Thai-Inspired Chicken & Rice Noodle Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.”
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Great recipe! I had red thai chili paste and it worked perfect for me. I also used Udon noodles because I had some in the fridge. My kids ate this good.
-Hey Mom, what’s for supper? (YouTube)
Due to making this without referring back to the recipe I accidentally omitted the sugar and had a few other proportions different but it was DELICIOUS – the green curry paste trick is a keeper.
Jenn,
I need to make this vegetarian, would vegetable stock work just as well?
Diana
Hi Diana, it would be fine to use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth. In order to make it vegetarian, you’d also have to omit the shredded chicken and the fish sauce. You could replace the fish sauce with an equal amount of soy sauce. (The soup won’t have that signature Thai flavor without the fish sauce but it will still be good.) Hope that helps!
Is cilantro optional?
Yep! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
Incredbile soup, absolutely my favourite thing to cook on the weekend when I want something light and fresh! This soup is so fresh and fragrant, I’m so glad I came across this receipe which is now a staple in my kitchen! Thank you!! If you have an Instagram account please link so I can follow you and your other amazing receipes xx
Amazing soup that’s easy to execute
This soup is delicious and tastes very much like my favorite soup at a Thai restaurant in my city. My husband and boys loved it, not a drop left!
This soup is one of our 2 family favorites (the Cioppino is the other). Since there is always someone doing low carb, we have had great success using Spaghetti Squash and/or Zoodles. But this soup is at least as good as our local Thai restaurant’s.
Hello, Jenn!
I tried your beef stew with carrots recipe last winter and have made several times since as it literally is that good (coming from a very picky eater I had to force to try because his moms stew was all he would try… now he won’t eat hers, though we don’t have the heart to tell her). This Thai chicken soup is 100% absolutely delicious and so incredibly easy! I made it for myself last night as I enjoy Thai flavors and I made your Chicken Marsala recipe for my boyfriend of five years (who again, doesn’t even eat chicken typically). He asked when I could make it again!
I will comment on the Chicken Marsala recipe as well because I often read comments prior to attempting a recipe.
I have found that your blog is one of few who consistently gets 5 stars and rarely does anyone suggest doing something different or adding/subtracting/substituting ingredients.
I don’t think I will even spend my time reading comments anymore, as your recipes are that good as is! What I also love is that you don’t have crazy ingredients that most of us who enjoy cooking don’t have on hand. I haven’t bought a cookbook in ages with the internet, but ordered yours today!
Thank you so much, Jenn! As a Nurse paying back student loans on a Masters Degree… I almost feel like I’ve fulfilled my second dream degree in life of being a chef!
💕
I found the basic recipe more bland than I would like. I did add 2 cloves minced garlic and sliced mushrooms and red pepper. I used light coconut milk….maybe that was part of the problem. I ended up adding more green curry paste, and then added 2 tablespoonfuls of red chili paste, which added a lot of flavor and just the kick it needed.
I think the key is ensuring that you start with a flavorful stock. I started off with a very concentrated home-made chicken stock and it was awesome.
I find if my stock is less concentrated, a couple of tablespoons of ‘better than bullion’ adds a ton of flavor.
This was so amazing! My first time making anything curry related and i was blown away by the flavors and how easy it was. I did add carrots, baby bok choy, and an extra tablespoon of green curry. This is now one of my families favorite dishes and will be making it again.
Amazing! Found your recipes about a month ago and have yet to be disappointed.