Spicy chicken, split pea and coconut soup
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Spicy chicken, split pea and coconut soup
Recipe by Annie Bell
Green split peas are lovely in a soup, thickening and sweetening it at the same time. This dish is rich in protein, with all the nourishment that a good chicken soup can provide. Homemade chicken stock will increase its benefits even more
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
411Kcal
Fat
13gr
Saturates
5gr
Carbs
30gr
Sugars
2gr
Fibre
4gr
Protein
40gr
Salt
0.5gr
Annie Bell
Annie started her career as a chef, and is now an award-winning food writer who has written more than a dozen cookbooks. Her recipes are always as beautiful as they are delicious.
Annie Bell
Annie started her career as a chef, and is now an award-winning food writer who has written more than a dozen cookbooks. Her recipes are always as beautiful as they are delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 4-6 chicken thighs and drumsticks (about 750g)
- ½-1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
- 1 tbsp finely chopped root ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 large echalion shallot, finely sliced
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- 200g dried green split peas, rinsed
- 600ml chicken stock* or water
- 50g creamed coconut, chopped
- 2-3 tbsp lime juice (about 2 limes)
To serve
- a small handful of coriander, coarsely chopped
- a handful of finely spliced spring onions
- skin-on 2 almonds, finely sliced
Step by step
Get ahead
The soup keeps for a couple of days in the fridge.
- Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, season the chicken pieces and brown on either side in 2 batches. Remove them to a bowl. Turn the heat down, pour off the fat and add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the chilli, ginger, garlic and shallot and fry briefly for 1-2 minutes until softened and aromatic, stirring occasionally. Stir in the spices and then the split peas, and return the chicken to the pan. Add the stock or water and season with salt. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes or until the split peas are tender and the chicken is coming away from the bone, giving the soup a stir now and again.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to a board or plate, cool slightly and shred the flesh quite finely, discarding the skin and bones. Dissolve the creamed coconut in 200ml boiling water and add to the soup with the shredded chicken. Bring back to the boil, then add lime juice to taste, and if necessary more salt. Add a little extra water if the soup seems too thick. Serve scattered with coriander, spring onions and almonds.
