Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
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According to Ksenia Prints from At the Immigrant's Table, there are few dishes more perfect than a big bowl of noodle soup. Whether it's Asian, Italian, or even a good old chicken soup with pasta, there's just something so perfect about getting everything you need from a meal in one bowl. This Thai-inspired soup is the perfect example. This coconut curry chicken noodle soup tastes great, ticks all the food group boxes, and comes together in under an hour — and that includes making your own curry paste. It's got just enough heat from a scratch-made curry paste to keep things exciting without being overbearing, is satisfying from the chicken and noodles, and is also full of fresh, pungent ingredients like lemongrass, shallots, ginger, and Thai chiles, that are redolent with flavor. Just one whiff of this soup is enough to make you hungry, and that's before we even try the broth.
It starts with a homemade Thai yellow curry paste that you make in a blender, and continues with some aromatics and chicken in a pot. When the soup is ready, you load it up as much as you want with fresh toppings like basil, mint, and green onions. As you pull a heaping spoon of this fragrant, spicy soup to your lips, slurp on the noodles, and get a whiff of aromatic Thai basil, you can rest assured that your craving for a good, filling lunch has been satisfied.
Ingredients for coconut curry chicken noodle soup
For this curry noodle soup, we will be making our yellow curry paste from scratch. To do so, you'll need turmeric powder, shrimp paste, fresh ginger, lemongrass, shallots, and Thai chiles. For the chicken soup itself, you'll need vegetable oil, chicken stock, coconut milk, chicken breasts, fish sauce, lime juice, salt, and bird's eye chiles, if you like more heat in your Thai soups.
For serving, we recommend pairing the soup with your favorite rice noodles, fresh basil leaves, fresh mint leaves, sliced scallions, and lime wedges. Traditionally, noodle soups like this one are served with thin rice noodles, also known as vermicelli, but you can also go with thicker, Pad-Thai-style ones if that's what you have.
Step 1: Make the curry paste
Make the curry paste by pounding or blending the turmeric, shrimp paste, ginger, lemongrass, shallots, and Thai chilies into a smooth paste.
Step 2: Heat the oil
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Step 3: Fry the curry paste
Fry the curry paste for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Step 4: Add stock and coconut milk
Add the chicken stock and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.
Step 5: Cook the chicken breasts
Add the whole chicken breasts and poach them for 15-18 minutes until cooked through.
Step 6: Shred the chicken
Remove the chicken, shred it, and return it to the pot.
Step 7: Season the soup
Season with the fish sauce, lime juice, bird's eye chiles, and salt.
Step 8: Cook the noodles
Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions.
Step 9: Assemble the bowls
Divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Ladle the soup over the noodles.
Step 10: Garnish and serve the coconut curry chicken noodle soup
Top with basil, mint, and scallions, and serve with lime wedges.
What pairs well with coconut curry chicken soup?
Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
This easy, comforting coconut curry chicken noodle soup is full of fresh, ingredients like lemongrass, ginger, and Thai chiles, and is redolent with flavor.
Ingredients
- For yellow curry paste
- 3 tablespoons turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons shrimp paste
- 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, minced
- 4 stalks lemongrass, white part only, sliced
- 6 shallots, chopped
- 3 Thai chiles, chopped (or 2 tablespoons chili paste)
- For the chicken soup
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
- 1 ½ pound chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 bird's eye chiles, sliced (optional, for additional heat)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Optional Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles, for serving
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, for serving
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, for serving
- 4 scallions, sliced, for serving
- 2 limes, cut into wedges, for serving
Directions
- Make the curry paste by pounding or blending the turmeric, shrimp paste, ginger, lemongrass, shallots, and Thai chilies into a smooth paste.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Fry the curry paste for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the chicken stock and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the whole chicken breasts and poach them for 15-18 minutes until cooked through.
- Remove the chicken, shred it, and return it to the pot.
- Season with the fish sauce, lime juice, bird's eye chiles, and salt.
- Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions.
- Divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Ladle the soup over the noodles.
- Top with basil, mint, and scallions, and serve with lime wedges.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 687 |
| Total Fat | 36.2 g |
| Saturated Fat | 21.1 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 141.5 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 42.2 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.4 g |
| Total Sugars | 14.4 g |
| Sodium | 1,648.5 mg |
| Protein | 52.0 g |
What adaptations can you make to this coconut curry chicken noodle soup?
Noodle soups are great because you can really change up the building blocks without changing the essence of the dish. Whether you're switching up the protein, type of noodles, or toppings, there's really no limit to what you can do to customize this.
Our favorite change is to switch the chicken for tofu. You can use pre-made fried tofu, which can be added to the soup without any extra work. Regular firm or extra-firm tofu can be gently pan-fried before being added to the soup, to give it a nice texture. The tofu soaks up the soup flavors so well that you really don't have to be vegetarian to enjoy it. You can also substitute the chicken for shrimp or a white fish like cod, but make sure you shorten the cooking process in both cases. You also may want to switch up the stock to match the protein — seafood broth for fish or shrimp, or vegetarian for tofu.
Beyond the protein, adding bok choy, bell peppers, or snap peas to the soup also works really well to add some freshness and nutrition, and maintains the flavor profile. And finally, try adding different noodles like soba, which are buckwheat-based Japanese noodles, or udon, which are thicker white flour Japanese noodles that do well in soup.
Are there ways to shorten the preparation of this soup?
Though this soup can be made in less than one hour, you may want to speed up the process even more by taking some care to do things in advance. From switching up the curry paste to a store-bought version to making the soup ahead of time, the prep time of this dish can be cut to just a few minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
One thing we do to save time is to make a double or triple batch of the yellow curry paste and keep it portioned out in the freezer. You can pack it up in reusable snack bags or even freeze it in ice cube trays, and then pull out as much as you need when you need it. If you feel like making the soup on a whim, you can even use store-bought yellow curry paste to similar results.
You can also cook the chicken and prep the stock in advance, and freeze those separately. On weekdays, we've even replaced the chicken breast with rotisserie chicken, and no one was the wiser.