Thai · Lunch · Dinner
Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Coconut Soup)
ต้มข่าไก่
A fragrant, gently tangy Thai soup of tender chicken and mushrooms simmered in a light coconut broth perfumed with galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves. Bright lime juice and fresh chilli finish each bowl.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 24% · Fat 31% · Protein 45%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 450 g (about 2 medium breasts)chicken breast, skinless, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups (about 350 ml)light coconut milk
- 3 cups720 glow-sodium chicken broth
- 5 cm piece40 ggalangal, thinly sliced
- 2 stalks60 glemongrass stalks
- 6 leaveskaffir lime leaves
- 1 medium40 gshallot, sliced
- 3 cups200 goyster or straw mushrooms, torn or halved
- 1 cup150 gcherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 small6 gThai bird's eye chillies, bruised
- 2 tbsp36 gfish sauce
- 3 tbsp45 gfresh lime juice
- 1 tspbrown or palm sugar
- 1/4 cupfresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
Steps
- 1
Trim the lemongrass, bash the stalks with the back of a knife and cut into 5 cm lengths.
- 2
Tear the kaffir lime leaves, removing the tough centre vein.
- 3
Pour the chicken broth into a large pot and add the galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves and shallot.
- 4
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the broth.
- 5
Stir in the light coconut milk and bring back to a gentle simmer; avoid a hard boil so it stays smooth.
- 6
Add the sliced chicken and simmer for 5–6 minutes until cooked through to 74 °C / 165 °F with no pink inside.
- 7
Add the mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and bruised chillies and simmer for 3–4 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
- 8
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.
- 9
Taste and adjust with a little more lime or fish sauce for a balanced sour-salty flavour.
- 10
Ladle into bowls, scatter over the coriander leaves and serve; the galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves are for flavour and are not eaten.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Swap the chicken breast for boneless chicken thighs for juicier meat, simmering a minute or two longer until cooked through.
- For a vegetarian version, use cubed firm tofu instead of chicken, vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and a vegan fish sauce or soy sauce instead of fish sauce.
- If you can't find galangal, use the same amount of fresh ginger, though the flavour will be warmer and less citrusy.
- For a richer soup, use full-fat coconut milk in place of light coconut milk.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a covered container and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating gently until steaming hot without a hard boil so the coconut milk stays smooth. Freezing is not recommended, as the coconut broth can separate and the mushrooms turn soft.
Make ahead
Infuse the broth with galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves and shallot up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Slice the chicken and prep the mushrooms and tomatoes up to a day ahead, then finish the soup just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: FishCelery
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (527 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 281 kcal | 53 kcal |
| Protein | 32.5 g | 6.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17.5 g | 3.3 g |
| of which sugars | 4.3 g | 0.8 g |
| Fiber | 2.3 g | 0.4 g |
| Fat | 9.8 g | 1.9 g |
| of which saturated | 5.8 g | 1.1 g |
| Sodium | 832 mg | 158 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
