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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Delicious
Oh my this is good! I kept getting compliments from my family throughout the meal. Followed the recipe as presented except for the basil, and that’s only because I forgot to put it on my shopping list. Though some people noted the spiciness of the soup, the brand of curry paste I used (Thai Kitchen) gave the soup just a hint of warmth, but I would not call it spicy. I really enjoyed the slight tang of the lime juice in the broth. The only thing I will do differently next time is add more noodles. Thanks for a great recipe.
I added grated carrots and used whole box of rice noodles to thicken and it was delicious!
Use to make Red Curry Chicken all the time. Never tried making it with noodles before but after doing so I found a new favorite way of making it. We ate the entire pot, only thing I did to the recipe was I used Thai Basil from my garden since the recipe did not state what type of basil to use and I found regular sweet basil may not be the correct type. It was absolutely delicious and it will be added to my permanent recipe collection!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! The only thing I changed was that I added shredded chicken instead. Also added jalapeño slices to garnish.
Fantastic recipe!! Fans of Asian cuisine will adore this one! Tasty! Thank you for this recipe!! Made it twice in a week
Heaven❣️ The only thing I would change is to skip the lime juice at the end. And this time, since I had no chicken, I added cauliflower for a vegetarian meal.
This soup is great! I usually add mushrooms and will occasionally swap the chicken for shrimp and add it at the very end.
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.