Description
This authentic-tasting Thai chicken soup combines tender chicken, creamy coconut milk, and aromatic spices in a comforting bowl that’s ready in 30 minutes. Easy enough for weeknight dinners, special enough for entertaining.
Ingredients
For the Soup Base:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (vegetable oil works too, whatever you have)
- 1 medium onion, chopped up
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (or that jarred stuff when I’m being honest)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (tube ginger counts)
- 2–3 tablespoons red curry paste (seriously, start with 2 unless you’re brave)
- 1 can coconut milk, the full-fat kind (don’t even think about light)
- 4 cups chicken broth (I use the low-sodium boxes)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce (smells awful, tastes incredible)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 lemongrass stalks, smashed up and cut (skip if you can’t find it)
For the Good Stuff:
- 1 lb chicken thighs, cut up into chunks
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced however you want
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (fresh is better but bottled won’t kill you)
- Salt and pepper
For Making It Pretty:
- Cilantro, chopped (or not if you’re one of those people)
- Green onions, sliced
- Lime wedges
- Thai basil if you’re feeling fancy
- Chili flakes for the heat seekers
Instructions
Warm up your oil in the biggest pot you have and toss in that diced onion. Let it cook until it stops looking angry and starts getting soft – maybe 4 minutes while you’re chopping other stuff. Then add your garlic and ginger, and suddenly your kitchen will smell like something good is actually happening.
Here’s where it gets fun – scoop in that curry paste and stir it around for like 30 seconds. It’ll sizzle and smell amazing, which means you’re doing it right. Don’t skip this part or your soup will taste flat.
Pour in the coconut milk while stirring like your life depends on it (it doesn’t, but lumpy curry paste is annoying). Add your chicken broth, fish sauce, brown sugar, and if you managed to find lemongrass, throw those pieces in too. Let it all come to a gentle bubble – not a crazy boil that’ll make the coconut milk angry.
Pro Tip: If it starts looking like it wants to separate, just turn the heat down and whisper sweet things to it. Works every time.
Dump in your chicken pieces and mushrooms. Let them swim around for about 8-10 minutes until the chicken looks cooked through. In the last few minutes, add those bell pepper slices – they should still have some crunch to them.
Fish out those lemongrass pieces with tongs (if you used them). Squeeze in that lime juice and taste it. Need more saltiness? More fish sauce. Too bland? More lime. Too spicy? You probably went overboard with the curry paste – add more coconut milk or sugar.
Ladle this beautiful mess into bowls and let everyone go crazy with the toppings. Fresh herbs, lime wedges, whatever makes them happy. My kids like to make little lime juice puddles in their bowls because they’re weird, but it works.
Notes
- Rotisserie chicken shortcut: When I’m feeling lazy (which is often), I just shred up store-bought rotisserie chicken and add it at the very end
- Spice insurance: Start with way less curry paste than you think you need – you can always add more, but you can’t un-spice soup
- The coconut trick: Keep a backup can of coconut milk in case you go overboard with heat and need to calm things down
- Ginger hack: I buy those tubes of pre-minced ginger when I’m being realistic about my life
- Mushroom upgrade: Button mushrooms work fine, but shiitake makes you look fancy for basically no extra effort
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1⅓ cups
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 890mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 65mg