Description
Tom Kha Gai is a flavorful Thai coconut chicken soup that balances sour, spicy, sweet, savory, and salty flavors perfectly. Ready in 30 minutes, this comforting dish features tender chicken thighs simmered with mushrooms, lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaves, Thai chilies, and creamy coconut milk, finished with fresh lime juice and cilantro for a vibrant taste.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Marinade
- 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken thighs (or boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
Soup Base
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms (such as oyster, shiitake, cremini or button mushrooms, torn into pieces or thinly sliced)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 stalk lemongrass (bottom half only, tough outer layers removed and scored in half lengthwise—keep it in one piece)
- 8 slices galangal
- 3 fresh or dried makrut lime leaves (or zest of 1 lime)
- 1-2 Thai chilies (cut in half; optional, omit for milder soup)
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste (optional)
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or light brown sugar)
- 14 ounces coconut milk (1 can)
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro (or scallions, roughly chopped)
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken: Combine the sliced chicken with cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of neutral oil, and 2 teaspoons of fish sauce. Set aside to marinate while preparing the soup base.
- Cook Mushrooms: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and fry for about 5 minutes until tender.
- Prepare Soup Base: Add chicken stock, lemongrass stalk, galangal slices, makrut lime leaves or lime zest, Thai chilies, Thai red curry paste (if using), and palm sugar to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 6 minutes to infuse flavors.
- Add Coconut Milk and Chicken: Stir in the coconut milk and gently bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, taking care not to let it boil to prevent the coconut milk from splitting. Add the marinated chicken, bring back to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 8 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Finish and Serve: Turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, lime juice, and chopped cilantro (or scallions if preferred). Adjust seasoning with salt if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve alone or with steamed jasmine rice.
Notes
- For a milder soup, omit the Thai chilies.
- You can substitute chicken thighs with chicken breast if preferred for leaner meat.
- If fresh galangal or makrut lime leaves are unavailable, use lime zest and ginger as alternatives.
- Be careful not to bring the soup to a rolling boil after adding coconut milk to prevent it from curdling.
- Serve with steamed jasmine rice for a complete meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 387 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 388 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.02 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 81 mg
