Thai Chicken Soup

With shredded chicken and chunks of sweet potato, this Thai Chicken Soup comes together easily in under an hour. It’s lightly creamy and bursting with all kinds of fresh flavors. Add a little heat or a lot – it’s all up to you!

Thai Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk

Do you know what’s better than a steaming bowl of soup on a chilly day? A hot bowl of soup that has an additional kick of heat, that’s what!

Like this easy, richly flavored Thai Chicken Soup that’s ready in under an hour. It’s a hearty soup with chicken and sweet potatoes, and bursting with all kinds of freshness. You can easily subdue (or even completely omit) the heat, if it’s just not your thing – or spice it up even more if it is! The soup gets its creaminess from delicious coconut milk – just enough to give a bit of lusciousness to the broth without feeling heavy.

What You’ll Need

This Thai soup is made with a handful of fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, chicken, coconut milk, and a few other easy ingredients. Our daughters love sweet potatoes, so I wanted to incorporate some for added nutrients and fiber – they’re delicious in this soup!

• Olive oil – Used for cooking the chicken.
• Chicken – I use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this Thai soup.
• Salt & pepper
• Sweet potatoes – A little unexpected, but I think sweet potatoes are AWESOME in this recipe!!
• Vegetables – Green onions, red bell peppers, and snow peas give heartiness, flavor, and nutrition to the soup.
• Ginger & garlic
• Chicken broth – I prefer to use low-sodium.
• Red chili paste – My (easy) secret weapon for adding flavor depth to this soup is roasted red chili paste (affiliate link). It packs a sweet heat that I find irresistible. If you’re not fond of heat, simply use less or eliminate this ingredient altogether.
• Coconut milk – Our family loves anything I make with coconut milk. It’s creamy, comforting, and so yummy! It gives this soup a lightly creamy texture and wonderful flavor. I always prefer to use regular coconut milk, but use a light variety if you like – just know that it will be less creamy.
• Lime – I include both fresh lime juice and lime zest in this recipe – you’ll love the bright pop of freshness!
• Fresh herbs – I throw in fresh herbs whenever I possibly can. And I do not hold back with this soup, with fresh cilantro, basil, AND mint!
• Fresno peppers – Add a few slices of fresh Fresno or jalapeno pepper for additional heat if desired.

How to Make Thai Chicken Soup

For such a fresh and flavorful soup, this recipe comes together quite quickly, in under an hour.

• Cook the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper – then saute in olive oil in a large Dutch oven, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.
• Cook the sweet potatoes. In the same pot, cook the sweet potato, green onions, bell pepper, and snow peas until the sweet potato is tender. Then add the garlic and ginger.
• Make the broth. Add the broth to the pot and whisk in the red chili paste. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and let simmer.
• Add the chicken. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the soup. Stir in the coconut milk and cook until heated. Add the remaining ingredients.
• Serve. Taste test and adjust salt as needed. Serve with fresh lime wedges and slices of hot pepper.

Tips & Variations

Here are some tips for the best Thai coconut chicken soup, as well as a few ways to switch it up.

• Can I use a different protein? Shrimp is the most common alternative to chicken for Thai coconut soup. Just add the uncooked (but thawed) shrimp to the soup when you’d add the cooked & shredded chicken, and cook the shrimp until pink and opaque.
• Can I make this vegetarian? Sure. Just omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. You may want to add extra sweet potatoes and other vegetables to maintain the heartiness.
• Use other vegetables. Swap sweet potatoes for regular potatoes. Use sugar snap peas instead of snow pea pods. Add carrots or mushrooms.
• Be sure to use coconut milk. Be sure you’re grabbing coconut milk – not coconut lopez or coconut creamer, they’re very different products.
• Add cooked rice or rice noodles. Cook some rice or thin rice noodles separately. Then add cooked rice or noodles to individual bowls and ladle Thai chicken soup over the top!

Serving Suggestions

Serve this Thai soup with fresh lime wedges, for squeezing over the top. We go through MANY lime wedges at our table! And if you like even a bit more heat, offer some thin slices of Fresno or jalapeno peppers. I assure you, it’s just the thing for a chilly day – or any day!

If you want to make your chicken soup even more hearty, add cooked rice or rice noodles!

How to Store & Reheat Leftovers

Leftover Thai chicken soup will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend reheating on the stovetop at a gentle simmer – not a boil – until heated through.

Thai coconut soup can be frozen, but the freshness of all the vegetables and herbs will definitely be less once it’s thawed.

More Comfort Food Recipes With Chicken:

• Chicken Cheesesteak Baked Ziti
• Mom’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
• Chicken Wild Rice Soup
• Hot Honey Chicken Wings
• Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Like this recipe? Save it to Pinterest!

Continue to Content

Thai Chicken Soup

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

With shredded chicken and chunks of sweet potato, this Thai Chicken Soup comes together easily in under an hour. It's lightly creamy and bursting with all kinds of fresh flavors. Add a little heat or a lot - it's all up to you!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 cups peeled, cubed sweet potato, 1/2" in size
• 1.25 cups chopped green onions, divided
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/4" to 1/2" in size
• 1 cup sliced snow pea pods, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth
• 3 teaspoons roasted red chili paste
• 1 can (14-ounce) coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• zest from 1 large lime
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• fresh lime wedges
• thin slices of Fresno or jalapeno pepper, optional for additional heat

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Sprinkle chicken breasts fairly generously with salt and pepper and add to the heated oil. Saute, turning over after 5 minutes. Saute another 5 minutes on the second side. Chicken is done when it is just cooked through, with juices running clear. This should take 10 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate to rest.
2. In the same pot over medium heat, add butter and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once warmed, add sweet potato, 1 cup of the green onions, red bell pepper, and snow peas. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until sweet potato is just tender, stirring every few minutes. Stir in ginger and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add broth to pot and stir to combine. Remove about 1/4 cup of the liquid to a small bowl and whisk in the roasted red chili paste; add this to the pot. Stir to combine and then bring soup to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and let soup simmer gently for 10 minutes.
4. With two forks, shred the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add shredded chicken and any accumulated chicken juices to the soup. Stir in coconut milk and cook until thoroughly heated. Add lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, basil, mint, and the remaining 1/4 cup of green onions. Taste test and add additional kosher salt if needed. Serve hot, with fresh lime wedges and slices of hot pepper.

Notes

from a farmgirl's dabbles

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Thai Kitchen Gluten Free Roasted Red Chili Paste, 4 oz
• 
  6.75 Qt Oval French Oven
• 
  OXO Large Cutting Board

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 327Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 214mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 5gSugar: 10gProtein: 31g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles!

This is a sponsored post, created in partnership with Gold’n Plump®.

At Gold’n Plump, good chicken is their mission. Raised on family farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin, Gold’n Plump chickens are cared for with fresh, filtered water and locally sourced nutritious feed. 

Connect with Gold’n Plump on their website and social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Gold’n Plump sponsored this post. I am honored to partner with them again this year to bring you delicious new chicken recipes from our kitchen and backyard grills. All opinions are 100% my own, as always. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make this site possible. This post was originally published in 2018 and then updated in 2022.