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Thai Coconut Soup

By Angie McGowan
Created January 10, 2017
Try this amazing coconut filled Thai chicken soup recipe that’s perfectly balanced between sweet, sour, spicy and salty.
Thai Coconut Soup

This Thai coconut soup is also known as Tom Kha Gai. It’s a coconut filled chicken and mushroom soup that’s packed with flavor. It’s perfectly balanced between sweet, salty, sour and spicy.

To start this soup, I poach two boneless skinless chicken breasts in chicken stock. After they are cooked, I shred them and add them back to the stock they cooked in which should be about two cups of liquid. Then I add a can of coconut milk, thinly sliced mushrooms, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and lime juice. This soup traditionally uses kaffir lime leaves, but they aren’t always that easy to find. So instead, I substitute a two-inch long piece of lime rind instead.

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If you have access to fresh lemon grass, you can add that in too. I omitted it in the recipe because you usually have to trek to an Asian market to find it, and the soup is phenomenal without it.

After the soup has cooked and the mushrooms are tender, I remove it from the heat and add fresh basil, cilantro and green onions.

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To serve, top each bowl with a little more fresh cilantro and chopped green onions.

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Then garnish with some hot red pepper slices, which are totally optional.

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Ingredients

    • 1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • 1carton (32 oz) Progresso™ chicken broth (4 cups)
    • 1can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
    • 1cup sliced fresh mushrooms
    • 1strip (2 inch) lime peel (use vegetable peeler to remove from lime)
    • 1/4cup fresh lime juice
    • 1teaspoon grated gingerroot
    • 1teaspoon fish sauce
    • 1clove garlic, grated
    • 1/4cup torn fresh Thai basil or regular basil leaves
    • 1/4cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
    • 1/4cup chopped green onions (4 medium)
    • 2tablespoons sliced fresh cayenne or any hot red pepper, if desired

Directions

  • 1In 12-inch skillet, heat chicken and broth to boiling. Cook over medium heat about 20 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F).
  • 2Remove chicken from broth to plate. Measure out 2 cups broth; place in 3-quart saucepan. (If more liquid is needed, add water.)
  • 3Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Add to broth in saucepan. Add coconut milk, mushrooms, lime peel, lime juice, gingerroot, fish sauce and garlic. Heat to boiling. Cook over medium heat until mushrooms are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
  • 4Remove soup from heat. Stir in basil, cilantro and green onions. Garnish each serving with red pepper.

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