Thai red curry soup is one of my absolute favorite soups for so many reasons: a richly flavored broth with a hint of spice, chewy noodles, chicken plus tons of herbs. I recently retested and updated this red curry soup recipe, swapping the zucchini noodles in my original version for rice noodles now that I am not following a restrictive diet. What hasn’t changed is the broth: it’s spicy, creamy, salty and fresh all at once, and if I could drink it with a straw, I would. It all comes together in one pot in 25 minutes, and since it starts with shredded cooked chicken, it’s an easy way to use up a rotisserie chicken or leftovers on a busy weeknight. Unlike most of the Thai red curry soups you’ll find, there’s no bell pepper or pile of vegetables to chop, just onion, garlic and plenty of fresh ginger, so the curry paste, coconut milk and fresh herbs do all the heavy lifting.
Key Ingredients You Will Need
- Red curry paste: I’ll be honest, Thai recipes are some of the hardest for me to write, because every brand of red and green curry paste tastes different. Some are much spicier, while others are milder or just have less flavor, so it’s hard to confidently tell you exactly how much to use. I tested this soup with Thai Kitchen, since it’s one of the most common brands, and the 1/4 cup in the recipe card is based on that. If you’re using a different brand, I recommend starting with less in case it’s on the spicier side, then tasting the broth and adding more as you like. It’s easy to make a soup spicier, but much harder to tone it down once the heat is in there. If you have leftover curry paste in the fridge, use it up in my Thai Butternut Squash Soup, which only needs a tablespoon, or my Thai Red Curry Chicken Meatballs.
- Rice noodles: I use Blue Dragon rice noodles and cook them right in the broth for just 2 minutes so they’re still chewy when the soup hits the table, but feel free to use any type of rice noodle you prefer, just reduce or increase the cooking time depending on their thickness.
- Honey: The original recipe contained honey because it’s SCD compliant, and it continues to be the sweetener I prefer to use when possible. I find that it dissolves straight into the broth with no granules to stir out, plus it rounds out the heat from the curry paste and the saltiness of the fish sauce without making the soup taste sweet.
How To Make Red Curry Soup
1. Bloom the curry paste: Once the onion is soft, give the curry paste a full 2 minutes in the pot with the aromatics. It darkens to a deep brick red and starts to look a little oily, which is what you want, since cooking it like this takes away the raw edge and wakes up the spices. If some sticks to the bottom of the pot, that’s fine, just keep it moving so it doesn’t burn.
2. Add the broth and coconut milk: Don’t worry if the coconut milk goes in thick and lumpy like this; it melts into the broth as it heats. As you pour in the broth, scrape up any curry paste stuck to the bottom of the pot, because that’s where a lot of the flavor is.
3. Add the chicken and noodles: Wait until the broth is at a full boil before adding the noodles, then pull the pot off the heat while they still have some chew. Rice noodles keep softening in the hot broth, so if they’re perfectly tender in the pot, they’ll be soft by the time you sit down to eat.
4. Stir in the herbs: Add the cilantro, scallions and Thai basil right at the end so they stay bright green and fresh. Thai basil wilts quickly in the hot broth and gives the whole pot a sweet, almost licorice-like aroma.
Tips For Making the Best Red Curry Soup
- Don’t rush the broth. Taste it before the chicken and noodles go in. This is the best time to adjust it with a little more lime juice, fish sauce or curry paste, because once the noodles are in, you’ll want to serve it right away.
- Keep the chili as a garnish. I add the sliced Thai chili on top rather than cooking it into the soup, so everyone can add as much (or as little) heat as they like.
- Add the curry paste gradually. No two brands of curry paste are quite the same, and a spoonful of one can pack far more heat than the same amount of another. If you’re using anything other than Thai Kitchen, go in with a smaller amount, taste the broth once it’s simmering, then stir in more until the heat is just right for you.
Ways To Customize This Red Curry Soup
Protein: Prawns work in place of the chicken, or use mushrooms with vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.
Raw chicken: If you don’t have precooked chicken on hand, add boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts to the broth and let them simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until they reach 165°F in the thickest part. Then lift them out, shred them with two forks and return the chicken to the pot before adding the noodles.
Vegan: Use mushrooms and vegetable broth, and swap the fish sauce for coconut aminos or soy sauce.
Gluten Free: This soup is easy to keep gluten free, since rice noodles are naturally gluten free and Thai Kitchen red curry paste is labeled gluten free. Just check the label on your fish sauce, as some brands add wheat, or use one that’s labeled gluten free, like Red Boat.
Zucchini noodles: My original version used 2 spiralized zucchini (about 5 cups) instead of rice noodles. Cook them in the broth for just 1 minute so they don’t turn mushy.
How To Store & Reheat Red Curry Soup
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Make Ahead: If you’re making this soup in advance and planning to let it sit before eating, I recommend cooking the noodles separately, adding them to a bowl and topping them with the soup. This keeps them from soaking up too much of the broth and turning mushy.
Reheating: Warm the soup gently in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, and add a splash of broth if it’s thickened in the fridge. The microwave works too, just heat it in short bursts and stir in between.
If you make this Thai Red Curry Soup, let me know in the comments section below. I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite) on Instagram. I love seeing your photos!
Thai Red Curry Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp ginger finely diced
- ¼ cup Thai red curry paste
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 can coconut milk (400ml)
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- 5 oz rice noodles
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- ¼ cup scallions chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsp Thai basil
- 1 red Thai chili thinly sliced, for garnish
- Lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the diced onion, garlic and ginger and sauté for 5 minutes until the onion has softened.
- Add the curry paste, stir and let cook for 2 minutes before stirring in the broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and honey.
- Bring to a boil, add the shredded chicken and rice noodles and cook for 2 minutes, until the noodles are tender but still chewy.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro, scallions and Thai basil. Divide between bowls and garnish with additional fresh herbs, lime wedges and thinly sliced chilies before serving.
Notes
- Curry paste: This recipe was tested with Thai Kitchen red curry paste. If you’re using a different brand, start with less and add more to taste, as some brands are much spicier.
- Chicken: The total time assumes cooked chicken, like rotisserie or leftovers. If you’re cooking chicken from scratch, allow extra time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
This is the best soup I’ve ever had! Everyone loved it and asked for seconds. The flavor was outstanding and the balance of spices was just perfect. Cooking the chicken breast the day before makes it so easy to put this together in a flash. My sons liked it so much they’ll be waiting at regularly for their families as well.
Thanks for a really great recipe!
Delicious and came together so fast! I will definitely be adding this one to the rotation!
This recipe was delicious
Oh my gosh! Made this after a busy, cold and dreary day and it was so good! Came together so quick ! Love, love, love!
So Amazing! I used Thai rice noodles. Perfect comfort. Just what i needed.
This soup was amazing but next time I have to cut down the spice a little. This went over really well at my house. Thank you
Absolutely delicious. Next time I make I’m going to mix 1/2 can of sweetened coconut milk with 1/2 can unsweetened.
I used unsweetened this time and really enjoyed the soup, however, I think if it had just a little of sweetness would be putting the cherry on the whip cream so to speak.