This Chicken Tikka Masala Soup is creamy and full of flavor with a hint of spice. It's a one pot recipe, that cooks in less than an hour. Serve it with a piece of naan bread for an easy lunch or dinner.
This soup is just like Chicken Tikka Masala, but in soup form. It has all those deep, warm flavors and will have you going back to the pot for seconds.
The soup broth is creamy and rich from the chicken stock, tomato sauce, and heavy cream. Tender chunks of marinated chicken and rice make this soup a full meal. I love serving this soup with warm pita bread or naan flatbread for dipping.
For more creamy soup recipes, try this Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Mushroom Soup, Chicken Dumpling Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup in the Dutch Oven and Creamy Tortellini Soup.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Quick and Easy. Simple prep and quick to make in about an hour.
- One Pot. Cook the whole recipe in just one dutch oven.
- Full of Indian Flavor. The Garam Masala spice used in this recipe is filled with warm spices like cinnamon, clove, cumin, cardamom, coriander, peppercorns and nutmeg. These spices bring in just a touch of heat to the soup too.
- Versatile Soup. Make it for lunch, dinner or prep it ahead for the week. It stays good for up to 3 days. With the chicken, rice and creamy soup base, it's filling enough for a full meal.
For more quick and easy one pot meals, try this French Onion Pasta, Lazy Lasagna, and Chicken and Chorizo Paella.
Ingredients:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: A great option for this recipe with the bones and skins removed. Chicken Thighs are a darker meat and contain higher fat versus chicken breast and stay more tender when cooking. I like using the Smart Chicken brand because the thighs come trimmed really nicely in the package.
Greek Yogurt and Spices: Create the marinade for the Chicken Tikka Masala. Greek yogurt helps to tenderize the meat and the yogurt and brings a tangy flavor to the soup. Garam Masala, cumin, paprika, crushed red pepper and salt give this soup the classic "tikka masala" taste.
Garlic, Ginger and Onion: Add flavor and texture to the soup.
Chicken Stock: High in flavor profiles. Chicken stock is cooked with the chicken bones and is much more rich than chicken broth. I highly recommend the Kitchen Basics brand. It has a nice amount of salt and tons of flavor.
Tomato Sauce: Adds acidity and creamy texture to the soup broth.
Heavy Cream: Brings in the creamiest texture at the end of cooking and finishes off that perfect Chicken Tikka Masala vibe.
White Rice: Jasmine or basmati rice is added into the soup for a traditional pairing. Adding the rice cooked already at the end of cooking helps to avoid overcooking.
Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds a nice finishing touch to top the soup.
*Full ingredients and quantities are listed in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
If you're dairy free, substitute the heavy cream with a 14 ounce can of regular coconut milk.
The Chicken Thighs can be substituted with Chicken Breast.
How To Make Chicken Tikka Masala Soup:
Step 1: Slice the chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces and add to a large bowl.
Step 2: Top the chicken with yogurt, garam masala, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and salt. Stir to combine and allow the chicken to sit in the marinade for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Place a dutch oven on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add the olive oil to the dutch oven and toss in the onions. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 4: Increase the stovetop heat to medium. Toss in the chicken and excess yogurt marinade and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip the chicken and cook an additional 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and grated ginger and cook for 60 seconds.
Step 5: Stir in the tomato sauce. Then, pour in chicken stock and toss in the bay leaf. Cover and bring to a low boil. Stir and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Step 6: Pour in heavy cream and stir. Then, toss in the cooked rice. Cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave uncovered to avoid the rice from continuing to cook.
Step 7: Serve into bowls and top with cilantro and/or lime wedges. Warm naan bread is fantastic for the dipping into the soup. Enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- If there is a lot of extra fat on the chicken thighs, trim them up a bit.
- When cooking the onions, you're looking for a softened, translucency with no browning. Reduce the heat if needed.
- The chicken thigh meat doesn't need to be cooked entirely when sautéing with the onions. It will continue to cook in the soup.
- After cooking, remove the dutch oven from the heat to stop the rice from absorbing too much liquid. Leave uncovered.
For more Chicken Weeknight Dinners, try these Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps, Hash Brown Chicken Casserole and Chicken and Noodles.
Recipe FAQs:
It helps to tenderize the chicken without breaking it down too quickly, like a citrus marinade does. This is a quick recipe, so we don't marinate it long, but chicken can be marinated in yogurt up to overnight in the fridge.
No. In fact, add the extra yogurt and seasoning from the marinade right into the dutch oven with the chicken. It brings in so much flavor.
Allow the soup to come to room temperature. Store in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, pour into a saucepan and heat on medium heat until hot. Serve and enjoy!
More Easy Soup Recipes You Will Love:
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Chicken Tikka Masala Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 bowls 1x
Description
This Chicken Tikka Masala Soup is creamy and full of flavor with a hint of spice. It's a one pot soup recipe, that cooks in about an hour. Serve it with a piece of naan bread for an easy lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon garam masala spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated fine on microplane zester
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 32 ounce container Chicken Stock
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1.5 cups cooked Jasmine or Basmati Rice
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
- Optional: Lime wedges and Naan bread for serving
Instructions
- Slice the chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces and add to a large bowl.
- Top the chicken with yogurt, garam masala, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and salt. Stir to combine and allow the chicken to sit in the marinade for 15 minutes.
- Place a dutch oven on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and toss in the onions. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Increase the stovetop heat to medium. Toss in the chicken and yogurt marinade and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip the chicken and cook an additional 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and grated ginger and cook for 60 seconds.
- Stir in tomato sauce. Pour in Chicken Stock and toss in the bay leaf. Cover and bring to a low boil. Stir and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Pour in heavy cream and stir. Then, add in the cooked rice. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve into bowls and top with cilantro and/or lime wedges. Warm naan bread is fantastic for the dipping into the soup. Enjoy!
Notes
- If there is a lot of extra fat on the chicken thighs, trim them up a bit.
- When cooking the onions, you're looking for a softened, translucency with no browning. Reduce the heat if needed.
- The chicken thigh meat doesn't need to be cooked entirely when sautéing with the onions. It will continue to cook in the soup.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Marinating Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Josie
This soup is so tasty and rich! Loved it with naan bread:)
Tara Smithson
Yay! Thanks so much for the review Josie. I've gotta have the bread too:)