Rich, fragrant Thai coconut chicken soup combines creamy coconut milk with ginger, lime, and tender chicken for a nontrad Tom Kha Gai.
Tom kha gai soup is one of my all time favorites to have in cold weather, this is inspired by a soup I had at a family favorite restaurant growing up. I made this recipe to be easy & accessible since so many recipes out there have hard-to-find ingredients. This recipe is not traditional but it is simple, delicious, and flavorful!
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I love to make soup with a homemade chicken bone broth base, but it's also easy to buy broth or make a substitute with bouillon. It's so light, it goes well with bright fresh things like spring roll salad, especially with wonton strips on top.
While I love to make this recipe with more traditional things like lemongrass and lime leaves, they are not readily available at most big chain grocery stores or in small towns, so I made this simplified version (the one I make most often) with easily accessible ingredients. It tastes lovely, especially with a little chili oil added in or some easy instant pot jasmine rice.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: Creamy coconut and chicken broth with mushrooms, ginger, and a little lime to lift it.
- Ease: Easy to find ingredients! As simple as cooking the chicken and mushrooms, shredding the chicken, and adding in the creamy coconut and lime.
- Time: It takes 25-30 minutes to simmer the chicken until tender, and a few more to heat the coconut milk and lime. Under 45 minutes total.
- Easy to make fancier! Add things like lemongrass, fresh ginger, miso, or lime leaves to level up the soup.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs - these are super tender, juicy, and flavorful. Chicken breasts work fine, but I love to use the darker thigh meat for this soup.
- Fish sauce - smells weird, tastes amazing! Adds nice umami. Feel free to switch it out for soy sauce.
- Ginger - I use ginger paste or minced ginger for ease of use. Fresh ginger sliced and simmered in the soup works as well but isn't as strong of a flavor, and you'd need to remove them before serving.
- Garnish - I use sliced limes, cilantro, green onions, and chili oil because it's delicious.
- MUSHROOMS! - I've most commonly used shiitake, cremini (button or baby bella), oyster, or enoki mushrooms in this soup.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Toppings
- Fish sauce - can easily be substituted for soy sauce, it's a different flavor but very savory which is what we want.
- Other favorite toppings include Thai basil or chopped Thai chilis for spiciness.
- You can simmer lemongrass, minced ginger, and/or kaffir (lime) leaves in the broth when cooking the chicken and mushrooms, then remove before adding the coconut milk. The lime leaves especially are delicious!
- Add in 1-2 teaspoons of white miso for extra umami. YUM.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a soup pot over high heat, add olive oil and then chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides 3-4 minutes. They don't need to be completely cooked.
- Step 2. Add in chicken broth, sliced mushrooms, fish sauce (or soy sauce) and ginger paste. Simmer for 30 minutes on low/medium heat until chicken is pull apart tender.
- Step 3. Shred chicken using forks/tongs into bite sized pieces. You can remove the chicken from the pot and do this on a cutting board if you wish.
- Step 4. Add coconut milk and stir.
- Step 5. Add in lime juice and zest, and red curry paste last.
- Step 6. Serve with garnish of choice! Pictured is lime slices, cilantro, chili oil, and chopped green onion.
TIP: Make sure to add the red curry paste LAST so that it doesn't turn the soup pink during the cooking process!
📌 Troubleshooting
- Coconut milk "breaks" or splits: heat too high - fix: warm gently off heat.
- Too salty: too much fish sauce or salt- fix: add water, coconut milk, or a squeeze of lime.
- Too bland: lacking acid or heat - fix: add lime juice/peel and fresh chilis or chili oil.
- Mushrooms too soggy: add last or briefly sauté separately. Make sure they're sliced thinly!
❄️ Make Ahead, Store, and Freezing Tips
Coconut chicken lime soup is DAIRY FREE and freezes really well. You can make ahead and freeze up to 3 months.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Test it as it simmers at the 20 minute point and see if it's hard to shred or shreds easily.
Using thighs is the best way to make sure it's not overcooked, as the dark meat takes a little longer and is more forgiving and juicy.
This recipe isn't a spicy one, but you could omit the red curry paste. I like to ADD more spice using the hot chili oil or chili crisp to the soup on top before serving.
🍽️ Slow Cooker Instructions
- Place all ingredients except lime and red curry paste into a crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until chicken is pull apart tender.
- Shred chicken, then add curry paste and lime juice and stir.
- Add garnish when served.
🥣 More Cozy Soup Recipes
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📝 Printable Recipe
Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
Equipment
- 1 Cooking Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (4-5)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon ginger paste see notes for substitutions
- 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ¼ cup lime juice (2 limes)
- optional garnish: cilantro, green onions, chili oil
Instructions
- In a soup pot over high heat, add olive oil and then chicken thighs. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides 3-4 minutes each until browned but not cooked all the way through.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (4-5), 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- Add in chicken broth, sliced mushrooms, fish sauce (or soy sauce) and ginger paste. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes on low/medium heat until chicken is pull apart tender. (The longer it simmers the more tender the chicken will be).4 cups chicken broth , 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced , 2 Tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon ginger paste
- Shred chicken using forks/tongs into bite sized pieces. You can remove the chicken from the pot and do this on a cutting board if you wish.
- Add coconut milk and stir.1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
- Add in lime juice and zest, and red curry paste last.1 teaspoon lime zest, ¼ cup lime juice (2 limes) , 1 teaspoon red curry paste
- Serve with garnish of choice! lime slices, cilantro, chili oil, and chopped green onion are our favorites.
Notes
- Place all ingredients except lime and red curry paste into a Crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until chicken is pull apart tender.
- Shred chicken, then add curry paste and lime juice and stir.
- Add garnish when served.
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Sara says
I've also made this recipe with marinated tofu instead of mushrooms and it was amazing!