Best Thai Chicken Soup
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Warm up this winter with a cozy bowl of Thai chicken soup. Tender chicken is simmered in a fresh and flavorful Thai-inspired broth and served over vermicelli noodles. Make it in the slow cooker or on the stovetop for an easy and comforting weeknight meal!
This Thai coconut chicken soup is good ’til the last slurp! The creamy broth is layered with Thai flavors of ginger, garlic, red curry paste, coconut milk, and fresh lime. The chicken and vermicelli make it a hearty soup, and it’s a great recipe for the slow cooker because you can set it and forget it until dinner time!
Try our Thai chicken zoodle soup for a lightened-up version.
Is this an authentic Thai chicken soup recipe?
If you’ve ever traveled through Thailand, you’ll know that there are many different types of incredibly delicious Thai chicken soup. This recipe is inspired by the Thai flavors that we love – coconut, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, palm sugar, and red curry paste. While it is not an authentic Thai chicken soup recipe, it is very tasty and we are sure you will love it!
Key ingredients needed
This Thai coconut chicken soup is chock-full of tasty ingredients and fresh flavors. It might seem like a long list but don’t fret, the methods for making it are simple.
Here’s everything you need:
- Vegetables: we use carrots and red bell peppers but you can use other quick cooking vegetables like broccoli florets, snow peas, zucchini, or green beans.
- Onion, ginger, and garlic: this aromatic trio is the flavor base of the Thai soup broth.
- Fish sauce + soy sauce: fish sauce and soy sauce season the broth and boost the umami flavor. Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari, if needed.
- Palm sugar: palm sugar is made from sap and has a unique flavor, but you can use coconut sugar or brown sugar if that’s what you have on hand.
- Chicken stock: we always have some of our homemade chicken stock on hand, but a store-bought stock or broth also works.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: boneless skinless chicken thighs are a quick and convenient option. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts if you prefer.
- Coconut milk: we use a full-fat coconut milk for its creamy texture and rich taste.
- Rice vermicelli: rice vermicelli noodles are thin and cook quickly. You can also use the thicker rice sticks if you prefer, but you may need to adjust the cooking time.
Can I freeze Thai chicken soup?
If you’re planning on freezing this soup, add the coconut milk and vermicelli noodles before serving for the best texture. When it comes time to reheat, mix in the coconut milk on the stovetop and cook the noodles right before serving.
How to make this on the stovetop
This Thai chicken noodle soup can easily be made on the stovetop, so don’t worry if you don’t have a slow cooker. To make it on the stovetop, follow the same instructions but instead of setting the crockpot to low, simmer the chicken in a pot on the stove for 30 minutes (until cooked through). The main difference is you can’t walk away while your soup cooks, but it’s ready in less time overall.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use leftover chicken?
Yes, you can. You can still make the broth in the slow cooker or on the stovetop then add the leftover cooked chicken when you add the coconut milk and the lime juice.
What’s the best curry paste to use?
You may have learned already that not all curry pastes are created equal. We like Mae Ploy curry paste. When in doubt, look for where the curry paste is made and choose one that is made in Thailand; it’s the safest bet.
Is this soup spicy?
It really depends on how spicy your curry paste is. If you’re unsure, start with just a little bit and add more (to taste) at the end.
Thai Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots (chopped)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (chopped)
- ½ medium yellow onion (chopped)
- 2 inch piece of ginger (minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 15-ounce cans coconut milk
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 8 ounces rice vermicelli (cooked according to package directions )
- Optional toppings: lime wedges, sauteed mushrooms, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, black pepper
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the coconut milk, lime, and rice vermicelli to your slow cooker and stir together. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.2 medium carrots, 1 medium red bell pepper, ½ medium yellow onion, 2 inch piece of ginger, 4 cloves garlic, 4 tablespoons red curry paste, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon palm sugar, 3 cups chicken stock, 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Remove the chicken thighs and shred them using two forks. Return the chicken to the slow cooker, add the coconut milk and lime juice, and stir. Let the coconut milk warm for 10-15 minutes before serving.2 15-ounce cans coconut milk, 1 lime
- Place the cooked rice vermicelli into soup bowls and top with the Thai chicken soup. Squeeze a little lime over the top and serve with any or all of the optional toppings.8 ounces rice vermicelli, Optional toppings: lime wedges, sauteed mushrooms, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, black pepper
Equipment
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
More Thai chicken recipes
For more inspiration, check out all of our soup recipes.
Any suggestion for a coconut milk sub? I’m allergic to coconut even though it’s yummy!
Coconut milk is a big part of this recipe, so omitting will change it a lot. While it would taste quite different, you could try it with chicken broth instead. You may want to add some extra soy/fish sauce/curry paste to boost the flavor. 🙂
Did anyone omit the palm sugar? I don’t have any.
You can also sub another sweetener … coconut sugar, brown sugar, honey, or even maple syrup would work. White sugar would also work if that’s what you have on hand.
My sis in law sent this recipe to me bc she said it was so good! Do you have recommendations on how to make it vegetarian??
The flavor won’t be nearly as rich if you omit the fish sauce and use vegetable stock so you’ll likely need to boost the flavor with extra curry paste, soy sauce, and ginger. And in Thai curries, I like to use medium tofu and fry it well so that it’s crispy. I think it would make a good sub for the chicken. 🙂
One of my new favorites. Easy, flavorful, deliciously good. ♥️
Awesome! So happy you like the recipe!
It’s one of our favorite chicken soup recipes!
My ENTIRE family of picky eaters each had two bowls! A HUGE success! I made two crockpots and they are both empty!
That’s fantastic! Hooray!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
It will last for 3-4 days. But you can freeze it if you need it to keep longer. 🙂
It’s delicious but I ended up adding a teaspoon of salt to cut through some of the sweetness of the coconut milk. Also, I added an additional teaspoon of powdered curry, these two small additions reall enhanced the flavors! Thank you!
That’s wonderful!
This was one of the best tasting soups EVER! I used pho broth instead of chicken broth and 2 Tbsp of green curry instead because the kids don’t care for spicy foods. Everyone had 2 helpings!! It was so nice to have silence at the dinner table with our older kids, our toddler, and our baby all eating silently and the toddler not trying to get up every 2 seconds saying he is done. Thank you for a wonderful meal that saved my sanity after a long day at work!
So happy to hear that the recipe was a hit! My daughter loves curry, too. Our kids have good taste!
Very delicious! I added cooked brown rice to the bottom of my bowl and a drizzle of Sriracha on top.
Thank you!
Such a great idea to add some brown rice!
I just made this in my slow cooker. I used one can of coconut milk and a little more Thai curry paste and it was amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe.
I’m so happy to hear you liked it!
Any idea on how to make this in the Instant Pot instead?
I’ve never cooked with an Instant Pot so I can’t say. I would suggest looking for an Instant Pot chicken curry recipe and using the timing for that one with the ingredients in this one. 🙂
Does anyone happen to know the macros on this? Thanks!
I’ve never quite mastered making curry. Something about the fish sauce ratio that throws the whole dish off. I’m better at eating it than making it ??♀️ But this dish. Holy smokes THIS DISH IS INCREDIBLE. The flavors are so balanced. Not too spicy, not too fishy, extra creamy, super flavorful- it’s sheer perfection! I only added 2 chicken breasts, so it would be more soupy and I added a tablespoon of lemongrass paste (highly recommend). Anyhoo, this dish is amazing. Thank you for sharing
I’m so happy you like the recipe!
LOOKS delicious. Im making it tomorrow night. Im boiling the bones from a leftover chicken roast now for the broth.
For the Thai veggies why wouldn’t you just set it on low for your desired time and just let the crockpot switch to warm for the remaining time. I believe my crockpot will stay on “warm” for 2-4 hours ( can’t remember which one) then it will stay hot in the pot until you get home I would think. ??
This is really good! Only added 1 can of lite coconut milk, added 1 more tbs of Red Thai Curry Paste and a seeded jalapeño. Can’t wait to have it this evening!
I’m so happy you like it!