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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My husband loves this recipe! Perfect balance of spice and flavor! Highly recommend.
Omg, I’m not exaggerating when I say this soup is amazing. I made it for my husband and kids last dinner and we all loved it. I brought the leftover for lunch today and if I dare say, its even better the day after. Its easy and delicious, hurry up and make this!
This is the 5th thing I have made from your posted recipes and each one is as good as the last! I am going to buy your cookbook, which I never do- I’m that impressed 🙂
🙂 So glad you enjoyed this soup and the other recipes you’ve made. Thanks in advance for buying the cookbook – I hope you find lots of new favorites in there!
I made this recipe using rice sticks. The package said to soak five mins then put in recipe for two mins. After soaking I put noodles in bowl instead of soup and poured soup over them. My noodles became clumpy in the soup and I disliked their texture. The broth was great the noodles no. Are rice sticks a substitute for rice noodles? I saw another recipe where they cooked the rice sticks. Should I have cooked them rather than soaked?
Hi Cimdy, I wasn’t familiar with rice sticks, so I googled them and it sounds like rice sticks and rice noodles are the same. If the package directed you just to soak them, I wouldn’t think they’d need to be cooked, so the fact that they became clumpy a bit of a head scratcher – Perhaps next time you should try a different brand. I’m sorry you had a problem with them!
Amazing recipe and super easy to make!
YUMMY! Wow what an easy recipe to whip together. My hubby has a chest infection & I thought a nice soup would help him feel better so I made this for him. I’ve made a similar recipe in the past that was a lot more labour intensive & this packed the same flavour punch we thought. My hubby said “wow, this is soo good throughout the meal”. I made recipe exactly as written but next time we’ll add bean sprouts with the chicken/noodles.
Hi, this looks great but I am a vegetarian and would like to swap out the chicken with some veggies. Is there a combination that you would recommend to try?
Hi Errin, Another vegetarian reader commented that she replaced the chicken with seitan/tofu/edamame and enjoyed it. This would also be nice with mushrooms, sliced bell peppers, and/or carrots. Hope that helps!
Yum! I made this with red curry paste because I love it. To amp up the broth a little I halved the proportion of chicken stock and increased the curry paste a bit. I also added 2 hot chiles and some stir fried red pepper and string beans. It was still mild but very tasty and so easy.
This recipe looks delicious! My daughter is allergic to fish sauce. What would you recommend as a substitute?
Hi Lisa, The fish sauce adds a distinctive Thai flavor, but you can omit it. While it’s not a perfect substitute, you could use soy sauce instead. The soup will still be tasty; just without as much of a Thai “bent.” Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
This sounds delicious and I would love to try it. However, we are not fans of cilantro. Is there another herb that you would recommend in its place? Maybe just some fresh parsley?
Parsley would work. Basil or mint would also be good substitutes. Hope you enjoy!
I am an enthusiastic home cook but I have never posted a review for any recipe online…however after making this tonight with my 16 year old son, I feel compelled to share how incredibly delicious this was! We enjoyed it so very much – it was as good as anything you could find in a Thai restaurant. My son hugged me many times while we cooked together and told me how much fun he was having making this with me. Made eating this yummy soup all the more special! Awesome recipe!