This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
Thai Coconut Soup is full of sweet coconut, tangy lime, and tender chicken. You’ll love the bursts of sweet and savory flavor in this unique soup.
Featured with this recipe
- What is Thai Coconut Soup?
- Ingredients in this Coconut Chicken Soup Recipe
- Spices Needed for Thai Seasoning
- Entirely Optional Additions and Substitutions
- Suggestions for Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
- Storing Your Leftovers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Thai Recipes to Try
- How to Make Thai Coconut Soup
- Thai Coconut Soup Recipe
This Thai Coconut Soup really hits the spot during the autumn months. So fresh and flavorful, this chicken soup is not too heavy, not too dense, just the perfect creamy soup with the delicious combination of coconut and lime. It’s easy to make, with roasted chicken from the deli at your grocery store, rice and yummy spices that give this soup a unique flavor.
What is Thai Coconut Soup?
Thai coconut soup is also known as Tom Kha Gai, a creamy, rich, slightly sour and salty soup that has a warming spicy flavor. Some versions are simpler than others, but some Thai coconut soups can contain fish sauce, shrimp, and other delicious, interesting things.
Ingredients in this Coconut Chicken Soup Recipe
- Butter – you can sauté the carrots in olive oil or coconut oil too. Start cooking at medium heat.
- Carrot – shredded
- Thai seasoning – see below
- Chicken stock – you can substitute vegetable stock, if desired.
- Cilantro – fresh
- Unsweetened coconut milk
- Deli-roasted chicken – from the grocery store, shredded. You can also use shredded chicken breast or chicken that has been diced into one inch pieces.
- Long-grain rice – previously cooked
- Lime – juiced
- Soy sauce
- Extra cilantro – for garnish
- Lime wedges
Spices Needed for Thai Seasoning
Before making this recipe, double check to see that you have all the spices needed to give this soup that tropical taste. You probably already have these spices in your pantry, because they’re kitchen staples, which is also what makes this soup so easy to put together. Here’s what you need:
- Cinnamon (gives the soup a warm scent and flavor that can’t be beat)
- Curry Powder (I love the sweet and savory flavor of curry, which gives this dish more depth and brightness)
- Ginger (you can grate fresh ginger into this soup, or use dried ginger. It’s hot and zesty yet sweet and warm with a slightly woodsy flavor)
- Chili Powder (Here’s where you can add extra heat to the soup if you like. It’s aromatic and spicy, so good!)
- Paprika (With its sweet, bright color, it tastes a little like red bell peppers in a powder form)
Entirely Optional Additions and Substitutions
I find this simple Thai soup to be simply perfect! But, if you want to add anything to the pot, these vegetables and the like would taste delicious!
- Mushrooms add an earthy flavor and a wonderful, soft texture to the soup.
- Top with bean sprouts for extra crunch.
- Red bell pepper is sweet and a little spicy, a great addition to the flavors in the pot!
- Green onions are a little earthy with a hint of spice, perfect for garnish.
- Tofu is a great protein addition, with a fun, squishy texture!
- Red Curry paste or green curry paste gives the soup a hotter, spicier flavor. Stir in just a bit to taste.
- For more seasoning, add a teaspoon of Thai basil, which is a bit bolder and spicier than sweet basil.
- Garlic – dice a couple of cloves garlic for a more intense flavor.
- Add broccoli, asparagus, peppers, or any veggies you like.
- Turn this into Thai chicken noodle soup by switching out the rice for rice noodles, if desired.
- Dice some lemongrass into the soup of a light, fragrant aroma that tastes delicious!
Suggestions for Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
- Do yourself a favor and get a rotisserie chicken from the deli section of your grocery store. It’s deliciously seasoned and shreds up perfectly for this coconut soup.
- Invest in a really good blender. I love my Blendec blender for soups like this one, which makes it so easy to give the soup a creamy, smooth texture.
- Don’t skip the coconut milk. You can find coconut milk in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. It gives the soup a sweet cream coconut flavor that is to die for!
- Any kind of rice will work for this recipe but I especially like using long grain rice. Make sure to cook it separately and add the already cooked rice to the soup.
- Serve a big bowl of soup along side some homemade fry bread or some sweet coconut bread.
Storing Your Leftovers
This Thai coconut soup recipe will last longer than the night you make it, and your family will thank you! If want to make some for a rainy day, place it in freezer-safe containers, either zip bags or Tupperware, and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you just have enough for the refrigerator, allow your soup to cool completely and place in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, either microwave or place on the stovetop at a low simmer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tom Yum soup is much spicier, and has a clear broth, while Tom Kha uses coconut milk to stabilize and mellow the flavors, making it both sweeter and slightly heavier. Tom Yum is usually made with shrimp, while Tom Kha is more commonly made with chicken.
Yes! Non-dairy soups hold up better when freezing and have a lesser chance of separating. If you want to freeze your soup, allow it to cool completely, place it in a freezer-safe bag or container, and place in your freezer for up to 3 months.
You could replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and use tofu in your soup instead of shredded chicken or chicken thighs.
Read More:35+ Quick and Easy To Follow Dinner Ideas Your Family Will Surely Love
More Thai Recipes to Try
If you love the coconut and lime flavors of this Thai Coconut Soup, try some of our other favorite Thai recipes and serve up a huge feast for your next dinner party!
How to Make Thai Coconut Soup
Thai Coconut Soup
Equipment
- Blendtec Blender
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 carrot shredded
- thai seasoning see below
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 bunch cilantro fresh
- 15 ounce unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 1/2 pounds deli-roasted chicken from the grocery store, shredded
- 1 cup long grain rice previously cooked
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- extra cilantro for garnish optional
- lime wedges optional
Thai Seasoning:
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the butter, carrots, and thai seasoning and cook until carrots become soft.
- In a blender, add chicken broth and cilantro and pulse a few times, then pour contents of blender into the pot.
- Add the coconut milk, shredded deli roasted chicken, rice, fresh lime juice, and soy sauce. Bring to a low boil then remove from heat.
- If desired, serve topped with extra fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
Notes
- Do yourself a favor and get a rotisserie chicken from the deli section of your grocery store. It’s deliciously seasoned and shreds up perfectly for this coconut soup.
- Invest in a really good blender. I love my Blendec blender for soups like this one, which makes it so easy to give the soup a creamy, smooth texture.
- Don’t skip the coconut milk. You can find coconut milk in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. It gives the soup a sweet cream coconut flavor that is to die for!
Nutrition Information
recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
We made this for dinner tonight 🥴We had high hopes because we love curry everything, it was super bland and not very tasty.
My daughter doesn’t eat meat so I’ll make this with whitefish put into with the broth about 10 minutes before serving and use veg broth.
The soup turned out delicious.
This soup is absolute perfection. I did replace cilantro with basil and I didn’t have cinnamon on hand so I replaced that with garam masala. Worked out well!
A friend and I had this at a local wine & tapas restaurant. They were open for lunch and this was so good I ventured to ask for the recipe. The owner was only too glad to share. I have a picture of the ingredients. Her change was to not add the rice and not shred the carrots. It was so good I had to make it tonight! Glad I found your recipe
Is it supposed to be coconut cream instead of milk? I used Trader Joe’s canned coconut milk and it turned out brothy not creamy. It was still delicious!
We use the canned coconut milk, and the soup is a more brothy soup, but I think the cream would be yummy too!
I’ve been making this soup over the past few years. It’s so warm from all the spices! I absolutely love it. Planning on making it this week, so I decided to finally write a review. Changes I like to make: I like to add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and use canned chicken.
This is amazing!!!!!!! My whole family loved it!!!!!!
Huge hit with the whole family. So easy to make with a rotisserie chicken, and so much flavor. I serve it over rice rather than adding the rice to the soup so that leftovers don’t have mushy rice.
This is one of my favorite soups! I love it sooo much!