Red Thai Curry Chicken Noodle Soup


A simple yet authentic Thai Noodle Soup packed with so much flavor! Juicy chicken, vermicelli rice noodles, coconut milk and lime juice make this cozy and comforting yet refreshing and fragrant! A restaurant-style Asian soup easy enough for any weeknight!

Between my Mongolian Beef, my Thai Chicken Patty Bowls, my Asian Fried Cauliflower Rice and Thai Quinoa Salad I already have quite a lot of healthy Asian inspired dinner and lunch recipes on NEC, but this Coconut Curry Noodle Soup is the first Asian soup recipe on the blog! Just in time for the cold season, so to say.

Trust me, you will be extremely happy you stumbled across this little Thai Noodle Soup recipe here! I am talking not only restaurant-style but also restaurant-quality! If I was given this  Red Curry Thai Chicken Noodle Soup at an Asian restaurant, I would gladly pay ten bucks, and probably go back the next day or start ordering in.

It has a lovely heat from the Thai red curry paste and is wonderfully creamy thanks so coconut milk. Then the tangy bite of the fresh lime, and that umami from the fish sauce…I could stop there because I’m already starting to drool. But I won't because there are a few other things this Thai Curry Noodle Soup has going for it and that I want you to know about:

1. It’s incredibly simple to make, taking only about 10 minutes of prep time from start to finish!

2. Despite its simplicity, it has a wonderfully authentic and complex flavor.

3. It can all be made in one pot. YES! Most noodle soups require you to boil the noodles in a separate pot and prepare the other elements of the dish separately, but not this one. We are using thin vermicelli rice noodles, you can just throw them into the pot at the end and serve almost immediately.

Okay, if I’ve sufficiently sold this Thai noodle soup recipe to you so let's get on with how to make it.

How to make Red Thai Curry Chicken Noodle Soup:

Step 1 - Have all your ingredients ready.

Step 2 - Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté until just browned about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Step 3 - 6 - Stir in the curry paste, coconut milk, vegetable broth, lime juice, coconut sugar, fish sauce, and dried mushrooms.  Bring to a boil (this will take about 10 minutes) then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavors develop.

Add rice vermicelli to the soup and cook according to package instructions (mine took 2 minutes).

To serve, scoop out rice vermicelli into 4 bowls (I used kitchen tongs), ladle soup on top and garnish with lots of cilantro, chopped scallions, a few red chilli slices, and a couple of lime wedges. Serve immediately (see notes about making ahead/not serving immediately).

Tips:

• Pay attention to the cooking time mentioned on your noodles package to make sure they don’t overcook, become mushy and soak up all the liquid.
• Don’t be tempted to up the amount of rice noodles because they will soak up too much liquid.
• If you know in advance that you’ll have leftovers, I recommend cooking only the quantity of noodles you will need (7 oz/50 grams per person) to avoid mushy leftover noodles that’ll soak up most of the liquid.
• Fish sauce smells bad, I’ll give you that, but once in the soup it’s nice and it just adds depth of flavor. It’s an important component, don’t skip it!
• For a low carb option, use zucchini noodles instead of rice vermicelli (and skip the sugar)
• For a meatless version, use tofu instead of chicken.

5 from 7 votes

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Thai Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

A simple yet authentic Thai Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup packed with so much flavor! Juicy chicken, vermicelli rice noodles, coconut milk and lime juice make this cozy and comforting yet refreshing and fragrant! A restaurant-style Asian soup easy enough for any weeknight!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Thai

Keyword noodle soup with chicken, Thai noodle soup, thai red curry soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 605 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or your favorite cooking oil
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
• 3 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
• 1 large chicken breast cut into thin strips (you can also use 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
• 1 14- oz can coconut milk full fat is preferred for the best texture
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ½ tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• ½ cup dried mushrooms
• 30 oz / 200 grams thin rice vermicelli 7 oz / 50 grams per person

Toppings

• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• ½ cup chopped scallions
• 1 red chilli sliced
• 1 lime cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté until just browned, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, vegetable broth, lime juice, coconut sugar, fish sauce and dried mushrooms.  Bring to a boil (this will take about 10 minutes) then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavors develop.

3. Add rice vermicelli to the soup and cook according to package instructions (mine took 2 minutes).

4. To serve, scoop out rice vermicelli into 4 bowls (I used kitchen tongs), ladle soup on top and garnish with lots of cilantro, chopped scallions, a few red chilli slices, and a couple of lime wedges. Serve immediately (see notes about making ahead/not serving immediately).

Recipe Notes

• Pay attention to the cooking time mentioned on your noodles package to make sure they don’t overcook, become mushy and soak up all the liquid.
• Don’t be tempted to up the amount of rice noodles because they will soak up too much liquid.
• If you know in advance that you’ll have leftovers, I recommend cooking only the quantity of noodles you will need (7 oz/50 grams per person) to avoid mushy leftover noodles that’ll soak up most of the liquid.
• Fish sauce smells bad, I’ll give you that, but once in the soup it’s nice and it just adds depth of flavor. It’s an important component, don’t skip it!
• For a low carb option, use zucchini noodles instead of rice vermicelli (and skip the sugar)
• For a meatless version, use tofu instead of chicken.

Nutrition Facts

Thai Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 605 Calories from Fat 306

% Daily Value*

Fat 34g52%

Saturated Fat 27g169%

Cholesterol 64mg21%

Sodium 2643mg115%

Potassium 876mg25%

Carbohydrates 197g66%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 33g66%

Vitamin A 2930IU59%

Vitamin C 30mg36%

Calcium 92mg9%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Red Thai Curry Noodle Soup recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy Asian recipes you will love:

• Asian Slaw with Peanut Ginger Dressing
• Ground Turkey Rice Bowls 
• Glazed Chicken Meatballs 
• Asian Turkey Fried Rice