Thai Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
This is a quick and easy soup, full of Thai flavours. You can use any type of Thai curry paste for this soup and whatever vegetables you like.
I am a huge fan of Thai food. Truth be told, I could eat it almost every night of the week. If my husband would only cooperate :) I’m also a huge fan of one pot, 30 minute meals. And don’t let the name fool you. This is a meal. While it has all the comfort of soup, the addition of noodles makes this a meal in a bowl.
As more proof that this is a meal, you’ll need both a spoon and a fork to eat this. Those darned rice noodles are slippery little devils and simply refuse to stay put on a spoon. I resort to a fork for the noodles and a spoon for the wonderful broth. Chopsticks would work as well.
I have used both red and green curry paste for this. I like them both, so whatever your preference or whatever you have on hand will work very well. Start with 1 Tbsp. and curry paste and add more if you like. If you’re brave and seeking a bit of heat, try adding a bit of Thai chili paste into the mix.
Finally, I love the fact that the rice noodles cook quickly right in the soup. Not having to pre-cook them separately is a big time saver! If you don’t have rice noodles, you will have to cook them separately as they won’t cook in the soup as the rice noodles will. And of course, they are gluten-free, for anyone with sensitivities to gluten.
Thai Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Summary: This is a quick and easy soup, full of Thai flavours. You can use any type of Thai curry paste for this soup and whatever vegetables you like.
Ingredients
- Two 398 ml (14 ounce) cans of full-fat coconut milk, unshaken (*if you’re looking to reduce some of the fat in this soup, you can substitute 1 can of lite coconut milk, but make sure at least one of the two cans is full fat)
- 1 generous Tbsp. Thai curry paste (red, yellow or green)
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks about 2 inches long
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 2 cups bok choy, trimmed of white root ends (could also use spinach or other greens)
- 1/2 lb. (225g) wide rice noodles (don’t substitute egg noodles or pasta unless pre-cooked sparately)
- Fresh cilantro, about 1/3-1/2 cup, roughly chopped
- 2 or 3 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
- Shredded carrot, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. Remove the top layer of coconut cream from one can of coconut milk and add to the pot. Once it’s melted, stir in the curry paste and heat until mixture starts to bubble. Add the chicken and cook, stirring until the chicken is cooked, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the remaining coconut milk (the remainder of the first can and the whole second can). Add the chicken broth, carrot, fish sauce, ginger and lime juice and zest. Stir and bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
- Add the rice noodles, pushing them down so that they are completely covered by the soup. Add the bean sprouts, bok choy. Stir gently to combine. Turn off the heat under the pot, cover and let stand 5 minutes. The rice noodles will soften in the hot soup (but this won’t work with egg/pasta noodles, which is why they aren’t recommended. If you need to use egg noodles, you’ll have to cook them separately and add them to the soup at the end.)
- Stir in some cilantro. Taste and season with a touch more salt, if needed. Serve in large bowls and garnish with the green onions and a bit more cilantro leaves.
Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 2 min | Total time: 30 min
Number of servings (yield): 4
Adapted from a Michael Smith recipe | Photo
Subscribe in an Feed Reader
2 comments
Janet says:
Jan 29, 2012
Excellent! Everyone loved it. I did add the Thai chili as you suggested because we like our Thai food hot! I broke the noodles into smaller pieces before adding them to the pot because they are hard to keep on the spoon, as you said. I wouldn’t change a thing!
Jen says:
Jan 29, 2012
Hi Janet. So glad you enjoyed it! Good call breaking up the rice noodles. I think I will do that next time I make it. Much easier to eat :)