Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
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Yes, you can have Thai takeout right at home! This soup is packed with so much flavor with bites of tender chicken, rice noodles, cilantro, basil and lime juice!
It’s been about 6 weeks since our Thailand trip.
And yes, I needed a teeny tiny break from Thai food. But let’s be real. That only lasted like 0.2345 seconds.
So I’m back on the Thai food binge for the foreseeable future, starting with this noodle soup.
Now you know I love a red curry. But I love it even more with rice noodles.
It’s so cozy, it’s so comforting, and it’s so fragrant with all the cilantro, basil and lime juice. Although I always add a little bit of extra lime juice to my bowl for that extra zesty kick!
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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My husband said this was his favorite thing I’ve ever made him! Delicious 🙂
This has become a weekly staple. My husband who is a meat snd potatoes guy LOVES this soup. Although I do have to adjust the heat level to 2TB. My chicken comes out dry and suggestions? I’ve tried to cut into chunks and tried thin slices both ways comes out dry tough.
Hi Pam! Try using boneless, skinless THIGHS instead. Or you could just poach some chopped up tenderloins in the broth as it’s reducing instead of cooking ahead. Good luck!
made this tonight just delicious! another winner! i LOVE your recipes!
Very good, but very spicy! Way too much for kids.
This is just amazing! I have made it several times and it never ceases to impress! The complex flavor of the broth is the best I have ever tasted. You can adjust the red curry paste. Although I like it as the recipe states 3 tablespoons, I have made it with 2 for those who like it a bit less spicy. Every person I have made it for has loved it!
Yum, this is so good. My kids even eat it.
I only add 2tbsp of curry paste because we don’t like too spicy. Great recipe!! Thanks
Awesome recipe I tweaked it by increasing the recipe 4 cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of vegitable broth I used fresh jalapenos and pepercinis and culantro from the garden, in place of bell peppers.
Holy CRAP this was good! I usually cook slightly less labor/time intensive things (I know, I know – this is just about as easy as it gets, but I’m a crock pot kinda gal). Next time, I am going to make a double or triple batch and freeze the rest, because it makes GREAT leftovers. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and throw it in a pot for 20 minutes. Makes this recipe even better!
Do you freeze it with the rice noodles already in it? Or add them once you thaw and reheat?
Thanks for helping me! I’m always looking for recipes I can make a lot of and freeze
I would definitely freeze the soup without the rice noodles and just add them when you reheat.
I have frozen the soup with the rice noodles and it came out just as good as the day I made it. I froze it the same day I made it though so that may be why.
I thought it was delish. We love Thai food as well but no restaurants around us. I did add shiitake mushrooms mostly because we had them. I threw few lime leaves in there and a smidge of cayenne pepper to spice it up a bit.
I saw this on Facebook one day and made it the next. I can’t get Thai delivered to my house and this was perfect to make. Healthier than a restaurant and just as good!!! HUGE HIT!
I want to make this tomorrow but I can’t stand the smell of fish sauce in my house. I eat it in Thai restaurants but would love to know a substitute for the fish sauce. Can anyone give suggestions?
Soy sauce, oyster sauce, and Worcestershire sauce are a few less smelly options, but I’m not sure about the measurements. Hope this helps!
I know what you mean, I hate it too! But because you add it at the end, and it is such a small quantity, it really doesn’t smell at all. I’d also say you could just not add it at all. It isn’t a main ingredient like it would be for basil chicken, for example. Enjoy!
Try Rice vinegar. Use a 1-to-1 ratio of soy sauce and rice vinegar for extra freshness.
Or thinned oyster sauce 1-1
Or tamari- 1-1 ratio, it contains little to no wheat, making it a suitable option for those avoiding gluten — just be sure to read the ingredient label first
Or coconut aminos-(vegan,) a 1-to-1 ratio, are soy, wheat, and gluten-free.
Sooo amazing! Full of flavor and such an easy 1-pot dish. I made mine vegetarian in my dutch oven and it was excellent.
This soup came out very good! I added some chill oil because I wanted the flavor to be be more bold and i wanted it spicy. Overall great recipe, I would make it again.
This was absolutely amazing!! I put a little bit of the chicken broth in while my chicken was cooking so that it wouldn’t be dry. That’s just about the only variation that I made.
I would like to know if this recipe could be adapted to it vegetarian diet? If so would you please send me a recipe at my email address
Oh my goodness, BEST THAI RED CURRY SOUP I have ever made. My husband said it tasted authentic and like we ordered it from a restaurant. Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!!
Love this recipe. I added another tbsp or so of the the red curry paste. I made it off of memory and by taste the third time around. Delicious!
This is such a wonderful recipe. I’m personally vegetarian (although I do make an exception for things like broth and sauce) so I sub with dried shitake and it’s still so good. I’ve made it many times and it’s never failed. If you can’t have all the greens, please still find a way to get the cilantro. It’s so good!
This is my go-to recipe! I always just add whatever veggies I have in the fridge-this recipe is so easy to adapt. If you’re interested in one more step that’s not too too difficult, but adds a ton flavor, get some lemongrass-makes the dish even more authentic tasting! I always make it my dutch oven, works great! I would advise to try to find the highest quality curry paste that you can, nice quality = more spice, and richer flavors.
I love lemongrass, I always want to use it. Do you just slice it open and let it mellow in soup?
Absolutely DELICIOUS! I did not add all the red curry paste it called for because we can’t take things hot but it is delicious with ham and not too spicy