15-Minute Coconut Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

This nourishing Thai chicken noodle soup is our new go-to comfort food meal on a cool fall or winter evening. It’s exploding with flavour, takes less than 15 minutes to throw together, is dietitian-approved and kid-approved. You can’t go wrong!

Ever since we first tasted it, this soup has been a staple in our house. The combo of sweet and savoury in the Thai red curry paste gives this dish its amazing flavour. It has a bit of a kick, but you control the spice level by determining how much paste to use. It’s so much easier than adding individual seasoning ingredients and spices, although if I had to do that to get this flavour, hand me the list!

Why make this Thai chicken noodle soup?

It’s SO flavourful

Chicken soup is the traditional comfort food for many of us, but comforting doesn’t have to equal boring. This version is made with an aromatic curry paste, which contains ingredients like lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, red chillies, onion, tomato, Kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil, and cilantro. It’s honestly bursting with flavour. My favourite red curry paste to use is the Blue Dragon brand (by far).  Its aroma and flavour will have you sighing with delight. 

It’s incredibly convenient

I’m all for convenient foods like a good canned soup when I am short on time (or it’s grocery day and I don’t have much in the house). But this soup is ready just as fast as any canned soup is and is SO much better (see the recipe tip to make it in 15 minutes or less!), uses only one pot and I generally have the ingredients on hand as it’s such a short list. Sometimes, it’s all about quick and convenient and this soup fits the bill. 

It cuts down on food waste

We are using leftover cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken quickly grabbed at the store works too), to make it even faster and easier, and it prevents us from throwing away that chicken! We love this soup all on its own but will often add some roasted veggies if we have any in the fridge. I just throw them into the soup for a few minutes, until heated through. Broccoli, kale, celery, mushrooms and cauliflower are my favourite veggies to add.  

It’s so nourishing!

This soup is not only nourishing for our bodies, with lots of protein, fibre and vitamins and minerals, but it’s also nourishing for the soul. You can customize the veggies depending on what you like, or leave them out and serve raw veggies or a salad on the side (my kids prefer this). 

How to make this soup

You’ll simply add the oil, onion and garlic to a pan and saute 5 minutes or so. Then add the ginger, Thai red curry paste, and cooked chicken.

Stir to coat.

Now, you’ll stir in the coconut milk and broth, and bring to a boil.

Add the noodles, cook according to package directions, and serve!

How to enjoy this Quick and Easy Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

We eat this soup all year around but I have to say, it truly is the ultimate comfort soup for cool fall and chilly winter days. It especially makes the perfect, quick supper for those days when the kids have after-school activities or sports and we’re going in a thousand directions. I’ll sometimes add leftover roasted veggies, top the bowls with green onion and cilantro, or serve garlic bread alongside but we find it satisfying all on its own. It makes a great lunch and my kids are always happy to find it in their thermoses on school days.  

More Soup Recipes to Try:

• The best butternut squash soup
• 14 comforting slow cooker recipes for busy parents

15 Minute Coconut Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Sarah Remmer, RD

This nourishing Thai chicken noodle soup is our new go-to comfort food meal on a cool fall or winter evening. It’s exploding with flavour, takes less than 15 minutes to throw together, is dietitian- and kid-approved. You can’t go wrong! See my tip at the bottom of the recipe if using raw chicken.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Soup

Cuisine Asian

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/3 white onion diced (1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoons minced ginger
• 3 tablespoon Thai red curry paste my favourite is Blue Dragon
• 2 cooked chicken breasts diced (2 to 3 cups)
• 1/2 -3/4 cup full fat canned coconut milk
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 3 1/2 ounces dry vermicelli noodles
• 2 cups roasted or stir-fried veggies of choice optional
• Cilantro green onion and lime, to garnish, optional

Instructions

 

• Add the oil, onion and garlic  to a large pot or pan, and sauté over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften. 
• Add the ginger, Thai red curry paste, and the cooked chicken, and stir to coat. Cook for less than a minute, until fragrant.
• Pour in the coconut milk, chicken broth, and water. Increase the heat to high, and bring the soup to a boil.
• Add the vermicelli noodles, and cook according to the package directions (generally 1 to 3 minutes), reducing the heat, if necessary.
• Remove from heat and garnish bowls with cilantro, sliced green onion and a wedge of lime on the side, if desired. Serve immediately: Add the noodles to the bottom of a soup bowl, then spoon the chicken and broth overtop. If you have young children, you can roughly chop the noodles or cut them to a smaller length using kitchen scissors.

Notes

To use raw chicken, simply cut it into cubes and add it in with the onions to cook, increasing that cook time to 7 to 9 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and proceed with the recipe as written.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Sarah Remmer, RD

Sarah Remmer, RD, is a registered dietitian and mom of three, specializing in family and pediatric nutrition. She’s the founder of Centred Nutrition Collective and has nearly 20 years of experience helping families feel confident about feeding their kids.