I first had this soup at a cafe near where I work. It was the opening day for the cafe and this was their soup of the day. I had never heard of this one before so they gave me a sample taste. It was delicious, so I had a bowl. The owner would stroll through the small dining room from time to time. She asked me how I liked the soup. Then she told me that she uses a little bit of cinnamon to give it a special touch. So after that I set out to find a recipe, but none I found included cinnamon. And so this recipe evolved. The curry & cinnamon will fill the kitchen with wonderful warm aromas for hours. It has become my son’s all time favorite soup. I have found that by slicing the chicken breasts in half lengthwise it will reduce the roasting time. While the chicken is in the oven is a good time to dice the onions & celery. You can also use leftover chicken in this recipe, then skip the first few steps.
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- ⅓ cup chunky peanut butter
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise keeping your knife parallel to the cutting board.
- Measure the curry powder, cinnamon, salt & pepper into a small cup, then sprinkle chicken with this mixture.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. When chicken is done, shred into small pieces using 2 forks.
- In a large soup pot, heat the toasted sesame oil.
- Add onion & celery, sautéing over medium heat until onion turns opaque.
- Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or so.
- Add remaining spice mixture, red pepper flakes, chicken broth, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, peanut butter & shredded chicken.
- Stir until peanut butter is completely dissolved.
- Heat thoroughly. Serve hot.
