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. 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.
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Do you use vermicelli or angel hair rice noodles? The thinnest ones? There are so many choices in the store
Great Recipe! Very similar to the Tom Khai Soup I have made before. I would recommend leaving out the red pepper until you add the chicken or even slightly later if you want a little more texture to it. I don’t believe it is needed for flavor when the Onion and Garlic is added so hold off to prevent soggy, red, strings.
It’s absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it so much I had to make it twice this week. Thank you for a great and easy recipe.
This is SO delicious! I followed the instructions closely, but used rotisserie chicken for ease. It has a little heat and the perfect zest from the lime juice. So good!
Looked too good*not* to try with Vegan modifications, as searching for a quick & easy batch-able sub for ramen with the satisfaction quotient intact!
Subbed out soy sauce for fish sauce. Used zucchini half-coins, bamboo shoots, sliced water chestnuts, grilled bok choy to replace chicken, and vegetable broth. If you’re not eating rice/rice products due to the arsenic, can sub angel hair pasta in this recipe, as I did and it was still Awesome. I also used all organic ingredients (Hello, Flavors!!), as much as possible. No more ramen cravings! This recipe fills the bill beautifully – as so many of these recipes do. A blessing on a cold day/eve or whenever comfort food is desired or required. Vegan-ed beautifully and made for at-the-ready healthful eatings. Goodbye unhealthy cravings!
Made it tons of times, I love it !!!
Excellent!! Simply delicious
How much is 6 cups in metric please
About 1.5 liters.
Best soup ever! Had craving for Thai chicken noodle soup and googled and found this simple but delishious soup! Did not change anything.
I know this is going to be in our rotating menu for sure!! It is cooking right now and smelling soooooo good!! How does it keep? Oh and thank you for sharing this great recipe!
Can you sub coconut milk for heavy cream?
Amazing!!!!! I live in Sitka, AK and we have lots of fish. I use Ling Cod and it’s incredible! I add 2 tbsp. Gochujang to kick up the heat and mushrooms. My family loves this recipe!!
So delicious! For less carbs and calories you can leave out the pasta and it is still such a wonderful soup. I did shrimp instead of chicken and instead of brown sugar and fish sauce I used oyster sauce for a touch of sweetness!
Can you freeze this?
Delicious! My husband often prepares Thai curry but this is our new favourite! Next time we may add a little more chili pepper for an added kick, but this was amazing just as is!
OMG, have to try this. What quantity of rice noodles do I add to soup?
Thank you
Amazingly delicious. So simple to make. Tons of flavor.
Excellent recipe – this was so good. I did a half batch and would definitely boost the aromatics and the noodles. I used Better than Boullion and no salt was necessary. You will want to prep all your ingredients before you get going – it’s a great meal in 45 mins
Wow, wow, wow! We made this last night and it is hands-down the best recipe I have made in my recent memory… and so simple! I adore that minus the chicken and fish sauce it is vegan – perfect for when friends or family who are plant-based visit. I do think I will make it with shrimp for my own family next time and add some mushrooms. I’m counting down the minutes till lunch when I get to eat the leftovers! Thank you!
I added shiitake mushrooms, lemon grass, Thai chilis, and made it with shrimp. My husband and I both loved it.