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This Thai chicken curry soup is quick, simple, comforting, and full of fabulous flavor. It’s a great way to use up leftover or rotisserie chicken!
If you enjoy soups with bold flavors, try my 15 Minute Thai Green Curry Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
This chicken curry soup has gorgeous Thai-inspired flavors. We’ve got freshly grated ginger, lime juice, red curry paste, coconut milk, and fresh herbs among other irresistible ingredients. All of them are readily available for this quick Thai soup that’s bursting with flavor.
By now, you know I love using rotisserie chicken as a shortcut to get dinner on the table faster. This Thai chicken soup has plenty of complex flavors without being complicated to prepare. If you’re anything like me, any Thai-inspired recipes are hard to resist, much like my Easy Thai Chicken Curry!
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – I like sweet (Vidalia) onions best here, and feel free to use even more garlic than suggested if you’re a big fan
- Ginger – for a zesty kick
- Red curry paste – it’s an easy, ready-made paste with spices and lemongrass. I used Thai Kitchen brand. It has a gentle heat and is not very spicy like others I’ve tried. Be sure to give yours a taste first, though.
- Broth and water – use either chicken or veggie broth for another layer of flavor
- Lime – always use freshly squeezed lime juice. It adds brightness and a touch of acidity.
- Rice noodles – they’re the translucent ones that come in a variety of sizes. I prefer thicker as pictured compared to angel hair/vermicelli.
- Coconut milk – it makes a rich, tasty, and creamy counterpoint
- Chicken – for convenience I used rotisserie chicken
- Basil, cilantro, and scallions – classic fresh garnishes to tie this recipe together
Pro tips
- I always keep fresh ginger in my freezer so I have some on hand. My friend Meghan from Fox and Briar taught me this trick! I also find I waste way less ginger that way. It keeps way longer than in the fridge and is also extra easy to grate it while frozen.
- You can definitely make this Thai soup in just 20 minutes if you like to chop herbs and prep other ingredients (like I do) as the onions are sautéing and the soup is simmering away.
How to make Thai chicken soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a soup pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil and onions. Sauté until softened, stirring every so often. Add in the ginger, garlic, and curry paste, and cook until fragrant. Pour in the chicken broth, water, and lime juice. Add the noodles, and bring to a boil.
Stir in the coconut milk and chicken. Reduce the heat, and let it simmer. Just before serving, add in the cilantro, basil, and scallions. If needed, add salt & pepper. Serve right away with lime wedges if desired.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I often make soups in my 5.5 quart Dutch oven, and this ladle is great at pouring soup into bowls without spilling it all over the place.
- Mincing garlic is effortless with a garlic press. You don’t even need to peel the cloves first.
- Grating ginger is simple with my Microplane zester.
Substitutions and variations
- If you don’t like some of the fresh herbs (e.g. cilantro), feel free to leave them out, but the combo does really add a lot of fresh flavor. They’re staples of Thai cooking.
- Try adding a dash of fish sauce if you happen to have some for even more depth of flavor.
- As written, this soup isn’t particularly spicy. To make it spicy, use a spicy red curry paste or add in some chopped Thai chilis or crushed red pepper flakes. You can definitely serve it with a squeeze of sriracha sauce too.
What to serve with Thai chicken soup
- It’s a filling soup, so just serve it with a slice of fresh crusty bread for a satisfying and complete meal.
- Bean sprouts add a delicious crispy and fresh topping to Asian-inspired soups.
- If you’re really into Thai flavors, make this Thai Quinoa Salad as a pairing and have enough left over for lunch the next day to take to work.
Leftovers and storage
- You can store leftovers of this Thai curry soup in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Keep in mind that with any soup with noodles, they will absorb the broth over time.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat until warmed through. Add more liquid if necessary.
- You could freeze this soup, but it wouldn’t be my preference as the chicken will get more dry and the texture of noodles may change. But it’ll still taste good!
If you’ve tried this delicious Thai coconut curry soup recipe or the post didn’t answer your questions, talk to me in the comments below. I’d love if you left me a review. You can always find me on Instagram!
Easy Thai Chicken Curry Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 heaping tablespoons Thai red curry paste see note
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3.5 ounces uncooked rice noodles see note
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used rotisserie)
- Generous handful fresh basil torn
- Handful fresh cilantro chopped
- Chopped scallions to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Lime wedges for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and onion to a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the ginger, garlic, and curry paste, and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the broth, water, lime juice, and noodles. Increase heat to high and bring to a gentle boil.
- Stir in the coconut milk and chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the basil, cilantro, and scallions. Season with salt & pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately with an extra wedge of lime on the side if desired. The noodles will soak up more liquid the longer you leave the soup. I suggest adding more chicken broth if you need to add more liquid (e.g. reheating leftovers the next day).
Notes
- To save on initial prep time, I prep while cooking e.g. start sautéing the onion while prepping the next steps, and then chop the herbs while the soup is simmering.
- Rice noodles come in a variety of brands and package sizes, so you don’t have to be super precise with the weight as you may need to use only part of a package. I buy the thicker ones (3 mm) vs. the super fine ones that are almost like angel hair pasta. I like to buy Thai Kitchen’s stir fry noodles when I can find them.
- I used Thai Kitchen red curry paste. I find it to be more flavorful than spicy, but some brands of Thai curry paste are quite hot, so be sure to add less than suggested if that’s the case and you don’t want a spicy soup.
- This soup is also in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on January 15, 2018. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
We absolutely love this soup! We have made it several times and love the flavor. I was wondering if this could be made in the slow cooker to save time on a work night? Thank you!
I’m so glad it’s a favorite! You probably could. You may want to use whole chicken breasts (or thighs) then shred them at the end. Or, if you still want to use rotisserie chicken, just add it in towards the end so it doesn’t dry out/overcook. I’d also add the noodles in towards the end so they don’t turn to mush. Perhaps 30 min or so prior to serving?
Hmm I think everyone who didn’t like it may not be salting it enough? Very strange response. This is one of the most flavorful soups I’ve ever had and made, and were quite the foodies! I also used dried ginger which worked great. I added som purple basil too from the garden super fun! I did cut the curry TBSP down TO 3, because we’re sissy’s! Love love this recipe! Thanks again!
You’re very welcome! 😀
Hi from Philadelphia! I made this for my family on Saturday (3 days ago)and my family BEGGED me to make it again today! My 10 year old ate two huge bowls! It’s hysterical! It’s quickly moved to the top 3 favorite meal of 2024! Thank you so much for this fun and EASY recipe! Check Trevor Noah’s skit on curry on Netflix too, so funny will resonate with this recipe! Thanks again!
Hi Blair! I’m so happy to hear that!! 😀
I made this for dinner. It had a great broth that was soaked up overnight but was still DELISH! We like hot, so I added curry powder and Cayenne pepper. Thank you for sharing! Adding this to our rotation.
You’re very welcome!
If you Instant Pot 2 chicken breasts, discard the chicken breasts & only drink the juice left behind in the Instant Pot… THAT is what this soup tastes like. What an utter waste of this arthritic-woman-trying-to-surprise-her-husband’s time. I’ve double the “seasoning” ingredients (except curry paste) & cooking down time in hopes of more flavor… Nope. Chicken juice soup. AWFUL. Make massaman curry (from another website) instead. I can usually cook & fix anything, & I don’t know HOW this recipe has anything above 2 stars. I never write these reviews on blogs trying to make our lives easier (sorry, writer!), but consumers need to know before they end up getting to-go at 8:30 on a work night like we’re doing.
Sorry you didn’t like it.
Perfectly edible but didn’t impress me much. Wouldn’t make again.
I liked but didn’t love. It was too thin and I was hoping the coconut milk would make it thicker (Yes, I used full fat). If I were to attempt it in the future, I’d omit the 2 cups of water. Just “meh”. Should have been more flavorful.
This recipe looks delicious. I have read through some comments looking for the answer to my question but haven’t seen it yet. Would you know if this soup freezes well? Should I hold off on the noodles until we go to actually eat it, if we did decide to freeze some? Thanks for an inventive, tasty looking recipe!
Hi! Did you see the leftovers and storage section in the blog post? You could always add the noodles when reheating. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the soup!
I used a pretty intense curry paste and whew was it hot! But I like it that way. I did add just a couple of splashes of soy sauce to deepen the flavour a bit. But beautiful soup.
Thank you, Bonnie!
Quite tasty and easy to make. I am still looking for the tang I get in a Tom Yum soup. IS there an ingredient you could suggest adding to this to get that?
Hi Kim! Glad you enjoyed it! Hmmmm I haven’t ever made Tom Yum soup at home, so I am not sure. Perhaps kaffir lime leaves?