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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Unbelievably delicious! My husband said to throw out any/all other similar recipes and told me I could make this every week! I’ve shared the recipe with lots of friends!
AMAZING RECIPE! I could and probably will eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Amazing! So easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Where has this recipe been all my life?! Thai food is my #1 favorite ethnic food, I made this tonight during our little tropical storm Nicole and it’s a huge hit with my daughters and wife! I made a double batch so the leftovers should be even better…going to get peanuts and Thai chilis for topping. Thank You!
Hi Jenn, can’t wait to make this! I poached chicken last night in preparation for it. I’d love to add some veggies to this soup, any suggestions? Thanks :).
Hi Elizabeth, some options that come to mind — spinach, sliced bell peppers, and/or sliced carrots. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I loved this recipe! I made it for a workplace cooking contest and won! Don’t be afraid of the fish sauce, it really does add depth and authenticity.
Hi Jen,
I love this recipe and have made it many times. I wonder if it can be made ahead and frozen?
Thanks,
Agnes
Hi Agnes, so glad you like this! I don’t think the soup as a whole would freeze very well but you can definitely freeze the broth.
Hi Jen (and Agnes),
I double this recipe and freeze it in individual containers to heat up for lunch. It freezes great! I just pop it in the microwave when I want to reheat it. I figure that if I am going to make it, I may as well double it (since it only makes 4 servings) to have leftovers! Enjoy!
We had a soup/chili cook off today at work! I made this but used rice instead of the rice noodles and just put it all together to make it pot-luck friendly. It won first place! Everyone wanted the recipe for the Yummy Thai soup! I shared the link to add to the office recipe book! I should have doubled the recipe- there wasn’t a drop left!
Like everything I’ve made from your website, this was splendid. It tasted like a really good Thai restaurant tom kha gai soup, but turned into a full meal! I added some baby corn, and added 1/2 tsp salt since my chicken broth was completely unsalted.
This has become our new favorite soup! My husband requests it all the time–he loves how healthy it is–I usually make it without meat, but with ginger, turmeric root, homemade chicken stock, green curry paste, coconut milk, and he could have it every night really!
Delicious and will make regularly! Did not find it too sweet – the sugar smoothes and accentuates the other flavors. Although rotisserie chicken is easier and probably tastier I had a raw 1 lb. chicken breast to use up so used that instead. Simmered it with the other ingredients until it was done per thermometer, then shredded it. Didn’t seem like too much chicken for the soup so I guess the amount is flexible. Love your recipes!