This Tom Kha Gai Soup recipe, also known as Chicken Coconut Soup, is an incredibly aromatic and flavorful Thai dish made with chicken, mushrooms, lemongrass, ginger, and peppers in a creamy coconut broth.
Coconut Chicken Soup, also known as Tom Kha Gai, is a delicious Thai dish that’s sure to warm you up with its sweet heat and flavors!
Every special occasion – college graduation, birthdays, lung transplant anniversaries, etc., we would celebrate at my favorite Thai food restaurant.
After a decade of ordering Panang Curry (Coconut Chicken Curry) and sampling everyone else’s dishes, I still remained faithful to my Panang Curry, nothing else tempted me.
Then some of our friends ordered Tom Kha Gai (Chicken Coconut Soup) and my world was changed forever. I cannot believe I missed out on this heaven in a bowl for so long!
The warm coconut broth is infused with lemongrass, red curry, ginger, and basil, with thinly sliced tender chicken, mushrooms and red bell peppers.
It’s bright and refreshing, its both light and rich at the same time, and the layers of tantalizing spices are mesmerizing.
I’ve researched authentic Tom Kha Gai recipes, many of which call for some ingredients that are hard to come by, so my version contains only ingredients you can find at your local market but tastes every bit as authentic.
The only ingredient that might be foreign to you is lemongrass, but don’t be intimidated! It is super easy to work with and can usually be found next to the ginger in most grocery stores.
How To Make Tom Kha Gai Chicken Coconut Soup
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.
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!
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Tom Kha Gai Soup
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This post was originally published in October 2014 and was updated with new photos in March 2019.
Coconut Chicken Soup – Tom Kha Gai
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
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Comments & Reviews
JAYNE says
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!
JAYNE says
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!
Patty says
Love this ! I make it all the time.
Sam says
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.
Rebecca Hubbell says
I’m glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the tip of the extra can to make it even creamier!
Erin says
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.
Sandy Syrup says
I made this though I added equal amounts of coconut milk and broth to make it creamier. It was delicious!!
Rebecca Hubbell says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Kimberly Pulido says
Delicious! Very easy to make, restaurant quality! Super yummy!
Olivia says
Absolutely delicious
Joanna says
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!
Jane Wilcox says
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.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Just a stainless steel pot should work great 🙂
Emily says
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!
Heather Gilmore says
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)
Heather Gilmore says
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/305118943510060667/activity/tried
Chiara says
What is the serving size?
Deborah Wallace says
can you freeze this soup?
Rebecca Hubbell says
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 🙂
Joy @ Joy Love Food says
Yum, I love coconut soup! This looks and sounds delicious, pinning!