Carole Curlee's Chicken Soup

Carole Curlee’s Chicken Soup

Wes Fryer
also known as "Mulligatawny Soup"
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • 2 large soup pots

Ingredients
  

  • 1 4 pound chicken cut up in advance
  • 1 gal chicken or turkey broth homemade
  • 32 oz chicken broth store-bought
  • 3 Tbps butter
  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • 2/3 cup rice uncooked
  • 1 finely chopped onion large
  • 1 cup carrots diced and scraped
  • 3/4 cup celery chopped
  • 1 tsp curry powder rounded
  • 2 tsp. Accent
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 1/4 tsp. Pepper
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup light cream
  • 1 Tbsp. Parsley flakes
  • 4 to 8 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 3 tsp. Salt

Instructions
 

  • In advance, prepare a rotisserie chicken by cutting off and chopping up all the chicken from the bones. Boil the carcass (with chopped onion, celery, parsley and Accent seasoning if you can) for at least 2 hours. Pour off broth into a large glass measuring cup, refrigerate overnight to separate the fat. Skim fat off in the morning, freeze finished broth in freezer-lock ziplock bags, labeled with the contents and date. Freeze chopped chicken in separate freezer bags. If using an extra large Costco chicken, pieces can be separated in half and frozen in two separate bags.
  • Defrost 1 gallon ziplock bag of chicken (or turkey) broth, and a bag (or two if more chicken pieces are desired) of chopped rotisserie chicken.
  • Bring homemade chicken or turkey stock, store-bought chicken stock, 4 chicken bouillon cubes, Accent seasoning, and parsley to a boil.
  • In a separate LARGE soup pot while heating the stock, melt butter and saute uncooked rice, chopped onion, garlic, and celery. Cook until rice starts to turn brown.
  • Pour boiling stock into large soup pot, taking care not to burn yourself with the steam. Add curry seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.
  • Add chicken, insuring it is chopped into bite size pieces first.
  • Blend cornstarch with the 1/2 cup milk and add to the soup; cook and stir until thickened.
  • Just before serving, add the cream.

Notes

This is a slightly modified version of “Mulligatawny Soup, the famous chicken soup of Carole Curlee of Lubbock, Texas.”
I always purchase a $5 rotisserie chicken when we shop at Costco, and generally put both the chopped chicken pieces and boiled broth in the freezer after the visit to keep some on hand.
The soup is even BETTER the next day and in successive days. It make a large quantity (about 1.5 gallons) so we always have leftovers. We always eat and enjoy this recipe as a main course by itself.
It’s great to serve with a crusty bread if you can, like a sourdough loaf or Italian bread loaf.
Heavy cream can be substituted for light cream at the end. Don’t skip this ingredient, it’s really important and key.
This is our favorite chicken soup recipe to eat at home and is always a big hit with guests. It’s AMAZING!
Shelly grew up eating it at high school and college youth gatherings of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lubbock. Carole Curlee was an ‘anchor’ of our WPC church and a famous cook in Lubbock, having published several cookbooks which we still have and use!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

One thought on “Carole Curlee’s Chicken Soup”

  1. Thank you so much. I used to work with Bob Curlee her son I found a copy of the soup he gave me today. I’m going to give it a try.

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