This Thai chicken noodle soup recipe with coconut milk, peanut butter and pineapple is incredibly delicious. And incredibly fast to make!
Thai chicken noodle soup is made for a gray dreary day.
Just the color of this soup should help you imagine the color of the sun. At least I hope it does! Thai flavors always call to me. Perhaps it's that Thai food uses what I like to call warm weather ingredients.
What makes Thai chicken noodle soup so unique?
Other than coconut milk which seems to be in every Thai chicken soup, it appears the rest is up to you.
As long as you've met the Thai prerequisite flavors of salty, spicy, sweet and sour, your Thai soup will shine!
I love incorporating peanut butter, pineapple juice and fish sauce into this soup to create a luscious, complex flavor.
Ingredients such as coconut and pineapple make up the sweet part of a Thai dish.
Salty is left to the fish sauce.
Spicy is derived from chiles or Sriracha and sour in this case comes from the lime juice. Yes, these are four major components of Thai cooking.
If you've never tried a Thai recipe, this is a great one to start with.
Easy and sophisticated at the same time, this soup will have you wishing you made more.
Just make sure if you add noodles that you cook them separately or they will soak up a lot of the soup.
And if you have leftovers make sure you keep the noodles in a separate container. If left in the soup, they will become soggy.
Another favorite Thai soup of mine is Tom Kha soup. It is made with coconut milk also, but with shrimp added it's a bit lighter than this one. You should try this one also!
(Below is an old post from January, 2015.)
The gray, dreary, totally sad excuse for days, has left me feeling in a bit of a funk. The need to rise out of bed is minimal except to meet the needs of the soft, little, shaggy creature, clawing at my bed.
She wears a red, size 3T shirt, that says, "I love my mom." If that doesn't get you out of bed, what would?
Colorado is beginning to remind me a lot of growing up in Illinois, where the days were a constant gray, from November until April-or so it seemed.
I was so ready to escape, but I must admit to missing those wide open, flat places, that makes it seem like the horizon never ends.
Days like this require fortitude. They require something that at least makes you think sunshine is just over the horizon.
Somewhere. "It must be somewhere," she screams! Days like this require contemplative thought, which is why I'm finally starting meditation.
I don't care what you call it, but I hope to find a new happy place and I can't think of a better place to start than within me.
Between this and my friend Reebok elliptical, I've got some new things on my plate. So far I've been a good friend to Reebok and all she has given me is sore legs, shortness of breath and lots of sweat.
They say good friendships take a long time to develop, so I am hanging on to see the results. Be nice to me Reebok or I know a good truck to send you away on!
Days like this require simple food. Days like this require soothing food.
But if you know my food by now, you must realize that flavor is my middle name.
I love food that sings to me; food that makes me guess all of its components while happily munching away.
Yellow was missing from my life, (maybe it is because Zoe has left), but the sweet beauty of Thai chicken soup was calling my name. Yeah.
Today, this was how I cooked.
Please Pin and Share:
A few more to try:
White Bean, Bacon and Kale Soup
Cincinnati Chili
Pasta Chicken Gratin
Chili Lover's Meatloaf
Chicken Soup Chicken
Recipe
Thai Chicken Soup
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
Thai chicken soup with coconut milk, peanut butter and pineapple is incredibly delicious. And incredibly fast to make!
Ingredients
- 1 T oil
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced in thin strips which is best accomplished when the meat is partially frozen)
- ½ t turmeric
- ¼ t cayenne pepper
- Pinch red chili flakes
- ½ can unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 ¼ c chicken stock
- Juice of ½ a lime
- 2 t lemon grass paste (I use the lemon grass that comes in a tube in the produce section.)
- 1-2 t fish sauce
-
3 T pineapple juice and reserve the chunks
- 2 T crunchy peanut butter
- 1 c thin dried egg noodles or rice noodles (cooked according to package directions)
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 3 T cilantro, chopped
- ½ t sriracha
- Garnishes:
- Fried onions (out of the container or in freezer section at an oriental grocery)
- Chopped peanuts
- Chopped Cilantro
- Sliced Jalapenos (seeds in = spicy!)
Instructions
Heat oil in a large-ish pot. Add garlic cloves and saute until light golden.
Add the chicken, turmeric, pepper, and red chili flakes to pot. Stir fry for a few minutes until chicken is almost cooked.
Add coconut milk, chicken stock, lime juice, lemon grass paste, fish sauce, and pineapple juice. Whisk in peanut butter.
Simmer for a few minutes. Soup can be made until this point.
To continue-Bring soup back to simmering. Add the cooked al dente egg noodles.
Before serving, stir in scallions and cilantro. Add sriracha to taste at table. More fish sauce can also be added if you like a saltier flavor.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with fried onions, cilantro, chopped peanuts, jalapenos, and small chunks of pineapple.
I'd love to hear if you make this recipe!
Please share a review or rate the recipe,
and be sure to tag me on social!
Liz says
Mmmmmm.....I'd forgotten about this recipe, but looking out at the snow on our lawn, it would definitely hit the spot!
sherry says
what an interesting idea to add peanut butter to this delicious looking soup. i love all the flavours and highlights in a thai dish.
sherry says
what an interesting idea to add peanut butter to this delicious looking soup. i love all the flavours and highlights in a thai dish.
Jeff the Chef says
How fantastic! I've never had chicken soup with coconut milk.
sippitysup says
The noodles make me think of Khah Soi (spelling??). My fav Northern Thai soup. GREG
shannon weber says
This is exactly, i mean EXACTLY, what i need to make this weekend. We're in a perpetual state of grey here as well, with a few peeks of sun here and there, but not nearly enough to feel good about it, and this soup would make me super happy. Love the flavors going on here, Abbe!
Jodee Weiland says
This looks so delicious...what great flavors! I love Thai, so I have to try this one...thanks for sharing!
Abbe Odenwalder says
It does smell good, I admit! Thanks to you Robin, too!
Sue/the view from great island says
That top shot literally looks like the beautiful sun --- love this recipe!!
SavoringTime in the Kitchen says
I am either in need of some light therapy or soup therapy myself. It's so hard to get outside to get exercise and I miss having the sun on me. I think this soup would do the trick - it sounds delicious, Abbe.
Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself says
This soup does look like sunshine in a bowl, I can imagine why this would be so delicious 😀
Very comforting too!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Juliana says
Oh Abbe...you are torturing me with this noodle soup...I can only imagine how delicious this soup is...tangy, spicy...yum!
Stay warm...and the picture of the doggie is so cute!
Biz says
Other than tumeric, I have all the ingredients to make this! Although I think the tumeric is necessary for the color of the soup, no? Love it!
dentistvschef says
Damn delicious!!!
lovin this thai noodle soup for rainy days lately here in Palembang....
Bam's Kitchen says
Your Thai chicken noodle soup would brighten any day! I know how you feel about the lack of sunshine. I used to live in Michigan so I know I don't have to say anything more. Even lately here in HK between the rain and the pollution the sun has been hiding. However, today for the first time she is back out again. Thank goodness as food photography without natural sunlight is so difficult.
Anna and Liz Recipes says
We are soup-a-holics! And this soup has been bookmarked! Delish ! Cant wait to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing Abbe.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Thanks so much Anna and Liz. Try it and enjoy!
Cheri Savory Spoon says
Absolutely love this soup Abbe, Thai is my favorite.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Oh Cheri, I hope it is giving you some comfort. Take care.
Liz Berg says
Indiana is right up there with Illinois with being gray and dreary. I'm certain a puppy on my lap and a bowl of your fabulous Thai soup would help my mood!
Abbe Odenwalder says
I am so ready for a puppy. Hopefully there is one on the horizon for you and me both! Thanks Liz!
Angie Schneider says
o Abbe, I am desperate in need of one large bowl right now. It looks soul-satisfying and delicious.
Abbe Odenwalder says
That it is Angie, and thanks!
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You says
Abbe: I pinned this soup to one of my boards because I want to try this recipe at home. Thai cuisine is one of my favorite cuisines! My husband and family are fans as well. As I fell in love with its image, I am sure that it will be love at the first bite.
Your dog is so cute! It made me smile.
Abbe Odenwalder says
I hope you love it Denise! I love Vietnamese and Thai because they are always so fresh! Always happy to make someone smile!
Kitchen Riffs says
Boy, it's been kinda gray here, too. Bummer. Which means I've been thinking a lot about soup lately -- always comforts one, doesn't it? I'm actually planning to make some sort of chicken soup this week (with leftover chicken), so I may play with your recipe. Or I may do something entirely different -- I'll see how the spirit moves me when I start to cook dinner. 😉 Good stuff -- thanks.
Abbe Odenwalder says
John, I'm never worried how the spirit moves you! It always comes out great!
Seyma Bennett Shabbir says
I make something similar, a Burmese dish called Khow Suey. My whole family loves it! Typically Thai cuisine makes a variation with thai red curry which is too spicy for my kids so I make the Burmese recipe. I will have to try this version and see how it compares.
Abbe Odenwalder says
I do love the Thai red curry and I think it would be fine to stir right in and then get rod of some of the other spices. This one is not overly spicy at all. Thanks Seyma!
Karen @Baking In A Tornado says
This soup looks so good, I love all the flavors. When it's this cold out I serve soup for dinner at least once a week. Going to have to put Lemon Grass Paste onto my shopping list!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Lemon grass paste is really great to have on hand. Unless I go to an Asian market, I can never find it fresh. Love the paste because it gives a lot of zing to anything! Thanks Karen!
Karen Harris says
Oh my gosh, this sounds delicious. Your post and the latest one I just published sounds like we are in the same place. . . kind of sick of winter. This soup would surely cheer me up. Yum!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Today sure helped. It has been really gray a lot this year! Thanks Karen!