Thai Red Curry Chicken Soup – warm creamy comforting red curry soup with a touch of sweetness and a bit of a spicy kick. This Thai Red Curry Recipe is full of rich Thai flavors with red curry paste, creamy coconut milk, zesty ginger, and garlic with delicate rice noodles and chicken. It's a comforting bowl of goodness that's gluten-free and ready in 30 minutes!
This post has been updated since its original publish date in January 2018.
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This soup is the most mouthwatering combination of flavors ever!
I’m a big fan of Asian cuisine – Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Thai – all of them. And Thai Red Curry is especially tasty. I’ve never had this Thai Red Curry Recipe as a soup, only as an entrée served over rice.
Today’s creation is just as delicious, but more brothy and served with noodles.
I love that I can go to the grocery store and find everything I need to make yummy international recipes, like this, right in my own home. For me it’s worth it to be able to control exactly what goes into my food - and what doesn't.
This is especially helpful if you struggle with any food allergies or have special diet restrictions. You don’t have to sacrifice all the things you love just because restaurants don’t offer options that are gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, etc.
By making it yourself you can swap out the dairy in a recipe, i.e. coconut milk instead of cow’s milk or gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce.
As they say, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” And as I say… I love me some options!
Just stick with me my friend, you’ll be inventing your restaurant-quality (or even better) food in the comfort of your own home like this Thai Red Curry Soup!
About Thai Red Curry Paste
This soup gets its gorgeous red color from Thai Red Curry Paste. You can make your red curry paste, but there are some tasty store-bought versions available that are gluten-free and soy-free.
Red curry paste is a versatile and flavorful base used in many Thai dishes. In its simple form, it consists of red chili peppers, garlic, sea salt, lemongrass, turmeric, and shrimp paste.
The dried chili peppers used in the paste do have a decent kick. But that heat is balanced out nicely in this soup with the creaminess of coconut milk, the aromatics of ginger and garlic, and sweetness from a little sugar.
The soup has the most delicious combination of flavors!
What You'll Need to Make This Thai Red Curry Soup
- Coconut oil - for sauteing
- Garlic - minced
- Thai red curry paste
- Fresh ginger - peeled and grated
- Yellow onion – thinly sliced
- Red peppers - stems, seeds, and membranes removed, thinly sliced
- Chicken stock
- Coconut milk (from the refrigerated milk area)
- Lite culinary coconut milk (from the international grocery aisle)
- Fish sauce
- Lemon Grass Paste (found in the produce department near the herbs)
- Salt and Pepper
- Raw sugar
- Chicken Breast - boneless skinless (or substitute with a shredded roaster chicken)
- Fresh lime juice
- Dried thin Rice Noodles or Somen noodles (use rice noodles for gluten-free!)
How to Make the Most Mouthwatering Thai Red Curry Chicken Soup:
Start by heating the coconut oil in a large soup pot. You can also use vegetable or canola oil as well, but I thought that coconut oil was on point for this Asian recipe.
Next, add the minced garlic, ginger, and red curry paste, and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Now, add your sliced onions, lemon grass paste, and half of the salt. Sauté the mixture (stirring often) for 5 minutes.
Next, stir in the chicken stock, fish sauce, coconut milk, and lite culinary coconut milk. Bring this to a boil and simmer 10 minutes uncovered.
While that’s simmering, cook your noodles in a separate pan according to the package instructions.
I used thin Somen noodles, but you can use whatever noodle you’d like... and if you're going gluten-free use rice noodles.
Add thinly sliced chicken (or pulled meat from a Rotisserie chicken), red peppers, and lime juice to your soup mixture and cook for 7-8 more minutes.
Now it’s time to eat this tasty Thai Red Curry recipe!
Ladle your soup into bowls, then add your noodles and all the yummy garnishes you desire.
I’m all about adding texture to my food so I loaded up with...
- fresh cilantro (you could also use basil - or even better Thai basil if you can find it)
- bean sprouts
- snap peas cut in half
- sliced green onions
- sliced red and green jalapeño peppers
- lime wedges for squeezing
Oh my yum!
Storaging and Freezing
- You can store leftovers of this Thai soup in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Keep in mind that the noodles in the soup will absorb the broth over time so either keep the noodles separate until ready to enjoy or add more liquid when reheating.
- Reheat the soup in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed through. Add more liquid if necessary.
- You can freeze this soup! Although, I recommend freezing it without the noodles. They are very tender and may fall about during the freezing and reheating process.
This Thai Red Curry Recipe has it all my friend: it’s creamy, crunchy, spicy, sweet, unctuous, savory, herbaceous, aromatic, and just flat-out the best flavor ever!
Thai Red Curry Chicken Soup – a delicious restaurant-quality meal made in 30 minutes in the comfort of your own home!
Drop. The. Chopsticks.
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Thai Red Curry Chicken Soup
Warm creamy comforting Thai Red Curry Soup with a touch of sweetness and a bit of a spicy kick.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ounces Thai red curry paste
- One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 medium yellow onion – thinly sliced
- 2 medium red peppers, stems, seeds and membranes removed, thinly sliced
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups coconut milk (from the refrigerated milk area)
- 5 ounces lite culinary coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon lemon grass paste (found in the produce department near the herbs)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced (or substitute shredded roaster chicken)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (use ½ of a lime)
- 6-8 ounces dried thin rice or Somen noodles (use rice noodles for gluten-free!)
Optional Garnishes for Serving:
- 1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cilantro leaves removed from stems or ½ cup torn Thai basil leaves
- Bean sprouts
- Thinly sliced red or green hot peppers
- Lime wedges
- Snap peas cut in half
- Chili oil
Instructions
- Heat coconut oil in a large soup pot. Add minced garlic, ginger, and red curry paste, and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add sliced onions, lemon grass paste, and half of the salt. Sauté the mixture, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken stock, fish sauce, coconut milk, raw sugar, and the lite culinary coconut milk. Bring this to a boil and simmer 10 minutes uncovered.
- Meanwhile, cook noodles in a separate pan according to the package instructions.
- Add thinly sliced chicken, red peppers, and lime juice to the soup pot and cook for 7-8 more minutes.
- To serve, ladle soup into bowls, then add noodles and garnishes.
Nutrition Information
Yield
7Serving Size
10 ouncesAmount Per Serving Calories 498Total Fat 39gSaturated Fat 28gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 128mgSodium 1398mgCarbohydrates 79gFiber 3gSugar 7gProtein 40g
This nutrition card uses an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. This estimate is not a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice!
Looking For More Soulful Soup Recipes?
Mindy
Hello! This recipe looks yummy. Question though. When do you add the sugar? Is the chicken supposed to be already coooked? Thank you!
holly
Hey Mindy, the sugar goes in when you add chicken stock and coconut milk. The chicken is raw. You actually slice up chicken breasts very thin and add it when you add the red peppers. It only takes 5 minutes to cook because it's so thin. I just made this recipe again tonight and it was sooo good. Can't wait for you to try it! PS: You could also use chicken for a pre-cooked roaster. I would shred it and add it to the soup for just a few minute before you serve it. That way it can soak up some of those yummy juices.