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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Does the type of red curry paste matter?
YES! Absolutely. It makes the whole dish. It’s in the title.
OMG, I misread your post. I am so sorry!
I wouldn’t use a dried red curry spice. The paste is needed. The brand doesn’t matter. Just be sure it’s red curry paste. It is delicious!
Great soup! Have made as is, and other times added diced acorn or butternut squash, thick sliced mushroom, baby bok choy, etc. have used full fat and light coconut milk, have added extra curry paste, but its the tart lime that makes this a standout recipe. So comforting!
This is literally my favourite recipe! I loosely follow it to my own personal taste but it is just delicious. My favourite comfort dinner, we cook it every week alternating rice noodles and sticky rice
I made this and it is delicious!! Thank you!!
This was AMAZING! My husband said it’s better than any he’s had at a restaurant and said this needs to go into the rotation. My son and I agree. This is the best soup.
very tasty! definitely a dish that has never been presented in my parent’s house before. but not difficult at all! i used the whole 16 oz of noodles because my parents aren’t huge soup fans. i’m going to try it with rice next time. thanks for sharing this recipe! it’ll definitely be a staple!
I don’t have fish sauce. Will it taste ok without it?
I use soy sauce instead and its fine.
Absolutely delicious and super savoury. Added in some mushrooms and bean sprouts as which i felt added a lot. One of the best soups Ive had in a while.
This is so good!! I doubled the recipe for my family of 4 and it was needed! We all loved. We do theme night dinners with friends and I am making this on our next Thai night!
Delicious! I used sauteed tofu instead of chicken. I used low fat coconut milk. Loved it. Will make again and again!
Normally I am disappointed in recipes but this one worked so perfectly. All the flavors were magic! Loved every bite!
Wonderful flavors. Made homemade stock for it. Marinated the chicken a couple hours before cooking with Thai/Indian spices. Added bamboo, water chestnuts and a large spoonful of white miso paste. Husband loved it!
Amazing. Tasted just like Big Bowl Thai Red Curry
Absolutely delicious! I have made this three times now. The third time I used shrimp instead of chicken and pho broth instead of chicken broth. I can’t get enough of it either way! This also tastes really good using Campbell’s chicken broth with white wine. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!!
This turned out fantastic! I added extra veggies that I had lying around and it still tasted good.
I made this last night and WOW, it’s was absolutely delicious. It was spicy, I used Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste, Authentic Thai Curry Paste With Red Chili and that’s what made it spicy. I used 3 tablespoons of Three Crabs brand Fish Sauce but that’s because I didn’t add any other salt. I made some white rice to go with it, I will I’ll certainly make it again.
I made this for my family and they LOVED it
Not to spicy and simple to make
Absolutely perfect
Absolutely delicious and a family favorite!
I was worried this would be too spicy, but it is absolutely perfect! Tastes just like something I would get in a restaurant. My husband ate 3 servings and asked me to make it “again, and again, and again”! It was relatively cheap and very easy to make.
This is SO delicious!! One of my all time favorites….