If you have ever searched the internet for “chicken coconut soup,” you will see tons of fabulous recipes on Thai coconut chicken soup, also popularly known as Tom Kha or Tom Kha Gai soup. On the other hand, if you google “Nigerian coconut sauce,” you will find Nigerian-style coconut sauce recipes, coconut curry sauce, or stewed coconut milk.

To explain a little further, the Nigerian coconut sauce and Thai chicken coconut soup are different, but, have a common denominator – coconut milk! One significant stack difference, for instance, is that the Nigerian stews are typically thick (except pepper soup), but Thai coconut soup is light!

My inspiration for this irresistible chicken coconut milk soup is, first of all, from my Nigerian heritage. I love that this soup showcased the vibrancy of Nigerian cooking as well as the richness of warm tropical flavors. Secondly, I enjoy Tom Kha Gai soup (Thai soup), and I followed suit to make this one delightful light soup! However, this isn’t your regular Thai soup with coconut milk. Overall, these two cultures inspired me; however, my version of chicken coconut milk soup is different in ingredients and technic.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 3 pounds of chicken
• 2 – 3 big garlic cloves (grated)
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 heaping teaspoon of Mama Manje Haitian Blend
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of Knorr
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder

Soup

• 1 1/2– 2 cups of roughly blended tomato pepper paste
• 1 cup of chopped onions
• 1 3/4 cups of coconut milk (or 13 oz. can)
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 Knorr or Maggi cubes (or 2 teaspoons)

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Directions

1. Wash, clean the chicken; dry off excess moisture, cut into bite sizes, and place in a clean bowl.
2. Grate garlic and ginger; add all the ingredients for marinating the chicken to the chicken bowl.
3. While wearing gloves, use your hand to mix well. Then cover with a cling film and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes – 1 hour.
4. Chop the onions, and set them aside. In a food processor, add the bell peppers, Jalapeño, and the tomato, roughly process, and set aside.
5. Place a clean pan on the stove, add coconut oil, heat up, and then place chicken in a single layer. Cook for 3 – 5 minutes on each side or until fully cooked. Do not overcrowd the pan; cook in batches if necessary. Cover cooked chicken with cling film until needed.
6. Add the oil from the pan to a separate pan or continue in the same pan if it is big enough. Add onions, cook until translucent, stir in salt, and then add the tomato pepper blend. Stir, cover, and simmer, crush in the Knorr cube, add black pepper, and stir.
7. Add the chicken broth, stir, and add the coconut milk. Cover, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Gently add the chicken, taste, and adjust flavors. Cover, and allow to simmer for 8 – 10 minutes. Finally, add chopped parsley. Serve with rice or boiled potatoes or boiled ripe plantains.

Recipe Note

To make the tomato – pepper paste use 1/2 each of red, green, and yellow bell peppers + 1 big tomato)