Creamy Thai Coconut Soup | Neighborfood

Make this Creamy Thai Coconut Soup for a quick dinner that will warm you from the inside out. Ginger and chili paste combine forces with chicken, veggies, and coconut milk for a comforting soup that’s packed with flavor.

Quick and Easy Thai Coconut Soup

Ever since my husband and I discovered Tom Kha Gai soup at our favorite local Thai restaurant, it’s become our go-to whenever we’re feeling under the weather.

Of course, we won’t ever lose our childhood love of Chicken Noodle Soup, but we haven’t found anything better than this Thai Coconut Chicken Soup to clear the sinuses and make us feel human again.

With it’s salty sour broth and tingly heat, this soup feels like the best kind of medicine.

We aren’t able to get our hands on all the ingredients needed for authentic Tom Kha Gai on an average weeknight, but we were able to come up with a deliciously complex and comforting soup that hits the spot on nights when takeout isn’t in the budget.

This recipe for Thai Coconut Soup is made with common grocery store ingredients and comes together in less than 30 minutes. It’s packed with veggies in a rich and creamy broth that’s comforting without feeling heavy.

We promise one bite (or bowl!) won’t be enough!

Key Ingredients + Substitutions

• Veggies– We use mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper. Any sweet bell pepper works well here. You can use white, crimini, or oyster mushrooms.
• Ginger– Traditional Tom Kha Gai uses galangal, which can be tricky to find in the average grocery store. Here, we substitute ginger for a similarly warm, subtly spicy flavor. You can use fresh ginger or ginger paste, for a shortcut.
• Garlic– Use freshly minced garlic or garlic paste.
• Sambal Oelek- This Indonesian chili paste is made with crushed red chilies, vinegar, and salt. Huy Fong is the most common brand I see in the grocery store. If you don’t have it on hand, substitute Sriracha or chili garlic sauce. You can also adjust this up or down based on your preferences for spice.
• Chicken broth– We keep Better Than Bouillon’s Lower Sodium Chicken Base on hand at all times. It’s fantastic for everything from Chicken Noodle Soup to Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Rice. Feel free to use whatever broth you have on hand.
• Coconut milk– Look for canned, full fat coconut milk for the richest flavor, not the refrigerated stuff that’s in boxes. If you want to lighten up the dish, you can substitute light coconut milk.
• Fish sauce– Fish sauce is a Thai staple made from fermented fish that delivers a unique, ultra savory punch of flavor. It’s readily available in the Asian sections of most grocery stores. You can omit the fish sauce, but I encourage you to give it a try!
• Sugar– Just a hint of sugar balances all the other flavors of this dish.
• Chicken– Cooked chicken helps this recipe come together in a flash. Leftover rotisserie chicken is great for this!
• Lime and cilantro– A touch of sour citrus and herby cilantro are the perfect finishing touches.

Note: Most Tom Kha Gai recipes include lemongrass. This ingredient isn’t readily available at a lot of grocery stores, so we haven’t included it here, but if you can find it, it’s a wonderful addition! Here’s a great tutorial on how to prepare lemongrass. We recommend adding batons to the broth before simmering.

How to Make Creamy Thai Coconut Soup

Step 1: Saute veggies. Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger and saute 3-4 minutes, or until onion is softened. Add chili paste and cook for an additional minute.

Step 2: Add liquids. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Add shredded chicken and cook until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

Step 4: Serve. Divide into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serving Instructions and Tips

• This soup can be made ahead of time and reheated as needed. It keeps very well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• To make prep easier, I like to schedule two chicken recipes for the same week and make all the chicken needed for both recipes in one batch.
  • So, for instance, I might make Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta or Pizza Chicken early in the week and double the amount of chicken. I use half for that recipe, and save the rest of the cooked chicken to use in this soup.

More Soup Recipes to Try

• 2 teaspoons coconut or vegetable oil
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 red bell pepper (chopped)
• 1/2 orange bell pepper (chopped)
• 1/2 medium sweet onion (chopped)
• 4 teaspoons minced ginger
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 teaspoons sambal oelek (ground fresh chili paste)
• 4 cups lower sodium chicken broth
• 1 13.5 oz can unsweetened full fat coconut milk
• 4 teaspoons fish sauce (Thai Kitchen brand is gluten free)
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice (from about 1 large lime)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until onions are softened. Add chili paste and cook for an additional minute.

• Add chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

• Add shredded chicken and cook until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

• Divide into bowls and garnish with cilantro.

This soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Course Dinner, lunch, Main Dish

Keyword Thai coconut soup

Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 479mg | Potassium: 457mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 789IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg