A delicious Thai chicken soup, with rice and mushrooms, all in a lightly creamy Thai flavoured red curry broth. A deliciously different chicken and rice soup!

Wicked Thai chicken soup in serving bowl.

This wicked Thai soup is chock full of flavour, with the wonderful Thai flavours of red curry paste, fish sauce, lemongrass and coconut milk.

Customize this Thai chicken soup recipe to your own taste preferences, making it as wicked (or not) as you like!

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Ingredients and substitutions

A few notes about the key ingredients …

Chicken – I generally use boneless chicken breasts, though boneless skinless chicken thighs are fine here, too. If you happen to have left-over cooked chicken, you can certainly use that and skip the step of cooking the chicken ahead and simply add it to the soup when returning the mushrooms to the pan. Finally, you can make this soup easily by using shredded rotisserie chicken.

Lemongrass Paste – look for this in a tube, generally in the produce section. You can also use lemongrass stalks, if you have easy access to them. While the flavour is a lovely addition, you can omit.

Half and Half Cream – this is 10% b.f. cream. You can substitute milk, but your soup will be less creamy. For a non-dairy soup, replace the cream with more coconut milk.

Coconut Milk – I like to use regular coconut milk for the creaminess and thickness, but lite will work here as well. A small can is perfect, but if you need to open a large can, be sure to stir well before measuring. The remaining coconut milk can be frozen for another use.

Thai Red Curry Paste – I prefer red curry paste in this soup. If you only have green or yellow, you can use, though the flavour profile will be a bit different.

Sambal Oelek – this is the spicy Asian Chili sauce that is largely responsible for the “Wicked” part of this soup. It packs a punch, so use to taste or omit if you don’t want any heat. Asian Chili Garlic Sauce is a good substitute or even Sriracha.

Rice – any cooked rice is fine here, but I find classic long-grain rice tends to work best. Basmati or Jasmine should also work well.

How to make wicked Thai chicken soup

This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making the recipe.

Cooking mushrooms in the soup pot.
1
Cooked mushrooms removed to a bowl.
2
Cooking chicken in the soup pot.
3
  1. Start the soup by browning the mushrooms in the soup pot.
  2. When cooked, remove the mushrooms to a bowl.
  3. In the same pot, cook the chicken. Remove the chicken the to bowl with the mushrooms.
Cooking the peppers and onion in the soup pot.
4
Returning the chicken and mushrooms to the soup pot.
5
Adding the chicken broth to the soup pot.
6
  1. In the same pot, soften the bell pepper and onion.
  2. Return the mushrooms and cooked chicken to the soup pot.
  3. Add the chicken broth to the soup.
Adding the coconut milk and cream to the soup pot.
7
Adding the tomato paste mixture to the soup pot.
8
Finished wicked Thai soup in the soup pot.
9
  1. Add the coconut milk and cream to the soup, cover and let simmer briefly.
  2. Add the tomato paste mixture to the soup and stir well to combine. Simmer briefly to thicken the soup.
  3. Finish the soup with lime juice and fresh cilantro.

Recipe video

Recipe tips!

  • One important note about this soup! You don’t want to combine the soup with the rice until right before you will be eating it. The rice in the soup soaks up the soup broth like nobody’s business :) If you expect to eat the entire pot of soup right away, you can certainly add the cooked rice directly to the soup pot. If you hope or plan for leftovers, you’re best to add the cooked rice to the soup bowl and ladle the soup over-top.
  • Adding the rice to the bowl and spooning the soup over the top also means you can add as much or as little rice to the soup as you like!
  • You can make this soup as wicked or as not as you like. Simply increase the Sambal Oelek for a spicier soup.
  • Store the remaining soup and cooked rice separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and combine as needed to serve.
Wicked Thai chicken soup in serving bowl.

Variations

Change it Up! Use Asian rice noodles instead of rice. Simply soak or cook any Asian rice noodle and add some to the bowl before spooning over the hot soup.

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Wicked Thai chicken soup in serving bowl.

Get the Recipe: Wicked Thai Chicken Soup

A delicious Thai chicken and rice soup, with mushrooms and a lightly creamy Thai curry broth. A bit of spice brings the wicked to this soup.
4.98 stars from 38 ratings
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons cooking oil, such as vegetable or canola oil, DIVIDED
  • 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, cored and seeded then sliced into thin 2-inch strips
  • 8 oz sliced mushrooms, white or cremini recommended
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 6 oz chicken breast, diced or cut into bite-sized pieces *see Note 1 below
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon lemongrass paste, or 1-2 stalks lemongrass, optional
  • 1 cup half and half (10%) cream, or use 1 cup more coconut milk instead
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 small can or if using a large can stir coconut milk first, then measure out
  • 2 teaspoons red curry paste
  • 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek chili paste, or Asian Garlic Chili Paste/Sriracha
  • 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

To finish soup:

  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cups cooked rice, long grain white, basmati or brown rice or try a mix of long grain with wild rice for some added texture

For garnish:

  • Additional fresh cilantro, parsley or basil, chopped
  • Lime wedges, for drizzling

Instructions
 

  • Make this soup as Wicked (or not), as you like! If you love bold flavours, go ahead and add more of the lemongrass, curry paste and Sambal etc., to your taste preference.
    If you don't want any heat, simply omit the Sambal altogether. Don't forget to taste and add salt at the end of cooking, as needed, to really bring out all the great flavours.
  • Start the rice cooking. For 2 cups of cooked rice, you should start with 2/3 cup raw rice cooked with 1 1/3 cups of water. *You can cook the rice ahead and refrigerate or you can use left-over cooked rice.
  • Start the soup by heating a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil to the pot. When hot, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring regularly, until golden and tender. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl. In the same pot, add another 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil and heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until no longer pink. Remove the chicken to the bowl with the mushrooms. Add a splash more oil, if needed. Add the onion and red pepper, and cook, stirring, just until softened. Return the mushrooms and chicken to the pot. Add the chicken broth and heat through. Add the fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce and lemongrass paste (if using) and simmer 5 minutes. Add the cream and coconut milk, reduce the heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer the soup for about 2 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the curry paste, Sambal Oelek, tomato paste and cornstarch and mix until incorporated. Stir into the soup until well combined. Simmer the soup, stirring regularly until the soup thickens slightly and has a velvety appearance. Finish the soup with the lime juice and chopped cilantro. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper, as needed. 
  • Tip! If you plan to eat the entire pot of soup right away, you can add the cooked rice directly to the soup pot. If you hope or plan for leftovers, keep the soup and rice separate. Spoon some hot cooked rice into the serving bowls then ladle the hot soup over the top. Store the leftover soup and cooked rice separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, combining them only when reheating and eating immediately.
  • To serve, spoon some hot rice into a bowl, then spoon hot soup over the top. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, parsley or basil leaves and lime wedges to add a drizzle of fresh lime juice to the soup.
  • Store any leftover rice and soup separately, as the rice will soak up all the soup broth if stored together. 

Notes

Note 1: You could also use boneless chicken thighs. Alternately, you can use cooked chicken, either leftover or rotisserie chicken and skip cooking the chicken.
If making the soup ahead, don’t add the rice until you re-warm the soup for serving, as it will begin to absorb the broth and thicken the soup. 
Change up this soup by using cooked rice noodles instead of rice.
Be sure to read the information above this Recipe Card, for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Soup
Author: Jennifer Maloney
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 265kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 277mg, Potassium: 565mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 847IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 68mg, Iron: 1mg
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