE. Highly recommend the addition of miso paste and fish sauce, even if you don’t happen to screw it up first like I did 🙂
Hey Emma,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xT
This has become a staple meal in our house now… I remember you describing it on Instagram in the video as “soupy rice”, and that is exactly what it is. SO GOOD! Packed with flavour. My husband asks for it constantly. Thank you!!
Hey Bronwyn,
Wonderful!!😊 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was delish! xT
This recipe was delicious! The curry paste I have is HOT (Mae Ploy brand) so I knew to cut back to 1tbsp. The only modification I made was I baked the meatballs in the oven rather than searing in the pan, 30 minutes at 350F (I broke a toe and need to minimize standing at the stovetop, haha!). They turned out great. Served the soup with a simple Socca bread since I’m gluten-free and it’s easy to make. A squeeze of lime brought it all home. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
Hey Sherri,
Happy Monday!! 💘 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Hi Tieghan,
Can you substitute regular potatoes for sweet potatoes? My family is not a fan of them…..
Thank you, Wendy
Hey Wendy,
Totally, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Hi Tieghan! I really, really enjoyed this recipe. I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to how spicy a dish is. How can I make this dish a little less spicy, but still keep the same flavor? Thanks!
Hi Kira,
This dish really isn’t spicy, but you could reduce the red curry paste. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I’m not even a huge curry fan and I’m OBSESSED with this dish! It’s amazing. Thank you!
Hey Kelley,
Amazing!! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx
First, let me say that every recipe I’ve made from HBH lately (at least 10) has been 5 stars. I needed to make a few changes w/ this one to amp up the taste of both the meatballs and the soup part. I added some Chinese 5 Spice to the meatballs (1/2-1 tsp) and then to the soup base I subtracted a bit of the red curry paste. We like spicy, but the flavor became more layered w/ less paste and then some fresh squeezed lime juice. I appreciate your detail to fresh ingredients w/o compromising taste!!!
Hey Karen,
Perfect!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing your feedback! xT
This was SO GOOD – I’m curious if the calories per serving is correct? I’ve made another HBH soup that had similar ingredients, but the calorie count was much lower. Regardless – this is a new favorite. The leftovers were good to the last drop, and I’m picky about leftovers…but I ate this for 4 days straight. On the last night I ran out of rice and added some cooked orzo directly in the soup – delicious.
Hey LeighAnn,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! 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! xT