This easy Coconut Chicken Potato Soup is one of our favorite comfort food recipes made with simple ingredients in under an hour. Great for meal prepping, it’s spicy, creamy, and hearty all in one pot.
This Coconut Chicken Potato Soup is the kind of dinner you crave when the temperatures drop or you’re fighting off a cold. It’s made with simple, cozy ingredients—chicken, potatoes, shallots, garlic, and fresh ginger—simmered together in a creamy coconut broth with just the right amount of heat. The coconut milk adds richness while balancing the spice, and every spoonful feels like a warm, flavorful hug.
Our inspiration came from wanting to do a spin on the usual chicken and potato soup—to do something that still felt comforting but with a little kick to clear your sinuses and wake up your taste buds. It’s easy to make in just one pot, ready in about an hour, and perfect for meal prep since the flavors only deepen as it sits. Whether you’re under the weather or just want a bowl of something vibrant and healing, this soup truly does it all.
If you like this soup, you’ll love my Cocotte French Onion Soup, and my Mushroom Leek Parmesan Broth.
Ab’s Tip: Remove the skin from the chicken thighs after searing and bake in the oven until they get browned and crispy. Break into pieces and use as a topping for the soup. Not only does it bring tons of added flavor, it has vitamins like vitamin E and some B vitamins.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Maximal flavor in an hour. This soup comes together in less than an hour and packs so much flavor. With the creamy coconut milk, touch of heat and cozy chicken broth, it’s the ideal balance.
- A twist on the classic chicken and potato soup. After awhile, we find that chicken and potato soup can get repetitive and a bit bland. This soup is a step up from that with more flavor and all the great benefits of a nourishing chicken soup.
- Great for meal prep. We love making a big batch of this soup to have throughout the week for lunch or dinner. It lasts for up to 4 days in the fridge or in the freezer for 3 months.
Ingredients
- Skin-on chicken thighs: Using skin-on chicken thigh yields the most amount of flavor which will be the base of this soup.
- Coconut milk: Coconut milk adds a rich, creamy texture and a subtle sweetness that balances spice and deepens the flavor of the soup.
- Chicken broth: Comforting and a classic base for soup, chicken broth (homemade or store bought) is both nourishing, and flavorful. You could sub bone broth if you’d like, but definitely opt for chicken broth over beef or vegetable stock from a flavor profile.
- Corn: Using fresh corn is great for this in the summer, but you can use frozen corn and it will be just as good. Corn adds a subtle crunch and sweetness.
- Lime juice: Adding an acid like lime juice really balances out the flavor of the coconut milk and chicken stock in the broth.
- Garlic: Garlic adds a warm, savory depth and aromatic flavor that enhances the overall richness of the soup.
- Chilis: Depending on how much heat you want, you can decide what chilis to use. We opt for a jalapeño with removed seeds for less heat, and a Thai chili, habanero or serrano for more heat.
- Spinach: Spinach adds a boost of vitamins A, C, and K, iron, and antioxidants, bringing both color and nutrient-rich freshness to the soup.
- Ginger: Ginger adds a bright, slightly spicy warmth that energizes the broth and helps balance richer flavors in the soup. Ginger is also packed with antioxidants and has natural anti-inflammatory and digestive benefits that can help soothe the stomach and support immune health.
- Potatoes: Red potatoes add fiber, potassium, and vitamin C, while their waxy texture holds up well in soup, giving it a hearty, satisfying bite without falling apart.
- Peanuts: We love topping this soup with peanuts for a nice added crunch.
- Cilantro: Cilantro is another great added topping for flavor. If you are not a fan of cilantro, the soup is still great without it!
How to make Coconut Chicken Soup
1. Prep the chicken: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. In a large dutch oven, Add a nice glug of olive oil. Add in chicken skin side down and cook on medium to high heat for about 5 min or until the chicken skin has browned. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Chicken will still be a little pink inside, but don’t worry, it goes back into the soup again.
Transfer to a plate and remove the skin from the chicken. Add skin to a baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 min. Let cool. Roughly chop and use as a topping for the soup. Once chicken is cool enough to touch, remove from bone and chop into bite sized pieces.
2. Prep all your aromatics: Dice shallot, chilis, ginger and garlic. In the same dutch oven that your chicken was in, add another glug of olive oil. There should still be some chicken fond in the dutch oven which you should keep (good flavor!) Once hot, add all the aromatics. Cook, stirring often for about 5 min.
3. Prep the rest of the ingredients: While aromatics cook, chop potatoes and remove corn from the cob if using fresh corn. After the aromatics have been cooking for about 5 minutes. Add in potatoes, chopped chicken, chicken broth and coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for about 10-15 min or until potatoes are tender and chicken is fully cooked.
4. A spinach, corn and lime juice. Stir and season to taste. You might need more lime juice, salt and pepper depending.
5. Garnish: Serve and garnish with more lime, crushed peanuts, cilantro and chicken skin. Roughly chop the chicken skin and add on top. Stay healthy and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Coconut milk makes this dairy free. We like to use coconut milk for this soup as it makes the soup dairy-free. We also opt for full fat coconut milk for added richness to the broth. You could substitute with cashew cream, evaporated milk, or a lighter coconut milk for less richness.
- Save time, use a rotisserie chicken. Using a rotisserie chicken will definitely save you time, but you will lose the flavor from the bone-in skin on chicken thighs. But in a pinch, this would definitely work.
- Using chicken stock versus vegetable stock. While you could make this soup vegetarian, a lot of the development of flavor in the broth comes from the bone-in skin on chicken thighs, so we would recommend sticking to that.
- What chilis to use. Depending on how much heat you want, you can decide what chilis to use. We opt for a jalapeño and remove the seeds for less heat, and a Thai chili, habanero, or serrano for more heat.
- Swap spinach for kale, bok choy or another nutrient rich green. This soup is a great cold remedy, so we like to use a nutrient rich green. You could definitely swap spinach for kale or bok choy.
Storage / Make Ahead
We like to make a big pot of this soup and keep it in the fridge to reheat all week (up to 4 days). Simply ladle out the portion you would like and microwave or reheat on the stove. You can chop peanuts and cilantro and store for toppings in airtight containers.
This soup is great for freezing up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw the soup overnight in the fridge or gently reheat it from frozen over low heat on the stove. Stir occasionally as it warms—if it separates slightly from the coconut milk, just whisk or stir to bring it back together.
FAQs
Yes — coconut milk will make soup thicker and creamier. Its natural fats add body and richness, creating a velvety texture without the need for cream or flour. The thicker the coconut milk (like full-fat versions), the more luxurious and hearty the soup will be.
If you don’t have coconut milk, you can make chicken soup creamy with heavy cream, half-and-half, evaporated milk, cashew cream, or plain Greek yogurt. We like to use coconut milk for the flavors, and because it makes this soup dairy-free.
To keep coconut milk from curdling in soup, avoid boiling it—instead, add it toward the end of cooking and let it simmer gently over low to medium heat. Stir often to keep it emulsified. We suggest adding the lime juice after the coconut milk is added to prevent separation.
More Easy Soup Recipes
- “French Onion” Parmesan Gruyere Broth
- Mushroom Leek Parmesan Broth
- Fish Chowder with Pancetta and Garlic Toast
- Tortilla Soup with Bok Choy
Creamy Coconut Chicken Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 shallots
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 2 inch piece of ginger
- 1 red chili see note
- 3 ears of corn (cut off the cob or frozen)
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 large red potatoes (chopped)
- 1.5 lb bone in, skin on chicken thighs
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 2-3 limes
Toppings:
- cilantro
- chopped peanuts
- Another squeeze of lime juice
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. In a large dutch oven, Add a nice glug of olive oil. Add in chicken skin side down and cook on medium to high heat for about 5 min or until the chicken skin has browned. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Chicken will still be a little pink inside, but don't worry, it goes back into the soup again.
- Transfer to a plate and remove the skin from the chicken. Add skin to a baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 min. Let cool. Roughly chop and use as a topping for the soup.
- Once chicken is cool enough to touch, remove from bone and chop into bite sized pieces.
- Prep all your aromatics: Dice shallot, chilis, ginger and garlic. In the same dutch oven that your chicken was in, add another glug of olive oil. There should still be some chicken fond in the dutch oven which you should keep (good flavor!) Once hot, add all the aromatics. Cook, stirring often for about 5 min.
- Prep the rest of the ingredients: While aromatics cook, chop potatoes and remove corn from the cob if using fresh corn. After the aromatics have been cooking for about 5 minutes. Add in potatoes, chopped chicken, chicken broth and coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for about 10-15 min or until potatoes are tender and chicken is fully cooked.
- A spinach, corn and lime juice. Stir and season to taste. You might need more lime juice, salt and pepper depending.
- Garnish: Serve and garnish with more lime, crushed peanuts, cilantro and chicken skin. Roughly chop the chicken skin and add on top. Stay healthy and enjoy!
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