Comforting Chicken Curry Soup Recipe

This Chicken Curry Soup recipe is a cozy bowl you can pair with pillow-soft naan for a wholesome winter meal.

Chicken Curry Soup

It’s a delight to have a pot of simmering soup on my stove, especially when the temperatures outside dip. The remnants of a weekend snow are melting today, so I’m grateful for the carton of Chicken Curry Soup I have in my refrigerator. And with just a few ingredients, you can make this soup for supper tonight.

This recipe (with just a couple of my tweaks) is from my mom’s copy of a cookbook produced in 1981 by The Elsah Landing Restaurant. I modified the suggested amount of chicken stock and added celery to the soup starter. More later about the restaurant and the Village of Elsah, but for now, let’s get into the soup.

It’s a safe bet that most cooks have in their arsenal a recipe for chicken noodle or chicken and rice soup. Both are wonderfully comforting and nourishing. But what I love about Chicken Curry Soup is the extra hug you get from the curry powder. Don’t be afraid of this spice, folks! If you’re not familiar with curry powders, just visit a spice shop in your area and ask questions.

A common misconception about curry is it’s going to be “too spicy” for an individual’s palate. While some curry powders can bring more heat than others, according to the blog SPICEography, there are milder curry powders from Asia, France and Jamaica. Cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, ginger and cumin are common spices used to blend a curry powder. Just two teaspoons of curry powder (I used The Now Curry from Penzeys) create an underlying warmth and just enough zip to wake up your chicken soup.

For this Chicken Curry Soup recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 3 cups chicken stock

• 2 cups shredded chicken

• ¼ cup butter

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 medium carrots, diced

• 2 celery stalks, diced

• 2 teaspoons curry powder

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• ¼ cup water

• 2 teaspoons salt

• ¼ teaspoon sugar

• 1 cup light cream

• Apple slices to garnish

You can use either homemade or purchased chicken stock. I used a lower sodium organic chicken stock for this recipe. Any shredded chicken would work in this dish; I poached one chicken breast and two full-size chicken wings in some stock. Leftover roasted chicken could be used; even canned white meat chicken would work if you had that in your pantry. Let’s get cooking!

Carrots, onions and celery create the aromatics to start your pot of Chicken Curry Soup. Mom's copy of The Elsah Landing Cookbook is in the background.

In a 4-quart stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Meanwhile, dice the onion, celery and carrots to create the soup’s mirepoix, the soup’s aromatic starter. You’re not looking for any color here, so stir occasionally while sweating the onions. The celery will start to soften, too, but don’t worry about the carrots because those will get tender while the soup simmers. I cooked the vegetables for about five minutes.

Next, add the curry powder and stir to combine the spice into the vegetables. I let this mixture cook for another five minutes (the aroma will be intoxicating, by the way).

Just two teaspoons of curry powder are used in Chicken Curry Soup but it makes a huge difference. The aroma if curry-coated vegetables will fill your kitchen.

At this point, add the chicken stock. Bring it to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. While the stock is simmering, mix the cornstarch and water into a slurry. Stir the mixture into the stock.

Next, add the chicken, salt and sugar. Taste and adjust salt or sugar as desired.

Now it’s time to add the cream. I added about three tablespoons of the soup’s stock into the cup of cream. This tempering method will present any possible curdling; it’s also a good idea to get the cream out of the refrigerator at the outset of the process, measure it and let it wait on your counter.

Just heat the soup through for another couple of minutes, stirring to incorporate the cream. You’ll have a smooth, fragrant and delightful pot of soup that makes four to six servings. It was suggested by The Elsah Landing cookbook authors to serve this will an apple slice, and I agree it’s a nice touch. I also set out a plate of pillowy naan that screamed to be dipped into the bowl. It’s a joyous mouthful.

When The Elsah Landing Restaurant opened in Elsah, Illinois, in 1975, Chicken Curry and Asparagus Mushroom were the only soups on the menu. Helen Crafton and Dorothy Lindgren were the owners. Over the years, the restaurant rotated forty or fifty soups, plus salads, a variety of homemade breads and desserts. My mom, Katie, and I enjoyed a few lunches at The Elsah Landing, whether it was at their original location or the second restaurant that opened at Plaza Frontenac in west St. Louis County.

Mom confided a few times to me that she had a secret dream to run a restaurant similar to Elsah Landing; a place with a simple but nourishing menu that featured soups, sandwiches and desserts. It’s a shame that she never got that chance, but she still fed people around her table and through meals prepared at Trinity United Church of Christ. Food was the language of love for my mom, as well as my grandma, Dorothy. Helen and Dorothy certainly spoke the language when they had The Elsah Landing Restaurant.

And I’m having a lot of fun becoming more fluent!

Give this soup a try and let me know in your comments how it turned out. If you have any memories of The Elsah Landing Restaurant, feel free to share as well.

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Want another chicken soup recipe? Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a delicious and quick meal. And while it's not technically a soup (there is a debate about that), White Chicken Chili is a warm addition to your winter table.

Five tips for storing spices, oils and vinegars

Keep these cooking staples in your pantry, not on the counter.

If you can’t remember when you purged your spice rack or drawer, it’s time to get busy. Dried spices, herbs, oils and vinegars—all important staples to a cook’s pantry—go bad over time. Oregano that’s lost its potency doesn’t do your tomato sauce any good. Old chili powder can cause your prize-winning chili to taste just a little off. You can avoid recipe mishaps by following these easy tips for storing spices, oils and vinegars.

I like to start a new year with a clean kitchen and organized pantry. I set aside about three hours to purge, clean and organize. If you can do this and then stay committed to put things back in their proper places, it really will make a difference in your kitchen/s efficiency.

With spices in a jumble like this, your efficiency in the kitchen will suffer.

It’s funny what you can find shoved in the back of a shelf. This week, I found a partially used container of cream of tartar with an expiration date of July 2002! This thing was 20 years old, people!

Hey, we’ve all done it; purchased something for that special recipe only to have the remainder of that spice relegated to the pantry graveyard. When I recently went through my spice rack, if I didn’t see a “use by” date or if the label looked old, the jar was tossed. In the end, I had a plastic grocery bag filled with junk spices, and while I recognized the waste, I also felt a sense of accomplishment knowing what was left were spices I could safely cook with.

Similarly, I went through the oils, vinegars and other sauces in the pantry and refrigerator. There was less waste here (thank goodness), so the task was reorganizing these staples.

To help keep us on the right path in 2022, I consulted with Marianne Prey. Marianne owns a specialty food store—Extra Virgin, An Olive Ovation—in Ladue, Missouri. Prior to opening her store in 2007, she completed a course at University of California Davis that was all about olives and olive oil. If anybody knows how to store oils, vinegars and spices, it’s Marianne, thanks to her training and practical experience.

“Oils, vinegars, herbs and spices hate light, heat and air,” she said. “The worst place for all is a shelf above the cooktop. Pretty bottles on a sunny shelf are for decoration,” she said. “The general public is unaware and is cooking with a lot of ingredients that have no flavor or worse turned rancid years ago.”

Here are five tips Marianne shared for storing some of our favorite pantry items:

1. Store oil, vinegar, herbs and spices in the dark, away from heat and with a tight-fitting lid.

2. Wine vinegars can list about two years. Balsamic vinegar with a high natural sugar content can last many years. Ingredients should include simply grape must (freshly crushed grape juice) or must and vinegar, according to Marianne. Avoid brands with added sugar, corn syrup, caramel coloring and artificial ingredients.

3. The shelf life for dried herbs is usually six to twelve months. The finer the grind, the shorter the shelf life.

4. Whenever you can, buy whole spices to grate or grind as you need them. Whole spices, Marianne said, can last for years.

5. Oil can be frozen for long-term storage.

Photos below show how even a small pantry can be organized to work efficiently. My cleaned up spice rack is alphabetized. Items in the pantry are grouped together; I keep some groups in bins. Packaged items—cereal, rice, pastas—are in plastic or glass containers and are labeled.

It’s such a treat to shop at An Olive Ovation because I know Marianne has curated the finest oils, vinegars and spices from around the world. She also makes several in-house salad dressings that are wonderful. And she makes three spice blends that are terrific: the signature spice blend combines salt, paprika, garlic, pepper and more; traditional dukkah is made with hazelnuts, coriander, sesame seeds and a few more herbs and spices; and a ñora pepper blend contains dried ñora peppers, garlic, onion, black sesame seeds and ginger. Marianne said the latter is similar to a Montreal steak seasoning.

I also like Olde Town Spice Shoppe in St. Charles, Missouri. Their barbecue rub has won awards. I love their lemon pepper and orange pepper; and I appreciate there are options for small (4-ounce) or large (16-ounce) containers. A fixture on Main Street for more than 30 years, Old Town Spice interestingly is in a building that dates to 1811 in what was the home to some of the first physicians in St. Charles County.

Another fun place in the St. Louis area to shop for spices was mom’s favorite. Soulard Spice Shop in St. Louis’s historical Soulard Market sells 600 pounds of spices each week. Walking into this shop, which has been in business since 1914, is such a sensory experience. I still remember Mom filling her wire basket with beautiful spices, including the smoky paprika she used for her goulash, and holding a container near my nose to smell. We never visited the market without going into Soulard Spice Shop. Check out their web site for good tips about how to purchase and keep your spices.

Personally, I’ve found that buying spice and herbs in bulk isn’t a good strategy. That large bottle of Greek seasoning may seem like a good idea when you’re at the grocer, but unless it’s something you’re going to cook with almost daily, leave it there. Dry spices and herbs are expensive, but the smaller jars result in less waste for me.

Periodically looking at your spice drawer or rack also helps you keep a current inventory. I’m due to replace my smoky/Hungarian paprika. It’s an essential ingredient to Chicken Paprikash (paprika chicken), another of Mom’s recipes. It’s included in my cookbook, Three Women in the Kitchen: Recipes and Stories of Growing Up in St. Louis. Paprika Chicken must have been a dish she grew up with because she spoke of it often but made it infrequently. Maybe Dad preferred the goulash?

However, Chicken Paprikash is a great illustration of the importance of cooking with fresh spices. Putting extra paprika in a recipe if it’s past its prime will not yield the same result as using the correct amount of a fresher spice that’s been kept away from light.

But don’t let this deter you from trying this dish! Just visit your favorite spice merchant for quality paprika. The reward will be a fragrant kitchen and a delicious, warming main course for a winter supper. Jo étvágyat! (Yoh-ehrt-vah-jot), which is Hungarian for bon appetit!

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Best Appetizers for Your New Year's Eve Party

Four simple snack recipes will help you tastefully ring in the New Year and enjoy the company of your guests.

Whether you’ll be celebrating with one or several people on New Year’s Eve, sensational snacks and appetizers always play a key role in the festivities. Here are four appetizers—plus a couple of quick cocktails—to help you get the party started and stay out of the kitchen so you can enjoy your friends and family.

Smoked Chicken and Grape Brushetta (photo and recipe courtesy California Table Grape Commission)

1. Smoked Chicken and Grape Brushetta

Yield: 24 pieces/Recipe courtesy California Table Grape Commission

Beautifully elegant yet deceptively simple to make, Smoked Chicken and Grape Brushetta should be in your arsenal of appetizer recipes. Why this one's a winner: You can buy shredded smoked chicken at your grocer’s deli, assemble the brushetta ahead of time and then pop it in the oven when guests arrive.

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Spinach and Ham Dip/Recipe and photo courtesy Family Features

2. Spinach and Ham Dip/Recipe courtesy Family Features

Yield: About 12 servings

I think a bread bowl with some type of dip will be at most New Year's Eve parties across the Midwest. But Spinach and Ham Dip is a nice switch from the familiar dilly dip we usually find in the bowl. And because it's warmed in the oven, it's especially comforting on a cold evening. Why this one’s a winner: You can use leftover ham from Christmas! Make the dip ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator; about 45 minutes before the party, pop it in the oven.

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Mini Rye Bread Pizzas

3. Mini Rye Bread Pizzas

Yield: 24 pieces/Recipe by Katie Reinhardt

This was a favorite of my family and was part of many New Year’s parties. Every time I take a bite of this appetizer, I'm brought back to the 1970s and I'm in our basement "rathskeller" dancing with my friends to KC and the Sunshine Band. Groovy, man. This is one of many family recipes featured in my cookbook. Why this one is a winner: Assemble the pizzas ahead of time until you’re ready to bake them. The pizzas are totally delicious as they cool to room temperature, so you don’t need to worry about keeping them warm.

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Best Glazed Chicken Wings

4. Best Glazed Chicken Wings/Deborah Reinhardt

Yield: 25 to 30 wings This is a recipe featured in a book I co-authored this year about Missouri's culinary history. I tweaked a recipe from Ott Foods to create these irresistible glazed chicken wings. I took these to a recent party, and guests really liked them. Why this one is a winner: Who doesn’t like chicken wings? The wings will stay warm in a slow cooker turned on the warming (or lowest) setting. Just be sure to treat the crock with non-stick spray so glaze doesn’t stick. These also are fine to eat at room temperature.

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Easy cocktail recipes

Boozy Champagne Squares. Here's a cocktail you can eat! Sure, you can chill and pop open a bottle of bubbly on New Years Eve, but here’s an idea from Schnucks, a Midwest grocery chain, that puts a new spin on a classic.

1. Boil 12 ounces of ginger ale and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a medium saucepan.

2. Remove pan from heat and stir in 2 cups Champagne and 4 packs of unflavored gelatin until the gelatin is dissolved (about 3 minutes).

3. Pour into a 9-inch square pan that’s been treated with non-stick cooking spray and refrigerate until firm (about 4 hours).

4. Cut into squares and divide among 4 Champagne coupes. Pro tip: wet the glass rim and dip in black and white edible sprinkles found at party supply stores or even turbinado sugar.

Orange or Cranberry Mimosas

This is one of the world’s simplest (and prettiest) cocktails. All you need are equal parts chilled Champagne and cold fruit juice (2½ ounces each). Simply pour the wine into the glass first and then top with cranberry or orange juice. Pro tip: Cut a small slit into the narrow end of a strawberry and place on the rim of the glass.

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For additional appetizer and drink recipes, just click here! And from my kitchen to yours, all the very best wishes for a happy and healthy 2022! Happy New Year!