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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First, don’t make this in a standard skillet. It doesn’t fit so well. Oops. But this is a great recipe. I did add an extra tablespoon of red curry paste, a tablespoon of Curry powder, and half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to give this a bit more flavor. I added an extra teaspoon of brown sugar too, but I didn’t pack my first tablespoon so that may be why I thought it was still needed. As is, it would be good for folks who think restaurant Thai food is too spicy. I also added a cup of frozen green beans when I re-added the chicken to up the veggies. You could easily do brocolli too. For me, the rice noodles to much longer than the recipe called for, like a total of 12 minutes. But perhaps that depends on the noodles you select so just be aware of that. Overall, this is an awesome base recipe for any kind of curry dish you like. Next time we are thinking about cutting back on the chicken broth a bit and just putting it over rice. Thank you for sharing!
Someone has stolen your recipe and it is on Pinterest. I have reported it, but then I found your real post and thought you might want to know. I’m sure it happens all the time but it’s not fair to the person who originated the recipe. Thank you, I plan to use your version!
This was great. Loved it and so did all my Aussie friends .Thankyou sooooo much.
My new favorite!
I made this today for lunch for me and my husband. Very tasty and easy to make. Full of flavor! Will make again!
My husband said this was the best thing I’ve ever made. It was sooooo foooood!
Made this today – SO GOOD! Followed the recipe, except instead of chicken, I dropped some shrimp in….because we’re having a lazy day 🙂 Loved by all, including the 2-year old. Thank you!
SO good!! Whole fam loved it (including 3 yr old) hubby added crushed hot peppers to his to add spice. So much flavor! This will def become a go to recipe in our home!
Very good! I added green beans, carrots, and slices of jalapenos! Also added in cumin! YUM! Thank you for this delicious recipe!
I’ve never made anything like this so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. It was good and flavorful! My husband and 2 out of 3 kids enjoyed it, so I would say that’s a win. It was nice to have something different. Next time I’ll add more red curry paste.
Okay, so I went to the grocery store and FORGOT TO BUY SCALLIONS!! Will that drastically affect the finished product? Can I double the white onion instead?
Okay so I got the scallions and made this today. It was SOOOO GOOD! I added some mushrooms, because I had them and needed to use them on something. I will definitely make this again!
the green onions are mainly just a garnish and add in a little flavour but should certainly not make or break the dish
Really tasty and the family loved it. This recipe is a good one. I also added a few prawns at the end for the husband and everyone wanted more. Don’t be tempted to add more noodles, the recipe has the right combination. I might also throw in some green beans or snow peas next time or some extra veg. Great recipe overall and very tasty.
I made this tonight and it was amazing. Thank you thank you for this recipe!
Omg, this was insane. Noone spoke and we just kept saying wow this is really good. I’m saving this recipe for sure.
I haven’t t made this yet but it looks yummy. Is it really spicy? Thanks!
We didn’t find this spicy at all. I eat a lot of Thai food though. We added a whole other tablespoon of curry paste and curry powder and cayenne to get it to a restaurant level 1 spicy. Some of the spiciness will depend on your curry paste.
This was amazing
Hello! I’m really excited to try this dish. But I have what what might be a stupid question…do I use regular basil, the kind often used in Italian food? Or Thai basil?
I used regular basil, but it doesn’t give quite the same flavor and I think it is more mild. It tasted great though. The Thai Basil will give more of that licorice like taste that some people really don’t like. The regular basil is a safer flavor.
Just AMAZING
I don’t usually leave reviews but this soup was INCREDIBLE. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Pretty damn delicious! Made it last night, and the hubs loved it.
Amazing soup. I added the noodles at the very end also. Does any one know if the soup can be frozen (without the noodles)and used later on?