Tom Kha Gai Recipe: A Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Have you ever tried making a tom kha gai recipe, or maybe another Thai coconut curry soup recipe? You may think soups like these should be reserved for restaurant professionals, but what if I told you making an authentic homemade Thai soup isn’t hard and it only takes about one hour tops?

Feeling under the weather or just generally run down? This Thai coconut soup is a hearty and uplifting choice that gives you another option in addition to a more traditional chicken soup recipe. This tom khai gai recipe is the most delicious and comforting blend of sweet, salty and spicy. With a warm, rich and nutrient-dense broth made from chicken stock, coconut milk and fresh lime juice, you’re going to want to make this recipe again and again.

What is Tom Kha Gai?

This tom kha soup (sometimes called tom kha kai) is a spicy hot coconut soup. It typically includes key ingredients like coconut milk, lime juice, ginger, chili peppers, lemongrass, chicken, chicken broth, cilantro and mushrooms. (1)

Tom khai gai is often made with sweetened coconut milk or even has sugar added to it, but I think you’ll agree this recipe is perfectly sweet enough without all of that extra sugar content.

It’s also common for a tom kha gai recipe to include galangal and kaffir lime leaves. These are two ingredients that can be hard to find, but you may find a red chili paste that includes both of these delicious ingredients. If not, no worries because this tom kha gai recipe is truly bursting with flavor!

Nutrition Facts

One serving of this tom kha gai recipe contains about: (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

178 calories
14 grams protein
11.7 grams fat
4.8 grams carbohydrates
1 gram fiber
3.3 grams sugar
259 milligrams sodium
688 IUs vitamin A (76 percent DV)
25 milligrams vitamin C (28 percent DV)
0.1 milligram riboflavin (7.7 percent DV)
1.3 milligrams iron (7.2 percent DV)
1.4 IUs vitamin D (7 percent DV)
8 micrograms vitamin K (6.7 percent DV)
1 milligram niacin (6.3 percent DV)
9 micrograms folate (2.3 percent DV)

Some of the healthy and delicious ingredients used in this tom kha gai recipe worthy of highlighting:

Coconut milk: A Thai coconut soup like this one always includes rich and creamy coconut milk. Choose unsweetened coconut milk, and you’ll keep the sugar content of this Thai coconut milk soup super low (only around 3 grams!).

Chicken bone broth: If you have the time, you can make my homemade chicken bone broth recipe to use in this soup.

Lemongrass: A key citrusy flavoring in Thai cuisine, this soup recipe would not be the same without the inclusion of lemongrass.

Chicken: Opt for organic free-range chicken in this tom kha gai recipe, and you’ll get the highest-quality version of this protein source.

Cilantro: Thanks to red bell pepper and cilantro, this recipe is impressively high in vitamin A.

How to Make This Tom Kha Gai Recipe

First, you’re going to really up the flavor of this soup by letting the fresh ginger and lemongrass steep in the chicken broth. Next, you’ll do some minimal chopping of a few fresh herbs and vegetables. Then everything will go into one pot, and after some cooking time, you’ll have yourself an incredible homemade tom kha gai.

Crush the lemongrass stalks.

In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine broth, lemongrass and ginger. Let it steep for 25 minutes.

Chop the fresh cilantro.

Cut the red pepper into length-wise slices.

Slice the shallot into rounds.

Remove the ginger and lemongrass bits with a strainer.

Add the chicken, shallots, peppers, mushrooms and chili paste and then bring it all to a boil.

Remove from heat and add coconut milk.

Add the fresh lime juice and cilantro.

Serve warm, topped with fresh cilantro.

This recipe feeds about 6–8, so enjoy it with the whole family or have plenty of delicious leftovers.