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Thai Coconut Chicken Soup


  • Author: Molly
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Description

This Thai Coconut Chicken Soup is based off of traditional recipes for tom kha gai. It is a bowl of creamy comfort flavored with ginger, garlic, Thai chiles, lemongrass, galangal root, and kaffir lime. It’s nourishing, sweet and savory, tangy and salty, and crazy delicious!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced (or ½ of a red onion) 
  • 2 dried Thai chiles peppers (you can use fresh), left whole
  • 2 tablespoons lemongrass paste (this is my favorite; see Notes below)
  • 5 fresh or dried kaffir lime leaves (I buy mine online; see Notes below)
  • 1 (4-inch) piece of fresh galangal root (I buy mine online; see Notes below), thinly sliced (no need to peel)
  • 1 (4-inch) piece of fresh ginger root, thinly sliced (no need to peel)
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed but left mostly whole
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons coconut or palm sugar (optional but very traditional!)
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • Juice of 3 limes (roughly ⅓ cup), plus more for serving
  • 2 (14-oz) cans full-fat coconut milk
  • 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup chopped tomato (beefsteak, plum or even halved grape/cherry tomatoes)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Fresh cilantro, for serving
  • Chopped scallions, for serving

Instructions

  1. To a large pot set over medium heat, add the coconut oil. Once hot, add the shallots, chiles, lemongrass paste, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, ginger, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt. These will be the aromatics (or base flavorings) for the broth.
  2. Sauté the aromatics in the oil until softened and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the broth, sugar, and fish sauce, partially cover the pot, and bring everything to a simmer. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to meld. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
  4. Carefully pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer into another pot. Discard the aromatics.
  5. Return the broth to the heat and stir in the lime juice and coconut milk. Return to a simmer.
  6. Add in the cubed chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
  7. Stir in the tomatoes and thinly sliced onion – the idea is to sort of poach them in the hot broth. They should still be somewhat raw when serving.
  8. Adjust the seasoning as necessary. I often add another pinch of sugar, fish sauce, salt, or more lime juice at this point. Keep adjusting until you get the broth where you want it.
  9. Serve the soup by ladling it into bowls, making sure each serving gets chicken, onion, and tomato. Garnish with fresh cilantro and chopped scallions and additional lime wedges.

Notes

  • The traditional version of this soup (tom kha gai) is often made with mushrooms. I prefer to omit them, but if you like mushrooms, feel free to add them in with the onions and tomatoes so that they lightly poach in the hot broth.
  • Kaffir lime leaves add an important flavor to this soup. If you cannot find fresh, I recommend buying dry online. I keep them in my pantry for months and they still add wonderful flavor to dishes like this.
  • If you cannot find galangal root, you can omit and sub in more ginger instead. I do highly recommend galangal root, if you can find it. It adds the signature flavor to this soup that cannot be replicated. I buy it online and break it into portions and then freeze the portions. It will keep in the freezer for months.
  • You can use fresh lemongrass in this recipe as well. Chop it, sauté it, and strain it out with the other aromatics. I cannot always find fresh lemongrass; the paste works in a pinch. The paste is often in the produce section at the grocery store, near the fresh herbs.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: soup

Keywords: Thai coconut soup with chicken, tom kha gai soup recipe, homemade tom kha gai soup, homemade Thai coconut soup