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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Did you make this recipe?
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I made this not as a soup but as an entrée. I work as a cook at our local American Legion post and made this my special. I reduced the amount of chicken broth and added enough liquid to make it saucy. It was a hit. Sold out! Thank you for this recipe.
I made this recipe last night. My husband and I loved it. He had 2 bowls. I will make it again for sure.
Made this tonight for dinner. Was very good and easy. I improvised the dish and added Bella mushrooms with bean sprouts for garnish. Definitely a hit with my wife and I.
Loved this soup! I used shrimp instead of chicken, 1/2 a kaffir lime leaf, and added a bit of mint and some thin slices of hot peppers as well. Turned out amazing! My favourite soup!
This soup was AMAZING! Already sent it to two friends telling them they have to make it. Used lite coconut milk but otherwise followed exactly. So so damn good!
I just made this tonight and it was amazing! We have a house full of teenagers so I did 1.5 of the recipe. Everyone loved it and wanted seconds. I followed the recipe exactly except omitted the sugar because two people in the house gave up sugar for Lent, lol. I also used rotisserie chicken breast from Costco, and next time I’ll add that closer to the end because it got a little dry. Thank you for this delicious recipe! It’s going in the rotation for sure!
I absolutely loved this soup; I did add more noodles. Great recipe.
I absolutely love this recipe. It’s my go to when I want Thai. I follow it to the T except I use shrimp instead of chicken. I have served this to guests many times and they always rave about it!
Husband was in the mood for red curry. I added a teaspoon of salt to the pot and some Sriracha to each bowl. Used dark chicken instead of white. Husband and I loved it!
Delicious
My wife and I absolutely love this soup. It has become our go to soup when we’re feeling down or blah. Works better than any chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had. This gets made almost every single week in our house. There is just something about this soup that just, warms your soul.
Delicious and easy to add a variety of vegetable – mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, celery – whatever you have. I have made with chicken and tofu, and both were fabulous.
Damn delicious indeed! Made this last night as a huge storm was rolling in and it was just what we needed to warm up! So satisfying! Can’t wait to make it again. Thank you for sharing!
So Delicious !! simple ingredients and easy to make !
Really so Damn Delicious! Not too Spicey But soo flavorful!! Thank you! Followed recipe exactly and added carrots and Baby corn Bc/ I had them : ).
This is DELISH. Followed the recipe exactly, but used stir fry rice noodles instead of the vermicelli because that’s what we prefer. Will be making again!
Excellent recipe! Used about 1 lb of fresh ramen noodles that our grocery store sells in the refrigerator section and it was the perfect ratio. Will definitely be making again, thanks so much!
Love this recipe! Made the following changes/additions:
-I like thick soups so instead of olive oil I used 4 tbsp of butter. Cook veggies then added 1/4 cup of flour to make a roux. Cook for a few then added liquids
-used 2 cans coconut milk instead of one (we LOVE coconut everything in my house!)
-used 1.5 large onions and two large red peppers (we also love vegetables)
-7 tablespoons of red curry
-6 tsp brown sugar
-added 2- 3 tablespoons red chili paste to give it some heat
-we don’t do fish so I left the fish sauce out
-added about a tablespoon of garlic powder
-added 1 tsp onion powder
-added two chicken bouillon cubes and left out the salt completely
-poured over a hot bed of rice with all the listed garnishes.
WOW!! Sooo good!!!
Spicy!!! Not sure if there are different red curry pastes but apparently by the recipe, this is too spicy for me and my kids. Adding more coconut milk to see if that helps. But would have been helpful to know not to add so much if we need mild spice!
This was so delish! Read directions wrong and added full box of noodles so it was more of a noodle dish than a soup but still great! Added only 4 cups broths, extra curry paste, serrano pepper, double ginger and some chili crunch oil- we like it with some heat! Had a bunch of extra fresh herbs to add add while eating and lots of lime! Used unsweetened light coconut milk and turned out good if wanting it to be lighter than full fat. Will definitely be making again and cant wait to try new additions each time!
This sounds amazing! Just wondering a. If I can use something other than coconut / does it taste like coconut? I’m not a huge fan of coconut 🙁
No- it does not taste like coconut! No one in my family likes coconut (besides me) and they love curries with coconut milk.