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. This is typically used for stir-fry, soups or mixed with coconut milk for curry. Red curry paste 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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Easy and amazingly delicious! My husband is a pescetarian so
We substituted to vegetable broth and shrimps/squid instead.
Will make it a million more times .. Awesome❤️
Oh I’m sure that was just as tasty!
Made this today. Yum! I added a whole package of noodles which absorbed most of the liquid, so I added more chicken broth and red curry paste. Left over the flavor is on point. So good. Even two of my little boys liked it. Don’t skip the basil and cilantro at the end. It really adds to the flavor. Will be keeping this recipe and making again. Thank you for sharing and including the nutrition info!
Thank you Michelle!
So so so good!!! I didn’t have fish sauce so I opted to use a substitute of 1 tablespoon soy sauce with anchovy paste. Tasted wonderful!!! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Great improvising!
REALLY great improving!
Delicious. Think I went overboard on the grated ginger and red curry paste but since hubby loves spicy it was a hit. Will make again but will be careful with the ginger. Maybe add some cooked prawns too.
Super easy to throw together and #damndelicious too! Thanks!
I made this recipe for the first time yesterday and OMG, it was fantastic. Thank you so much. We used to enjoy Thai food when we lived in a more populated location. Thai red curry soup was my favorite. Now we are living in the boonies and taking care of my 99-year-old mother. My challenge is to cook food that we all enjoy. My Mom eats very little but she does enjoy her vegetables. I used all the ingredients in your recipe, and added a few of my own, namely, broccoli, muchrooms, carrots, and sugar snap peas. It was simply delightful. I hadn’t used rice noodles before, but they were perfect. We still have plenty of soup to enjoy for the next couple of days. This receipe is definitely one that I will make on a regular basis.
I loved this recipe! So flavorful and delicious!! Added chili garlic sauce for extra heat and also used both chicken and shrimp! Looking forward to making again with a thin noodle!
Thanks for sharing!
I made this a few weeks ago and it was superb! I am planning on making it again tonight for dinner. It’s so quick and easy and full of flavor. I did add bean sprouts at the end because I love the crunch with the soup 🙂
Wonderful! Next time I will serve with Jasmine Rice on the side and omit rice noodles….or break up noodles so it is easier to eat.
Absolutely fabulous. Easy too. My kids love the flavor without the heavy spice.
Oh yeah forgot to mention: I skipped the fish sauce (to keep it vegan) and I used Better Than Bouillion vege bouillon paste (comes in a jar). Also I mistakenly added the whole package of vermicelli (all 8 oz) because the recipe is confusing. I recommend fixing that so it’s clearer. Thx for the recipe!
Slight alterations for a vegan version:
1 – 6.5 oz package of tofu “cutlet” (extra firm with slightly browned edges), sliced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed a bit but kept whole
3-4 slices of ginger
1 chopped green onion
Black pepper
Pinch of saffron
Extra cilantro and basil and lime juice for garnish.
Heat oil, toss in garlic cloves, ginger, green onion, and some black pepper to season the oil. When you smell it, toss in tofu and coarsest chop with spatula. Set aside and remove large garlic and ginger, leave the green onion.
When cooking the onion, garlic, red pepper part of the recipe, I recommend sautéing onion first for a minute with salt, then add garlic and a pinch more salt and let it caramelize for richer flavor. Then add red pepper.
Finally before adding tofu back in, stir in a pinch of saffron for more seafoody flavor without the actual meat.
Then garnish with extra fresh basil and cilantro, and finish with a squeeze of lime. Yum!!
This sounds delicious! Could you make this a day ahead?
Yes, this reheats very well! I would just hold off on the rice noodles until right before serving.
Thank you!
Delicious recipe! Easy to make and full of flavor. Am making this again.
Outstanding! Easy to make. This is a keeper!
This was so good I ate four bowls!! I also tried it with green curry paste, the taste is more subtle so I increased the amount of green curry paste. It was also good but the red was better. I cannot wait to make this for my husband when he gets home from a business trip. Every Asian recipe I have tried here has been as good as or better than restaurants.
Delicious. Just made this for my book club and can’t stop sampling it. There won’t be any left for them! I added a piece of lemongrass to sit in the soup while it simmered too and am adding shrimp instead of chicken when I reheat to serve up. Made noodles ahead of time and rinsed in cold water. Ready to go!
Made this last night. Followed recipe as directed and it was GREAT!!! Looking forward to trying other recipes. Thank you!
changed it up a little at the end. The broth seemed a little thin so I added another can of coconut milk. All the rest was simply reducing the red curry a little (wife hates heat) and added bruised lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves. a bit more flavor and certain a recipe worth adding to the box!
Awesomeness!!! I love the Red Curry Chicken
Soup. I enjoy prepping the ingredients, with
a glass of white wine. I love the fragrance of
the SOUP!!! I personally could make it every
week if my Husband would let me.
It is DAMN DELICIOUS, no doubt!!!