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    Home » Soups

    Instant Pot Chicken Mulligatawny Soup

    Published: Mar 18, 2019 · Modified: Apr 30, 2021 by Archana · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 22 Comments

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    Here is a low-carb recipe for the restaurant favorite Chicken Mulligatawny Soup! This South Indian soup is cooked in an Instant Pot with creamy coconut milk and warming spices that leaves the taste buds longing for more.

    chicken mulligatawny soup served in 2 bowls

    What is Mulligatawny?

    The name Mulligatawny originates from the Tamil words "milagay" or "milagu" meaning pepper and "tanni" meaning water, which literally translates to "pepper-water". The soup is similar to "Rasam" which is a versatile spicy soup that is popular in southern India. Mulligatawny soup became very popular with the British when England occupied India and eventually made its way to many Indian restaurants in the UK as well as the US.

    It wasn't until I moved to the US that I was introduced to it because most Indian restaurants have this soup on their menu.  Since then I have enjoyed it many times. I have also devoured the original south Indian version of this "pepper-water" soup at my friend's home.

    one bowl of soup with spoon in it

    I recently had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Karen Lee an accomplished holistic practitioner, and a former doctor of chiropractic medicine.  Dr. Lee started cooking Paleo-friendly foods for her family years ago to help with food allergies, and they began their Ketogenic (Keto) journey to further control inflammation and weight gain.  With the Instant Pot, she was able to turn family favorites that used to take hours into fast, stress-free meals. She has since published two cookbooks - Paleo Cooking with Your Air Fryer and Keto Cooking with Your Instant Pot.

    Keto Cooking with Your Instant Pot book

    I love that both these books have so many well-tested recipes that are healthy and delicious at the same time.  When I saw the recipe for Chicken Mulligatawny Soup in her Instant Pot book, I couldn't resist trying it out immediately as not only did it look tasty, but I also had most of the ingredients in my pantry. I love using Penzey's hot curry powder in this recipe but you can also easily substitute it with garam masala, cumin powder, and turmeric.

    photo of chicken mulligatawny soup served in 2 white bowls

    Traditional Chicken Mulligatawny Soup uses ingredients like lentils, potatoes, flour, rice, heavy cream, etc. to add creaminess to the soup.  I love that this keto-friendly version uses cauliflower rice and coconut milk to add the same creamy texture. Spices such as black pepper, curry powder, nutmeg, and thyme that Dr. Lee uses definitely leave our taste buds longing for more.

    ingredients for Chicken Mulligatawny Soup on a cutting board

    Variations

    Here are a few variations I made to the original recipe:

    • Made the recipe for 6 servings
    • Added ghee instead of butter
    • Used boneless, skinless thighs instead of bone-in thighs
    • Reduced the cooking time to 10 minutes instead of 15 minutes since I used boneless thighs
    • Substituted Curry powder with - ½ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon turmeric
    • Added 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper instead of ½ teaspoon as we love our soup a bit spicy
    • Used 2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
    • Used 1 cup coconut milk

    Instructions

    Instant Pot Chicken Mulligatawny Soup step by step recipe:

    • Turn the Instant Pot to Saute mode and melt ghee. Add onions and ginger and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in celery and carrots and cook for another 1 minute (photos 1 - 2).
    Steps 1 and 2 showing vegetables being sautéed in the Instant Pot
    • Add remaining ingredients except for coconut milk and cilantro. Hit "Cancel". Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook/Manual(Hi) for 10 minutes followed by 10 minute natural pressure release (photos 3 - 6).
    Steps 3 through 6 showing adding chicken, cauliflower and broth to Instant Pot
    • Release the remaining pressure by turning the pressure valve to venting. After the float valve drops down open the Instant Pot. Optional step - You can shred the chicken using forks and add it back into the soup. Stir in coconut milk and cilantro (photos 7 - 8).
    Steps 7 and 8 showing stirring in coconut milk and cilantro to cooked soup
    • Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with more cilantro and black pepper. 
    one bowl of chicken mulligatawny soup with spoon in it

    Did you enjoy this low carb soup? Here is another recipe you may want to try next:

    Chicken Coriander Soup

    ★ Have you tried this recipe? We love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate.

    Tried this recipe? We love your feedback.Please click on the stars in the recipe card below
    chicken mulligatawny soup served in 2 white bowls garnished with cilantro
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    4.91 from 11 votes

    Chicken Mulligatawny Soup

    Flavourful low carb South Indian Soup made with coconut milk and spices that is keto-fied with cauliflower.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time35 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 330kcal
    Author: Archana Mundhe

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons ghee
    • 1 small yellow onion diced
    • 1 tablespoon ginger grated
    • 1 celery stalk chopped
    • 2 carrots peeled and diced
    • 2 teaspoons curry powder or ½ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon ground cumin and ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
    • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
    • 2 cups cauliflower rice or finely minced cauliflower florets
    • 1 cup full fat coconut milk
    • ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

    Instructions

    • Turn the Instant Pot to Saute mode and melt ghee. Add onions and ginger and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in celery and carrots and cook for another 1 minute. 
    • Add remaining ingredients except for coconut milk and cilantro. Hit "Cancel". Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook/Manual(Hi) for 10 minutes. See notes if using chicken breasts.
    • Allow natural pressure release and open the Instant Pot.
    • Take out the chicken and shred it into bite-sized pieces and add it back to the soup. Stir in coconut milk and cilantro. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with more cilantro and black pepper. 

    Notes

    Notes:
    1. For Bone-in chicken thighs, increase the pressure cook time to 15 minutes 
    2. If using chicken breasts pressure cook on poultry mode for 13 minutes followed by natural pressure release. This helps keep the chicken breasts tender and shred easily

    Nutrition

    Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 497mg | Potassium: 776mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3440IU | Vitamin C: 19.1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2.5mg
    Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @ministry_of_curry or tag #ministryofcurry

    ♥ We LOVE to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Please share your food photo with hashtag #ministryofcurry on Facebook or Instagram, so we can see it and our followers can enjoy it too! Thank you and Happy Cooking ♥ Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for tasty and easy video recipes. Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Check out our delicious Instant Pot Recipe board on Pinterest.

    Author: Archana

    Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
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    1. Elizabeth Bergmann says

      March 19, 2019 at 1:08 pm

      Hello Archana! Once again you have posted another amazing recipe! I cannot wait to try it but I wonder how it would be made not quite so "keto" Would I add a bit of uncooked rice and add more l;liquid to thicken it or possibly add cooked rice at the end? What about potatoes? I love all the ingredients but wanted to make it a bit thicker or creamier for my hubby.5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        March 21, 2019 at 10:08 pm

        You an add rice and potatoes to make it thicker and creamier

        Reply
    2. Nick says

      March 19, 2019 at 7:17 pm

      This sounds amazing. For whatever reason, I was under the impression Mulligatawny was a vegetarian thing. Obviously, I had been misled and deceived! Not being a vegetarian, this sounds MUCH better. I don't have an instapot thingie, so, I plan on just simmering for 40ish minutes at step-2. Thank you for posting.

      Reply
      • Archana says

        March 21, 2019 at 10:07 pm

        Yes, should work great without Instant pot too!

        Reply
    3. Karen says

      March 20, 2019 at 10:59 am

      This looks delicious. I'm looking forward to making it this weekend.

      (ps- I think the last sentence of step 1 belongs to step 2 in your recipe)

      Reply
      • Archana says

        March 21, 2019 at 10:07 pm

        Thank you!! And thanks for the error too. I have fixed it. Will look forward to your feedback

        Reply
    4. Laurie says

      November 07, 2019 at 9:55 pm

      I haven't tried this yet (but will soon!) Curious to know why the recipe calls for diced veggies but you show sliced?
      Also, is there a place in your blog for menus?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        November 09, 2019 at 12:31 am

        You can slice them. What kind of menus are you looking for?

        Reply
      • Dawn says

        December 09, 2019 at 12:13 am

        This recipe looks great! Wondering if Kitchen King could be used in place of the curry powder or the garam masala?
        Thanks

        Reply
        • Archana says

          December 11, 2019 at 9:04 pm

          yes either one will work. Add to taste.

          Reply
    5. Noelle says

      December 15, 2019 at 3:49 pm

      Just made this today and it was delicious! Keep the yummy recipes coming!5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        December 15, 2019 at 8:14 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    6. Marci Rubinoff says

      January 26, 2020 at 9:05 pm

      Thanks for this recipe. Used 3 cups of turkey bone broth and 1 can of full fat coconut milk rather than 2 cups.
      We only had 1 lb of frozen turkey so thawed it and threw it in. Delicious!!

      Reply
    7. Gauri Gopalakrishnan says

      June 18, 2020 at 3:54 pm

      Hi Archana!
      Thank you for your Ginger, coriander immunity boosting soup recipe. It’s wonderful and so loved by my husband that I make a big batch just for him which he devours for dinner about three times a week!
      Could you please give me the macros for that soup? Also what is a typical serving size for all your recipes, including this one? Can you recommend another vegetable besides carrots to put in the soup? Preferably low carb. Thank you again!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        June 18, 2020 at 6:57 pm

        Thank you! You may want to use online tools to calculate macros. Serving size really depends from person to person and what else you are serving with the meal or this soup. Besides carrots and cabbage, you can try enoki mushrooms, or even zucchini.

        Reply
    8. Amy says

      December 13, 2020 at 11:16 am

      Hello, if I wanted to sub out some brown basmati or jasmine rice for the cauliflower, can I add it dry and modify the liquid/time measurements, or add it pre-cooked toward the end?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        December 13, 2020 at 9:59 pm

        You can add jasmine rice and pressure cook. If you are adding brown rice increase pressure cook time to 20 mins.

        Reply
    9. Geeta says

      January 21, 2021 at 9:45 pm

      Hi Archana,
      Can I use boneless chicken breast instead of boneless thighs?
      If yes, do I keep for the same time for cooking?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 22, 2021 at 10:24 pm

        Yes! I have updated the recipe with timings for chicken breast. I made it last night and it was so good!

        Reply
    10. Renee says

      February 28, 2021 at 7:34 pm

      Yum! I doubled the recipe so I wouldn’t have leftover ingredients. I used a whole qt of broth, 1 full can of lite coconut milk and a full head of cauliflower. It had lots of flavour and tasted like it simmered on the stove all day. It’s a great recipe. It satisfied my craving for Mulligatawny. Putting this in my “keeper” files! Thanks!5 stars

      Reply
    11. Jen says

      December 14, 2022 at 10:08 pm

      Love this recipe! My whole family loves this! My favorite is bone-in chicken thighs, but it is wonderful with whatever chicken we’ve had on hand! It is wonderful over Basmati rice if you’re hoping to stretch it or bulk it up!5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        December 15, 2022 at 9:49 pm

        Thank you Jen!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Archana: a former software engineer, now a full-time blogger. I am a mother of two boys who share my love for food and cooking. Words I love to hear are, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” The same words I say to my mom every time we speak. I live in the greater New York City Area with my husband and sons.

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