Thai Peanut Chicken Soup

I know we just had a Thai recipe (thanks Erin!), but I thought I would share this soup before winter is over. It is very, very good and you don't have to have any special ingredients. It is great served with a good loaf of crusty bread and some fresh vegetables.

3 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes. Bake these covered at about 350 to 375 until soft (or use any method you favor).

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 cups chopped onion, sauteed

1 Tbs finely chopped garlic, sauteed with the onions

2 cans chicken broth

1/2 cup water

2 tsp curry powder

2 tsp dark sesame oil

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, UNdrained

3 Tbs flour mixed with 1/2 cup cold water

14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk

3/4 cup peanut butter

There aren't real directions for this soup, but this is a good way to do it: Get the butternut squash baking, cook the chicken, and sautee the onion and garlic (I've found that if I brown and cook the chicken in the bottom of the pot, it will add even more flavor to the soup as the pot de-glazes while it simmers). When those are all done, put everything else in the pot and simmer it for a good amount of time. Usually I just taste it periodically until the flavors have begun to meld. And that's it! Because it's a bit labor intensive, I usually double or triple it and freeze some. This recipe doubled fills up a BIG stock pot.

Enjoy! We love this one; it's the ultimate comfort food.