Tom Kha Gai Chicken Coconut Soup
This Tom Kha Gai Soup recipe, also known as Chicken Coconut Soup, is a solid reader favorite with raving comments and 5-star reviews! And for good reason: this soup is a comforting dish filled with sweet heat and delicious flavors!
Tom Kha Gai Recipe
I first had a bowl of Tom Kha Gai Soup in Salt Lake City, Utah, at a restaurant called Sawadee. For me, it was love at first taste; the soup was just absolutely divine!
From that first spoonful on, I knew it was a dish that HAD to be shared here on the blog! And since 2014, it’s received glowing reviews and 5 stars from those who have tried this recipe!
This soup is a real treat; it’s both light and rich, bright and refreshing, and filled with unforgettable layers of tantalizing spices!
To make this a soup everyone can enjoy, I opted to use ingredients that would be more accessible to a wider range of readers. Don’t worry, though; that doesn’t mean any flavor was sacrificed in making this recipe; therefore, you’ll still enjoy an authentic taste in this Tom Kha Gai Soup!
What is the difference between Tom Kha and Tom Kha Gai?
Tom Kha means galangal soup, whereas Tom Kha Gai means galangal soup with chicken.
What you’ll need for Coconut Chicken Soup
- Coconut oil
- Thai red chili paste
- Red pepper flakes
- Garlic cloves
- Chicken breasts
- Chicken stock
- Bay leaves
- Fresh ginger
- Stalks of lemongrass
- Dried basil
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Coconut milk
- Thai fish sauce
- Light brown sugar
- Lime juice
- Mushrooms
- Red bell pepper
- Sriracha/hot chili sauce
- Cilantro
- Green onions
- Fresh basil
How to Make Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai)
Tom Kha Gai Soup is really easy to make and it’s so freaking good you’ll want to make it ALL the time!
Step 1: Begin by cooking and seasoning your chicken breasts. Chicken thighs could also be used!
Step 2: Next, make your broth.
Step 3: Then, add in the veggies.
Step 4: When ready to serve, ladle out lemongrass stalks, bay leaves, and ginger chunks. Taste and add additional salt, pepper and Sriracha to taste.
Step 5: Garnish individual bowls with fresh cilantro, green onions, fresh basil, and fresh lime juice.
No pictures can do this soup justice, so I hope you trust me when I say if you like Asian food, you are going to love this soup.
How to serve Chicken Coconut Soup
Serve this Chicken Coconut Soup warm in individual bowls with a side of naan bread or pita wedges. Garnish each bowl of soup with cilantro, green onion, fresh basil, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Enjoy!
Thai Chicken Coconut Soup storage
Store any leftover Thai chicken coconut soup in an airtight container in the fridge to enjoy for up to 3 days. For longer storage, transfer the soup into freezer-safe containers and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Since this soup keeps in the freezer for 3 months it’s a great option for meal prep or to bring to a family member or friend!
Rave Reviews for this Tom Kha Gai Soup Recipe
I’ll be real – we decided to make Tom Kha Gai because we saw it on Master Chef. The way Gordon Ramsay described the flavor profile was too good to pass up. So we found this recipe. This is PHENOMENAL! There are so many flavors, but they work so harmoniously together without anything getting lost. So so SO good!
Please make this Tom Kha Gai soon – you don’t want to miss out on this soothing, comforting heaven any longer!
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Tom Kha Gai Soup
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If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
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This post was originally published in October 2014 and was updated with new photos in March 2019.
Tom Kha Gai Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon Thai red chili paste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound chicken breasts cut into thin strips
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 3-inch piece fresh ginger peeled and cut into 4 chunks
- 3 stalks lemongrass*
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 13 ounces coconut milk canned
- 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ¼ cup lime juice or juice of 2 limes
- 8 oz. mushrooms sliced
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- Sriracha/hot chili sauce to taste
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Garnish:
- cilantro
- green onions
- fresh basil
- lime juice
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add red chili paste, red pepper flakes, and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add chicken and saute until opaque but not cooked through.
- Add chicken stock, bay leaves, ginger, lemongrass, basil, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low; cover and gently simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, mushrooms, and red bell pepper. Simmer a couple of minutes until bell peppers are crisp-tender.
- When ready to serve, ladle out lemongrass stalks, bay leaves and ginger chunks.
- Taste and add additional salt, pepper and Sriracha to taste.
- Garnish individual bowls with fresh cilantro, green onions, fresh basil, and fresh lime juice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Loved making this and eating it! Next time I would add my veggies (mushrooms, peppers) a little later in the recipie so they are a little crunchier and possibly yellow and orange peppers as well. I added onion because I add onion to everything and it made it even better. Next time I might even try some cut tomato at the last moment as a garnish for even more of a fresh ‘punch.’ Awesome recipie thank you.
This was delicious!! You’re right, it’s light and rich at the same time. I couldn’t find lemon grass so used a little grated lime zest which I’d seen as an ingredient in a different Thai recipe. We had it with sushi since I was feeding a few men who wouldn’t think this was hearty enough for a complete meal lol. Less hearty eaters like me would be fine with the soup and a salad!
OMG this was so good!! I added fine carrot sticks and minced celery and 1 jalapeños to get more veggies in the meal. It was tasting so fabulous that I did not add the lime juice. I didn’t want to change what I had already.
This was an absolutely fantastic soup!! I did make a few changes but they aren’t huge. I used Red Thai Curry because that is what I had. I also used chicken thighs instead, personal preference. I cooked the chicken thighs all the way through and removed them, cut them up and set them aside. I added all the stock ingredients from step 2 and cooked for 15 minutes instead of 10, then removed the lemongrass, ginger etc., and added the rest of the ingredients (including the chicken) for the last 5 minutes. This seemed easier than separating out the stock ingredients (step 2) from the chicken, peppers and mushrooms. One of the best soups I have had in a very long time! Though not traditional, I served it with unbuttered sourdough toast to dip in the broth. Yum!!
This was DEEEEEE-licious. I went easy on the heat but next time will up the heat factor.
Oh my gosh! This is the best soup I’ve ever tasted! I substituted extra firm tofu for the chicken and used tons of mushrooms, and it was fabulous! It would be a great soup to have on hand (freeze some for later) for those times you’re feeling under the weather. It would be so soothing. First time I made this ate three bowls at one sitting!
Oh my gosh! This soup was so easy to put together and it’s the best soup I’ve ever tasted. Ever. I substituted extra firm tofu for the chicken and I used chopped garlic from a jar and lemon grass from a tube and it was delicious! The first day I made it I ate three bowls in one sitting!
Good flavor but coconut milk stayed curdled??
What do you mean by curdled? Do you mean it stay thick from the can or that it curdled while cooking? If cooking, it sounds like the heat was too high.
Love this ! I make it all the time.
Really wanted to try this because I love ordering Tom Kha at my favorite Thai restaurant and I needed to make some soup for a friend who’s having surgery. Very clear recipe with a delicious end result! However I found that it was not creamy or coconutty enough so I added a second can of coconut milk (especially after checking a couple other recipes and seeing that most used two cans) and that made it the perfect consistency for me.
I’m glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the tip of the extra can to make it even creamier!
SOOO Good! I’ve made this several times and its always a big hit!I add celery and Bamboo shoots which made it all that much better.
I made this though I added equal amounts of coconut milk and broth to make it creamier. It was delicious!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious! Very easy to make, restaurant quality! Super yummy!
Absolutely delicious
This soup is absolutely YUMMY, I make it very often and everyone loves it! 100000% recommend. You can even play around with different veggies – I like to add broccoli. So gooood!
This looks like what I order at my local Thai place. You don’t mention what type of pot or pan to cook in. Did you use a Dutch oven, wok, large skillet, soup pot? I really want to make it but don’t want to soil more pans than needed.
Just a stainless steel pot should work great 🙂
This was my first time making Tom Kha soup. It was so delicious! I thought it would be hard given the number of ingredients, but I did it. We will definitely be making this again very soon. Thank you!
I’ll be real – we decided to make Tom Kha Gai because we saw it on Master Chef. The way Gordon Ramsay described the flavor profile was too good to pass up. So we found this recipe. This is PHENOMENAL! There are so many flavors, but they work so harmoniously together without anything getting lost. So so SO good!
I linked the “tried” section of this recipe so you can see mine (and others’!) pics! (if the website option gets published)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/305118943510060667/activity/tried
What is the serving size?
can you freeze this soup?
Yes, you can. If you are making this to freeze as opposed to just freezing leftovers, don’t add the coconut milk until after you’ve reheated it 🙂
Yum, I love coconut soup! This looks and sounds delicious, pinning!