I think Mulligatawny is one of the most underrated soups out there. It’s smooth, Indian-inspired flavor is so good! And it’s a great home for leftover chicken & rice.

Mulligatawny Soup Recipe

This recipe isn’t hard, but it takes a little extra time, and isn’t something to whip up last minute on a busy weeknight. BUT, if you make it on the weekend, you can warm it up and toss the chicken and rice in at the end for a super quick meal.

What is Mulligatawny?

Mulligatawny (aside from being Seinfeld famous) is a creamy blended soup with Indian spices with cooked chicken and rice added in at the end.

The ingredients are easy to find, too! I highly recommend you use freshly bought curry powder if yours happens to be old since it does a lot of the heavy flavor lifting in this recipe. Stale curry powder = lackluster soup.

Chicken Mulligatawny Ingredients

• Butter or coconut oil
• Yellow onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Green bell pepper
• Tapioca flour – I wanted this to be gluten free, so you can also use arrowroot powder or cornstarch in the same quantities.
• Curry powder – I highly recommend using freshly-bought curry powder or even a higher quality brand than the one with the red lid ;) If you’re interested in making your own, try my Homemade Curry Powder recipe!
• Ground nutmeg
• Ground cloves
• Fresh parsley
• Chicken broth
• Salt + Pepper
• Chopped tomatoes – You can also use one can diced/whole tomatoes, undrained
• Cooked chicken
• Coconut milk
• Cooked rice

How to Make Chicken Mulligatawny Soup

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy soup pot and saute onions, carrots, celery, and bell pepper.
2. Stir in the tapioca flour, curry powder, nutmeg, and cloves and cook for a minute or so.
3. Add the chicken broth, parsley, salt, pepper, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about an hour.
4. Blend soup with an immersion or stick blender (or transfer to a blender in batches and puree) until completely smooth.
5. Stir in the chicken, cream (or coconut milk), and rice; heat through before serving.

Mulligatawny Soup Recipe Variations and Substitutions

• Swap out the coconut milk for heavy cream for extra creaminess if you don’t need it to be dairy free.
• Make it vegetarian by omitting the chicken or add a can of drained chickpeas in at the end instead.
• Make it spicy by adding some sriracha or chili crunch in your individual bowls. Or add 1/2-1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes when you add the rest of the seasonings.
• Use cooked quinoa, wild rice, or farro instead of white rice if you prefer. Or if you’re avoiding grains, you can just leave out this step completely or add some cauliflower rice.

Tips For Making Chicken Mulligatawny Soup

• PLEASE use fresh curry powder. Whether you buy it at the store or make it yourself your soup will taste so much better!
• I highly recommend using an immersion blender if you have one! You can for sure use a blender, but this is much easier and less clean up with an immersion blender.
• Cook your chicken and rice ahead of time or use leftovers from a previous meal so they can be ready to go when you need them.

How to Store Chicken Mulligatawny

Store any leftovers in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To Freeze Mulligatawny

If you plan to freeze Mulligatawny, I recommend not stirring in the rice. Add the rice later when you thaw and warm it up right before serving.

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