Thai-style coconut chicken soup
A creamy, lime-bright coconut broth with tender chicken and mushrooms, cozy and fresh at the same time.
- 35 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $4.14 a serving
- 680 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 shallots
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1½ lb boneless chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 cans coconut milk, 13.5 oz cans, shaken
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 limes
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Each serving has about 680 calories, 41 g protein, 20 g carbs and 51 g fat, and costs about $4.14 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No baby bella mushrooms? White mushrooms work.
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
- No coconut milk? Light coconut milk works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the shallots, ginger and mushrooms, the garlic, and cut the chicken into thin bite-size pieces.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Dolly’s tip: Cut the chicken last, then wash the board and knife with hot soapy water.Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the shallots, garlic and ginger, and cook for 2 minutes, , .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min
Pour in the broth and coconut milk and over medium-high heat.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium-high heat
Dolly’s tip: Keep it at a gentle bubble. A hard boil can make coconut milk split and look grainy.Add the mushrooms and chicken, turn the heat to medium, and for 8 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is white all the way through.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 9 min
Food safety: Chicken is done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Turn off the heat and in the fish sauce, brown sugar and the juice of 1 lime.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Taste a spoonful: it should be salty, sour, a little sweet and rich all at once. Add more lime, fish sauce or sugar until it is.
Dolly’s tip: Fix whichever of the four tastes quietest, a little at a time, and taste again. That’s seasoning.Ladle into bowls and top with the cilantro, green onions and pepper flakes, with the second lime cut into wedges.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
