Description
Hearty Thai chicken curry soup delivers complex layers of comfort from Southeast Asian kitchens. Fragrant spices and tender chicken blend with coconut milk for a satisfying meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) chicken breast or thighs, thinly sliced
- 4 cups (960 ml) chicken broth
- 3 tbsps red curry paste (adjust to taste)
- 1 can (13.5 oz or 400 ml) coconut milk
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (150 g) carrots, julienned or thinly sliced
- 1 cup (100 g) snap peas or green beans
- 1 cup (100 g) mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (optional, for extra umami)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsps lime juice (about 1 lime)
- Cooked rice or rice noodles (optional, for serving)
- Fresh cilantro or Thai basil, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Sear Chicken: Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Brown chicken pieces until golden, then set aside on a separate plate.
- Aromatic Base: In the same pot, sauté onions, garlic, and ginger until fragrant, releasing their vibrant essence and creating a flavor foundation.
- Curry Development: Introduce red curry paste, allowing it to bloom and intensify, releasing its complex and rich aromatics throughout the pot.
- Liquid Composition: Pour chicken broth and coconut milk into the pot. Blend in fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar to create a harmonious and depth-filled liquid base.
- Vegetable Integration: Add bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and snap peas to the simmering mixture. Cook until vegetables are tender yet maintain a delicate crispness.
- Final Fusion: Return chicken to the pot, allowing it to absorb the multilayered flavors and become perfectly tender. Splash lime juice to brighten the entire dish.
- Presentation: Ladle the curry into serving bowls. Garnish with fresh cilantro or Thai basil. Serve alongside steamed rice or delicate rice noodles for a complete culinary experience.
Notes
- Optimize Chicken Browning: Ensure chicken pieces are pat dry before searing to achieve a perfect golden-brown crust, maximizing flavor development and preventing steaming.
- Balance Curry Paste Intensity: Adjust red curry paste quantity based on personal heat tolerance; start with less and gradually add more for controlled spiciness.
- Preserve Vegetable Texture: Add vegetables in stages according to their cooking time, with harder vegetables like carrots added earlier and delicate snap peas introduced later to maintain crisp texture.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Easily transform the recipe by substituting chicken with tofu for vegetarian version, using gluten-free soy sauce for gluten-sensitive diets, or adding extra vegetables for a more nutrient-dense meal.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg