Winter is a wonderful time of year for soup. Don’t get me wrong, I like soup all year, but it is nice to actually enjoy it without sweating because of our hot summers or freezing because the air conditioner is cranked up too high in restaurants during the summer!
Last week with the Polar Vortex messing up my schedule it was nice to have this soup in the fridge just calling my name. Even here in South Carolina we had a two hour school delay for two days. That little schedule change messed up everything I had planned. I couldn’t go to the gym in the mornings because I had to drop off my preschooler on regular schedule which meant I had to drop of my Kindergartener since he would miss his bus. There just wasn’t enough time to go to the gym before I had to pick up the preschooler. It was indeed nice knowing that I was going home for some hot soup for lunch!
This soup is hearty yet not too rich and creamy. It is a twist on chicken and rice soup with the addition of coconut milk, ginger and chick peas. It is slightly creamy and relatively healthy. I frequently add some type of beans to soups to increase the fiber and protein and chick peas work wonderfully here. The boys certainly enjoyed the soup, as did the hubs and I.
Creamy Coconut Thai Chicken and Rice Soup
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. carrots, sliced or diced
8 oz. mushrooms (shiitake or baby bella), sliced
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
1 can (15 oz.) chick peas, drained
8 c. chicken broth
1 can (13.66 oz.) lite coconut milk
1/2 c. brown rice
2 c. shredded chicken
1/2 c. half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, carrots and mushrooms for 5 minutes, add the ginger and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the half and half. Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer. After the soup has simmered for about 45 minutes, or until carrots are cooked to your liking, stir in the half and half and serve.
Yields about 15 cups
Feeding My 3 Sons 
Looks good! I’m impressed your boys like the soup–my kiddos would be a tough sell, I think. But no matter because I’d eat all of it 🙂 Glad you survived the PV. I’m in Minnesota and you’d think we’d be hearty enough to withstand but our governor called off school for two days for the insanely cold temps. Soup now please 😀
I know how you feel, I grew up in Wisconsin and remember school being cancelled for extreme wind chills. I don’t miss it at all! The boys eat really well, only one picked out the mushrooms. That was really their only complaint. Stay warm!
Gretchen, this soup has all of my favorite flavors. I have been making Thai soups all month. I love your recipes – we cook so much a like. DELICIOUS. Your three sons eat so well! Best – Shanna
Hey Shanna, I guess great minds think alike! We certainly did enjoy this soup. The boys really loved it, that is until I packed it in a thermos for school lunch. It was the first hot lunch I packed him and it didn’t go over well. He ate it as soon as he got home. After two days of this I pumped him for info, seems the kids asked him questions about what he was having so he never bothered to open the thermos and eat it. He doesn’t like being different! Reminded me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding! The third time he finally ate his soup, now I owe him some pudding in his thermos….bribery may have been involved! Enjoy your week.
Very interesting about the thermos. When I send my daughter with “weird” (translate – not typical American lunches!) she won’t eat them, either. And she is only four! So, I have just been packing fruit, carrots and a sandwich. As the kids get older, I am hoping that I can send them in with dinner leftovers – though it seems unlikely from reading your reply. Anyway, the soup looks AMAZING. You do not have to bribe me with pudding to eat your soup, Gretchen. 😉 Best – Shanna
Each child is different. Yesterday I sent the middle son, five years old, to lunch bunch at preschool with a thermos of leftover chicken and lentil stew. He ate nearly all of it! His teacher was impressed, asked what was in there. Hopefully it will get better for you too. Funny how peer pressure kicks in so young.
How did I miss this soup? After reading instructions, I can actually taste it. I have just copied the recipe and I’m going to make it during the weekend. It sounds and looks very delicious and is a whole meal on its own. Thanks for sharing. I hope you’re feeling better? How’s the weather? It’s still so cold here. Toward the weekend it might just “improve” Have a lovely day!
We are on our second day home from school. Yesterday nothing happened until after dinner. It began to sleet and then once the kids went to bed the snow began. We didn’t get much, about 3 inches. That is enough for major excitement here though. The boys have already played out in the snow twice and loved it, not the getting cold and wet part though! This weekend it will be in the 60s again. Pure CRAZINESS! I hope you enjoy the soup, we sure did.
Ha ha it’s nice for the kids though. We have huge mounds of snow on the street, like little mountains. The roads are white too, on our street. I can’t wait for spring…I’m counting days..slowly and surely. I shall give you a feedback about the soup. I must make it. Best wishes!
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Hi Mama D,
I want to tell you that I made this soup and it was fantastic. I’ve just finished eating the left over right now (it’s 10am in the morning LOL). I added some Thai Curry Paste, chilli flakes and crunchy peanut butter, besides the listed ingredients and the result was amazing. My son and daughter loved the soup too. I have since added this to my list of favourite soups and I can assure you that we shall be making it very often. I shared photos on my blog. Thank you so much for posting this wonderful soup. I have two more things to make from your blog. I shall keep you posted. Take care and Xoxo to the boys. We have some sunshine today but my arms are aching form shovelling. I can hardly type!!!!
So glad you liked it! Rest your arms and relax a little. I am about to make your coconut orange cake. I made the bread yesterday and after dinner, breakfast and lunch it is now all gone! Needless to say it was extremely popular, I didn’t even get a chance to photograph it. Hopefully I will get pictures of the cake. The bread I will make again this weekend!
I am glad you made and liked the bread, and even more glad to hear that it’s all gone and is popular. I wish you a happy baking over the weekend. I shall be baking the mango muffins soon!
I couldn’t have found this soup on your site at a more perfect time.
My husband has been requesting a Thai Curry soup. I believe he will love this recipe. Even though it doesn’t have curry in it, I think it’s pretty close (I can always add a little).
This soup will make a wonderful companion in this frigid, snowy weather we’ve been bearing here in the south.
Have a Beautiful day.
I have also added curry to it, I rarely make things the same way every time! I hope you and your husband enjoy it and stay warm. It has indeed been an unusual winter here in the South.
I can relate to your style of cooking. Many times I cook w/ the- a smidgeon of this, a pinch of that, a handful of this and a little something extra- method. It’s a “good things.” 🙂
Thanks!