Thai-Inspired Chicken & Rice Noodle Soup
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Cozy, comforting, and fragrant, this flavor-packed Thai chicken noodle soup will warm you right up.
This spicy, fragrant, slurpy noodle soup, inspired by some of my favorite Thai restaurant dishes, is like sunshine on a dreary day. What’s more, it’s made with rotisserie chicken and Thai pantry staples available in most supermarkets—such as green curry paste, fish sauce, coconut milk, and fresh ginger—so it’s almost instant gratification.
Whether I’m feeling worn down or just in need of a little comfort, there is nothing like a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and this is one of my favorite renditions. Be sure to keep the rice noodles separate from the soup until ready to serve. If you put them in the broth before serving, they will continue to cook and become too soft.
Table of Contents
“A wonderful melding of flavors, and it tastes truly authentic as Thai cuisine…My wife, a former restaurant reviewer, used words like ‘amazing’ and ‘delicious,’ so I knew I had a real winner.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken & Rice Noodle Soup
You’ll notice that the recipe calls for Thai green curry paste, an excellent substitute for hard-to-find Asian ingredients, like lemongrass and galangal. You can find it, along with the other Asian pantry staples, in the Asian section of most large supermarkets. Along with Thai red curry paste, green curry paste is a wonderfully versatile ingredient; I use it to make many Thai-style recipes, such as Thai shrimp curry and red chicken curry, butternut squash soup with coconut milk, and curry chicken skewers with coconut-peanut sauce.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by heating the oil in a medium soup pot. Add the shallots and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Next, add the green curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more.
Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and turmeric; bring to a gentle simmer. Continue simmering for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles by dropping them in boiling water.
Let sit for a few minutes to soften.
Then drain.
When ready to serve, divide the noodles and chicken into serving bowls.
Ladle the broth over top and sprinkle with cilantro and scallions. Serve with Sriracha sauce and lime wedges.
“Thank you for an excellent recipe. This is one of those great under 30 minute dinners when I’m in a pinch but want a satisfying restaurant-quality soup without going out.”
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Thai-Inspired Chicken & Rice Noodle Soup
Cozy, comforting, and fragrant, this flavor-packed Thai chicken noodle soup will warm you right up.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup thinly sliced shallots, from 1-2 large shallots
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, from a 1-inch knob (see note)
- 2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 packed teaspoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
For Serving
- 4 oz thin rice noodles
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, from a rotisserie chicken
- Handful chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 scallions, light and dark green parts, thinly sliced
- Sriracha sauce
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and turmeric; bring to a gentle simmer. Continue simmering, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions.
- When ready to serve, taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Gently reheat the noodles in the microwave, if necessary. Divide the noodles and chicken into serving bowls. Ladle the broth over top and sprinkle with cilantro and scallions. Serve with Sriracha sauce and lime wedges.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
- Note: As the soup sits on the stove, some of the fat may rise to the surface; skim it, if necessary.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 530
- Fat: 31 g
- Saturated fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Sodium: 942 mg
- Cholesterol: 53 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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I didn’t have any rotisserie chicken on hand so I simmered a couple of bone-in chicken breasts and ended up with a great broth as well as enough chicken for this recipe. I would not change a thing otherwise, it was a great recipe! I think the green chili and fish sauce are key ingredients, even though you don’t need much of it. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I LOVE this soup and so does everyone I made it for. Now I would like to make it for my kids- could you replace the rice noodles for just rice? Just easier for little ones.
So glad you enjoyed the soup! Yes, you could replace the rice noodles with rice here. Hope your kids like it too!
I made this recipe based on all the favorable reviews. I was not disappointed and neither were my tasters (kids). This is a GREAT soup and one I will add to my recipe collection.
Hi Jenn,
I have been a huge fan of yours for years…I feel like your recipes make me famous in my family. =) Thank you. This is the first time I’ve made this soup. It is simply fantastic. I have a question…can I add the extra noodles into the soup for leftovers tomorrow, or shall I keep them separate?
Thank you!!!
Hi Kristian, Glad you enjoy the recipes! I’d store the soup and the noodles separately in the fridge so that the noodles don’t soak up too much broth.
Just delicious and my kids loved it too. It has a nice clean taste and is perfect as a little cold remedy. Thank you for the recipe!
I have been wanting to make this soup for ages, and I was not disappointed! Many Asian recipes have a daunting list of ingredients and are very labor intensive. This came together quickly, and was very easy to make. I have never cooked with Thai Green Curry paste before, and I love the beautiful, subtle flavor. Although I like cilantro, I omitted it because not everyone else does. The fresh scallions and hot sauce (I used Sriracha) took it from really good to fantastic! I added a little chopped bok choy towards the end of the cooking time, and served with a favorite Harris Teeter bagged Asian salad with complementary flavors. I love home made soups, and this will be a regular menu item for us.
Well this was really one of my favorite Jenn recipes and I have made quite a few. It was simple and so delicious, as good as any Thai restaurant food I have had! Very few words were spoken during dinner other than “mmmmm!”
The first time I made this recipe I followed it exactly and it was absolutely delicious. The second time, I omitted the chicken and substituted zoodles for noodles to have a lighter version. That was good too. Either way this recipe is now on a long, long list of recipes from Once upon a chef that I will continue to make regularly!
This soup is delicious and comforting on a cold night. Thank you!
Hi, When do you cook the chicken and add it to the soup? Am i missing it? LOL
Actually, the recipe calls for a store-bought rotisserie chicken, so no cooking needed! And you add the chicken right before serving the soup. Hope that clarifies!