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!
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?
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Wonderful! I am sure if I had cilantro it would be even better! First time making Thai food and I love it!
Forgot to add that I added Fresh jalapeños! added a nice kick!
It came out amazing!!! I actually used kemp noodles instead and it was slamming!!!! This is a must do recipe!
Very easy and satisfying dish!!
This was amazing. It turned out great, just like a restaurant dish. I ended up using dry basil (2 tsp), added for the 10 minute simmer due to not using fresh. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This soup is soooo good! I was worried that it wouldn’t be as good as our local Thai restaurant but this recipe definitely delivered! I don’t leave reviews, but this was totally worth it! My first recipe from this blog but it definitely won’t be my last!
I made this for my fussy son. He liked i! This was very good. I didn’t have the red curry paste but used a small red pepper and it was still good.
I really really really wanted to love this soup. But just being honest, I thought it was on the bland side. Maybe having it sit for a day will enhance the flavors… which usually is the case with most soups. Next time… I will use chicken thighs instead of breasts for more flavor and I will also coat the chicken with curry and be a little more judicious with the salt and pepper, also possibly add garlic. I will add atleast another Tablespoon of curry paste, more garlic and chili pepper flakes to the liquid.
Question? Is that half of an 8 0z. package or does it mean half of a 16oz package?
Love this soup! I never leave reviews, but for this I had to. Credit due.
Amazing! I added mushrooms, used coconut oil instead to start, extra fish sauce, and I cooked rice noodles separately and added them to serve! Excellent recipe. I love Thai food and this is very easy to make! Thank you very much for the recipe!
I felt like it was a good started recipe. I will be playing more with it. I added another tbsp of red curry later and that helped a bit. It just felt lacking in flavor. I did add a carrot, mushrooms and as I realized it had no heat to it, I added a jalapeno pepper.
I will make again, but I will use the suggestion of another poster and reduce to 4 cups of broth and use a full jar of the red curry paste, and I may use two jalapeno peppers. I will again include a carrot and mushrooms if I have them on hand or plan for it. Oh and when reducing the broth, then will cut down on the noodles of course.
It probably depends on what curry paste you use, as well as personal taste. I know the paste I normally use, Mae Ploy, is plenty spicy.
Wish I could add a pic! Love this recipe and the base allows for such versatility. Second time making this (first posted on pinterest). This time I reduced the broth by half, added sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and bok choy, and cooked the noodles separately. Won’t use fish sauce because it’s so high in sodium: substituted with sodium reduced soy sauce.
Amazing! Even my husband ate a whole bowl and said he would have for dinner tomorrow night too! Made with tofu and no cilantro. Thank you
Amazing! Better or Just like the Thai curry at the restaurant!
Didn’t add brown sugar, chicken or noodles.
Red Boat fish sauce and ginger make this exquisite!
‘Your attitude right now is one of your superpowers. A positive attitude is a habit that is infectious and spreads good around the world.’ Mel Robbins
Very, very good . I did not add brown sugar or fish sauce…everything else and it was delicious!
Wish I could add a pic! Love this recipe and the base allows for such versatility. Second time making this (first posted on pinterest). This time I reduced the broth by half, added sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and bok choy, and cooked the noodles separately. Won’t use fish sauce because it’s so high in sodium: substituted with sodium reduced soy sauce.
Perfect, wonderful tastes! I will be making this again.
Love this recipe. I’ve made this twice, the first time as directed. The second time, I reduced the chicken stock to 4 cups, used boneless chicken thighs, and a whole can of red curry. I loved both, but prefer the second recipe with less broth and more curry. It’s spicy, which I like!
I added shrimp and mushrooms to mine and it was so good! Thanks for the recipe!
Deliciously hot, perfect for a cold day!
Delicious. We made it without chicken for a vegetarian take and it was awesome. Thanks for the recipe!
This is one of my favorite soups! The only thing I did different was that I added mushrooms and frozen spinach. It added a little extra to it and made it extra spicy. I’ve sent this recipe to all my friends. It’s truly delicious!