Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
So much better than takeout! Packed with bites of tender chicken, rice noodles, cilantro, basil and lime juice!
Featured Comment
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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Can you make part of this ahead of time and then finish off? Thinking cook through step 4 earlier in the day, refrigerate and then start with step 5 to fix for dinner?
This was SO good and very quick and easy to make. I tasted before it was done and it seemed a bit hotter than I would like, but after it was through cooking, it was perfect! A keeper for sure!
Can I use shrimp instead of chicken?
I’ve made your green enchiladas and they were a hot!!i can’t wait to try this! Any chance I’m missing the nutritional facts list on your page? I can’t seem to find it. I count macros and it would make cooking/eating your meals so much easier to have them.
So yummy!
What size Dutch oven issued for this recipe?
This was incredible! We like extra heat so we added a couple of Serrano peppers, followed everything else to a T! So delicious and flavorful, thank you!
I added a little zing to it by adding red chili flakes. My son said it was the best thing I have ever made.
It was fast to make and super easy. Thank you!
Greatest soup ever!! Left noodles out. It was seriously so delicious
Good taste look , today hope to try at home
Mian Aslam 497
Loved this. Easy enough to make. Just prep first so you don’t burn your onions because you still chopping and shredding. The soup was great and authentic tasting. Will definitely make again and shared with my family for them to make as well
My girlfriends. Are raving wanting this recipe! Sharing the love!
Oh my gosh, this was fabulous! I’m a canner, so I used the canned chicken and homemade chicken broth I had on hand ( made it extra easy!) also added a shake of red pepper flakes to take it up a notch. I also added extra veggies as others advised, carrots, water chestnuts, mushrooms etc, I will add even more next time. Once you get the chopping done to comes together fairly quickly. I’ll be making this on a regular basis.
Holy Moly this is our new favorite soup! I followed the recipe but added match stick carrots. My hubs loves it and I may be obsessed with it!
Great and versatile recipe ! I’m vegan so i went for vegan “chicken” and it worked like a dream. It’s also very easy to add veggies in depending on the season. thank you !
This was great and easy to make! Thanks!
Incredible! Made this amazing delicious recipe last night/whole family loved it— was all gone by the end of dinner. I had to use culantro because I was out of cilantro and it still tasted incredibly delicious-also I opted to add two finely chopped carrots. So healthy and delicious I will be keeping this in our rotation
I just made this the other night and it came out amazing! And I love how quick it was to make! I added mushrooms to mine as well and it was devoured. I will definitely be making again.
Delicious !! I substituted the cilantro and the green onions with fresh chives .
This was the best Thai food I’ve ever made. My partner said that her favorite Curry soup is from the Shanghai airport and this beat it!! I made the recipe exactly, except I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and added crushed peanuts to the top. 11/10 will make again soon!
I went to a Thai restaurant and had their soup then I found this recipe. I made it and it was much better than theirs. Love this soup and make it all the time. I make it with rotisserie chicken.
My husband and I slurped down two bowls and drank the broth. Amazing.