Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
My book group meets monthly to read great books, but the other thing we do is eat greatly. There are fabulous cooks in the group as well as insightful readers so we joke that we’re probably just as much a foodie group as a book group. We’ve been doing food themes this year like Brunch, Mexican, Appetizers, Salads, Asian etc. Last month was our Asian theme and my friend Launette made THE best Thai Coconut Chicken Soup and said she modified it from this recipe here. So with her permission I’ve recreated her version with more modifications of my own. You’re going to wish you were a member of our book group after you taste this Delicious soup!
It starts with a quick saute of fresh grated ginger, sliced lemon grass, red curry paste (to your desired “hotness”) and garlic in a tablespoon of olive or avocado oil that’s heated in a large soup pot or cast-iron pot. Chicken broth, fish sauce, brown sugar and more seasonings including garam masala and red Thai curry powder are added and simmered for 15 minutes or so. Then two cans of regular coconut milk and a can of lite coconut milk (to reduce the fat content) along with cooked chicken and shiitake mushrooms are added.
This simmers for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and then the soup is finished off with a bunch of fresh chopped cilantro and lime juice. I serve it over a bed of whole grain rice for one of the best main dish combos around.
It’s light, flavorful, unique, full of all those delicious Thai flavors we’ve come to love, as Americanized as it may be. Thank you Launette for treating us all to what has easily become one of my favorite recipes.
- Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
- 1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 stalk lemon grass, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp red curry paste (less if you want it less spicy)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp red Thai curry powder
- 2 (13.5-ounce) cans coconut milk
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
- 2 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken
- 1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1 pound
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- Sea salt to taste
- 3-4 cups cooked brown or whole grain rice blend
- Heat oil in a large pot placed over medium heat. Add ginger, lemongrass, garlic and curry paste in the heated oil for 1 minute stirring to combine.
- Slowly pour the chicken broth over the mixture, stirring continually. Stir in the fish sauce, brown sugar, garam masala and red Thai curry powder; simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk, chicken and mushrooms; cook and stir until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice; season with salt.
- Serve over 1/2 cup cooked rice.
You might also enjoy:
Slow Cooker Honey Glazed Chicken Bowls
