Thai Chicken Coconut Curry Soup (Printable Version)

Tender chicken in creamy coconut broth with red curry, ginger, and aromatic Thai seasonings. Ready in 40 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 14 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

→ Aromatics

02 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 shallots, thinly sliced

→ Curry & Broth

05 - 2 tablespoons red curry paste
06 - 13.5 fl oz coconut milk, full-fat
07 - 3 cups chicken broth
08 - 1 tablespoon fish sauce
09 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten-free
10 - 1 teaspoon brown sugar
11 - Juice of 1 lime

→ Vegetables

12 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
13 - 3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
14 - 3.5 oz snow peas, trimmed

→ Garnishes

15 - Fresh cilantro leaves
16 - Fresh Thai basil
17 - Sliced red chili, optional
18 - Lime wedges

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add a splash of oil, then sauté shallots, ginger, and garlic for 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in red curry paste and cook for 1 minute to release its aromatic oils.
02 - Add chicken pieces and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring continuously to coat evenly with aromatics and curry paste.
03 - Pour in chicken broth and coconut milk. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
04 - Add fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Stir well to incorporate seasonings throughout.
05 - Add bell pepper, mushrooms, and snow peas. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender yet retain slight firmness.
06 - Stir in lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional fish sauce, lime juice, or sugar according to preference.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish generously with cilantro, Thai basil, red chili, and lime wedges. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when it actually takes less than an hour from start to finish.
  • The coconut broth is so deeply satisfying that it somehow feels both light and nourishing at the same time.
  • One pot means minimal cleanup, which honestly matters as much as the flavor when you're feeding people on a weeknight.
02 -
  • Don't skip toasting the curry paste in oil for that full minute—I learned this the hard way when I rushed it, and the soup tasted one-dimensional instead of rich and complex.
  • Add vegetables in the last twelve minutes or they turn to mush; fresh, barely-tender vegetables make all the difference in how satisfying this tastes.
  • Lime juice at the very end is non-negotiable—it's what makes everything suddenly pop and feel balanced instead of heavy.
03 -
  • Buy the best coconut milk you can find—one good brand really does taste different from the others, and it shows up immediately in the soup.
  • If you don't have fish sauce at home, the soup still works with just the soy sauce, though you lose that subtle umami depth that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is.
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