This Thai Chicken Soup is bursting with fresh and spicy flavors! Lightly creamy and perfect for lunch or an easy weeknight dinner!
Gosh I love February! Not because of Valentine’s Day, but because it’s so short and always seems to fly by. The faster the cold months fly by the better in my opinion. If you didn’t know or couldn’t tell, I’m a summer girl at heart. I’ve been longing for hiking in the mountains, running in shorts, longer days and sitting outside on our deck enjoying a glass of rosé.
Those days are so close, yet so far away. It’s torture waiting for them. The bulbs in my front yard have sprouted which means spring is coming, but I know not to get too excited because I’m sure there are still plenty more snow days ahead. Colorado likes to dump snow up until mid to late May. Half the years we’ve lived here there’s been snow on my birthday, not exactly how I like to celebrate.
Last week the weather was wonderful and felt like spring, this week, not so much. It’s back to loading on the layers before I go running, trudging through snow, avoiding ice patches and eating foods that warm me up from the inside out. This Thai Chicken Soup will be on the menu at some point this week and I’m not mad about it.
Thai food was never really something that I went out of my way to make or eat up until about 5 years ago. Now I find myself craving it’s complex flavors frequently.
Thai food and this Thai Chicken Soup in particular hit all the flavor notes. Spiciness from the red curry paste, fresh, bright flavors from the ginger and lemongrass, a touch of sweetness from the honey and umami from the fish sauce. Don’t let the fish sauce freak you out. I’ll admit it does stink if you stick your nose up to the bottle, but what you smell isn’t what you’ll taste once it’s combined with all of the other spices and ingredients.
The broth is by far the star of this soup recipe. Aside from everything that goes into the broth, the remaining ingredients are simple. Shredded chicken, mushrooms, a red bell pepper and snow peas. It’s a lighter soup that you’ll probably want something to go along with it, like this Crunchy Thai Cucumber Salad. You could also add rice noodles to the soup to “beef” it up and make it more filling. However you eat it, it’s a wonderful way to warm up during these last couple months of cold weather!
Thai Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil, I used coconut oil
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup minced shallots
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 stalk lemon grass, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
- 1 cup snow peas, halved
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups light coconut milk
- 2 cups cooked and shredded boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the oil to the pot and swirl to coat. Add in the red bell pepper, shallots, mushrooms, ginger and lemongrass. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the garlic, snow peas and red curry paste and cook for another minute. Add in the chicken broth, fish sauce, and honey; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and chicken to the pot and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in the lime juice and discard the lemongrass. Serve the soup topped with cilantro, scallions and thinly sliced Thai chiles.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 365Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 583mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 31g
More Thai Recipes
Thai Chicken Stir Fry
Thai Sweet Potato Carrot Soup
Thai Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry
