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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Rich and satisfying. Loved it!
I’ve never used rice noodles before. Can I cook them, add them to the soup, and serve it later? I like to make most of my food ahead of time. I know this recipe will be great because I love every recipe I have tried of yours. Thank you so much. It is wonderful to have recipes that you know are foolproof!!
Hi Linda, Yes, I think you could make this ahead, but I’d store the soup and the noodles separately in the fridge so that the noodles don’t soak up too much broth. Glad you like the recipes!
I made this last night, and I loved it! The next time I think I’ll make it with rice, instead of noodles, just because I’m not a fan of rice noodles. It is a delicious and easy recipe. Thank you for sharing!!
I made this for my honey last night and he slurped it down, couldn’t eat it fast enough. He kept raving about it, over and over, and was still talking about it this morning so I gave him a bowl for breakfast. We know that the way to a man’s heart is through his happy tummy. I have to agree that this was a delicious soup with lots of Thai flavors.
It was one of the best uses of a Costco rotisserie chicken ever. I even boiled the bones to make my own homemade chicken broth. I even had enough chicken for the soup as well as chicken-vegie wraps. The meal was very filling. I could not find green curry paste, even looked for it at a large international market, so I used red curry paste instead. I also added a thinly sliced Thai chili pepper for extra heat. Delicious!
I like to experiment when cooking and may try shrimp or rockfish next time. I think these flavors would also work. I would give this recipe a 10 if there were more stars. Thanks for fantastic recipes!
I’m back to report that I tried this again last night but substituted shrimp for the chicken. I had extra large shrimp that I shelled and cut into 4 pieces each. Then I poached the shrimp in the soup for 5 minutes while I cooked the rice noodles. It was delicious. My honey also had some leftover soup for breakfast today.
I also served this with your Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts which had lots of flavor and was a big hit.
Today I had some of the soup over leftover rice for my lunch.
Hi Jenn – Love all your recipes! I was only able to find red curry paste (not green). Does this make a difference and what is the difference between red and green? Is red spicier? Is there a mild curry paste to try?
Hi Alicia, Red curry paste would be fine here. And, while it varies by brand, red curry paste is generally not spicier than green; sometimes just the opposite. Hope you enjoy the soup!
This is to die for. My family are a huge Thai fans and this recipe is as good as anything we get at our favourite Thai restaurant. Thank you!!!!!
Yummy and better than carryout!
I found this soup recipe and made it today. It is AMAZING! I made it exactly as written and it is delicious. When people change this and that then rate the recipe, I don’t think that is a fair review, just my opinion. I found this to be a perfect blend of hot, sweet and spicy and will definitely be making again. Thank you 🙂
Fantastic soup! I followed the directions exactly and would not change a thing! Although, I prefer cayenne pepper to Sriracha for heat. Will definitely make this again…delicious!
My husband gobbled and slurped. Truly. It wasn’t pretty, but it is an accurate measure of how outstanding this recipe is.
LOL! Glad you and your husband enjoyed it :).