Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
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So much better than takeout! Packed with bites of tender chicken, rice noodles, cilantro, basil and lime juice!
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reasons to make thai red curry noodle soup
- Restaurant-quality made right at home for half the cost (and even tastier IMO)
- Fragrant, flavorful, cold weather comfort food, full of bold Thai flavors
- No-fuss one pot dinner which means less dishes, less clean up
- Great clean-out-the-fridge meal, adding in any lingering veggies that needs to be used up
- Quick and easy for busy weeknights but also fancy enough for company
what is red curry paste and where can i find it
Commonly used in Thai dishes, red curry paste is made from a blend of red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, Thai ginger and various spices.
Red curry paste is typically used for stir-fry, soups or mixed with coconut milk for curry. It is readily available in most grocery store chains, particularly the Thai Kitchen brand, and online, with some brands containing shellfish (shrimp paste).
tips and tricks for success
- Use your favorite protein. This recipe will work well with chicken thighs, chicken breasts, shrimp or tofu.
- Use full fat coconut milk. Although lite coconut milk can certainly be used, full fat coconut milk will yield a much more rich and creamy broth.
- Fish sauce is a hero. Fish sauce is a key ingredient here, balancing out the flavors, and adding saltiness and umami without overpowering it. A little bit goes a long way.
- Mix it up. Swap the red curry paste for green, add in more veggies (cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms or bok choy) or use your favorite noodles (vermicelli, udon or soba noodles).
- Divide and conquer. When storing leftovers, separate the noodles and broth. This will help the noodles retain its texture.
what to serve with thai red curry noodle soup
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Shrimp or tofu are both great options.
We personally love Mae Ploy (contains shrimp paste). Thai Kitchen is also great with mild heat, and more readily available at most grocery stores.
Fish sauce has a strong, pungent “fishy” smell but when cooked, it brings in savory, salty, umami goodness.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days, separating the rice noodles from the broth.
We do not recommend freezing this as coconut milk tends to separate when frozen.
Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
- 4 ounces rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- Add garlic, bell pepper and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in red curry paste and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken broth and coconut milk, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in chicken. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in rice noodles, fish sauce and brown sugar until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat; stir in green onions, cilantro, basil and lime juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
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Is the fish sauce completely necessary? Idk why but the idea of fish sauce always has grossed me out
I skipped it bc my husband doesn’t like it and it was great
Kat, In lieu of fish sauce, Worcestershire Sauce or Soy Sauce. Most of us have either one of those on hand. Bear in mind you will not taste the fish sauce if that’s the reason you want a substitute.
I suggest you think of fish sauce as “salt”. It really adds that umami flavor. My favorite brand is Red Boat – excellent quality. Chef’s sneak in fish sauce for that special something you can’t put your finger on. It’s kind of like putting a bit of anchovy paste into spaghetti sauce – you can’t taste the anchovy but it deepens the flavor of the sauce.
This is fantastic!
Very rich and flavorful! However to appease my inner tastebuds and palate, I made a few tweaks. Instead of chicken I used shrimp lightly seasoned with garlic powder and blackening season. After frying them in olive oil, I followed the recipe with a few additions: sliced mushrooms cooked with the onion, garlic, and red pepper, shaved carrots added to the broth and coconut milk mixture, and fresh spinach added to the soup while simmering. I also used 3/4 kosher salt for seasoning. I believe this is one of my favorites!
Been hooked on this recipe since the first time I made it. Added some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat but totally not necessary. Makes a large portion as well so there are lots of leftovers for those cold days where you need a bowl of comfort food.
This is now in our regular rotation! So so good! I sometimes add extra veg and or do it without meat depending on what I have available.
One of the best soups/dinners I’ve ever made. Outstanding. Thank you
Is there anything that can be used instead of coconut milk? I want to try but I am allergic to coconut.
I wonder if you could try regular whipping cream just for the experience of trying it ..?
Great substitutes for coconut milk include Greek yogurt, heavy cream, sour cream, cashew cream, milk, powdered milk, soy milk, almond milk, or some of the following substitutes.
Absolutely delicious and fresh and comforting!
Very good. I also added 2 tsp of garlic chili paste and shitaki mushrooms. Added a little shredded cabbage to each bowl for for some crunch.
Best Thai soup ever, so good it’s fabulous. Try it you’ll be hooked.
This is an incredible recipe! As a thai food lover, this is absolutely full of flavor and is a great mix of pho and curry! I add an extra can of coconut milk so it’s slightly thicker and have even tried it with salmon and tofu and it is delicious with both. 5 STARS!!
This was unreal. I did not expect it to have the level of flavour that it did! Just finished writing out the recipe into my hardcopy recipe book, only my favourites go there, the rest only get internet tabs. 🙂 I added carrots, mushrooms and zucchini and left out the chicken for a vegan soup. Thanks so much for the recipe!
So delicious and perfectly balanced. I used shrimp instead of chicken (what was on hand). Don’t be afraid of the red chili paste. At first I thought 1 Tblsp. would be enough but after tasting, I added the 2nd Tblsp. and it was just right. Will keep this one for future. Other than the usual pre-chopping, very quick to put together.
I’ve made this multiple times since I found the recipe and can’t emphasize how flipping good it is.
If I can find Thai basil, I prefer that, but standard sweet basil is delicious too. I’ve shared the link with friends and everyone loves it.
We loved this recipe! My husband and Indian son-in-law raved about it! So many flavors and textures and every bite is a new delight. I had a bottle of Thai red curry paste for a long time in the pantry and never got around to using it. I am so glad I saw this recipe and decided to go for it! This is going into our regular rotation. My husband even suggested it is something we could have when company comes over. Thanks for getting me out of my culinary rut! 😉
Delicious. And easy. We’ll for sure be making this again!!
By far one of the best things I have ever made! Incredible flavors and this is better than restaurant taste!
One of my favorite soups! I always double the recipe so we can have it a few days. Perfect the way it is written!
Subbed tofu for chicken, and the soup was incredible! Don’t be afraid to use a lot of liquid, because the noodles soak up more than you’d expect. If you want ample broth, use all the recipe calls for. Next time I’m adding crushed peanuts as garnish. Thanks for the amazing, easy recipe!
I use Blue Dragon Red Curry paste. Half jar if kids are eating full jar if it’s just for my husband and I. I don’t think that is what the original poster was using but that is all I can find near me and it tastes amazing.