Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

This delicious Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup is warm, filling, and intensely flavorful, with a little bit of heat.

I’m so in love with this Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup, and you will be too! I’d eat this any time of the year, not only in the colder months. It’s a giant hug and will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s slightly spicy with a flavorful broth, packed with shredded chicken and bok choy.

For this recipe, I use bone-in, skin-on chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks) and breasts. They’re cooked in the broth, which also adds to the flavor of the soup. Can you use a rotisserie chicken instead? You sure can! Shred the amount of chicken required in the recipe, and use some of the rotisserie chicken bones to cook the broth. If you don’t use the bones while cooking the broth, I cannot guarantee it will taste as good.

I use two types of curry here for maximum flavor in this chicken noodle soup. Curry powder and Thai red curry paste. If you don’t want to use the Thai red curry paste, you can add more Curry powder (the same amount as the Thai red curry paste you’re leaving out).

Make Ahead of Time:

The rice noodles can be cooked ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They should be kept separately from the rest of the chicken noodle soup.

The soup, with the chicken and bok choy, can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days as well.

Only garnish when ready to serve.

Ingredient Notes:

• Thin Rice Noodles – Vermicelli noodles. Not the thicker ones used for pad thai or pad see ew. You can find them at most grocery stores but also order them here.
• Curry Powder – I really love this brand, but you can also find curry powder at most grocery stores.
• Thai Red Curry Paste – You should be able to find red curry paste at most grocery stores, but you can also buy it here.
• Chicken – Instead of buying raw chicken, feel free to use shredded rotisserie chicken. However, cooking the raw chicken in the broth will add to the broth’s flavor, making the final soup more flavorful.
• Baby Bok Choy – You can substitute napa cabbage or white cabbage here instead, if you prefer.
• Fresno Pepper – I use this as a garnish and for a little spice. You can use any thin hot pepper you’d like or can find. But you can also leave it off completely and not use it at all.
• Cilantro – If you don’t want to use cilantro as garnish, you can leave it off completely or use fresh mint.
• Sesame Seeds – I like to buy them raw and toast them myself in a pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes. But you can always buy them toasted; just not as good in my opinion! However, you can also leave them off.
• Lime Wedges – I really love a squeeze of lime juice in the soup right before serving.

Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Thai

Servings 2.5 quarts

Equipment

• 1 Medium Pot
• 1 Large Bowl
• Strainer

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3.5 oz. package thin rice noodles
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1 inch piece ginger peeled and minced
• 3 scallions thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 ½ cups coconut milk
• Kosher salt
• 1 bone-in skin-on chicken leg
• 1 bone-in skin-on chicken breast
• 2 baby boy choy thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 fresno pepper thinly sliced into rounds
• Cilantro leaves to garnish, as needed
• Toasted sesame seeds to garnish, as needed
• 2 Lime wedges

Instructions

 

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil (alternatively, use an electric water kettle). Place the rice noodles in a heat-proof bowl and cover with the boiling water. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, until softened, then drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside until ready to use.
• In a medium pot (large pot if doubling the recipe), heat avocado oil over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and light greens. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute, until slightly softened. Add the curry powder and curry paste and cook, stirring continuously, for 30 seconds.
• Add chicken stock, coconut milk, and 2 teaspoons Kosher salt (double this amount if doubling the recipe) and stir. Then add the chicken pieces and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low, cooking until the chicken is cooked through, and easily shreds with a fork, 30-35 minutes.
• Remove chicken from the pot and transfer to a plate. Raise the heat to medium and continue cooking the broth. Meanwhile, discard the chicken skins and bones. Using two forks or your hands, shred the chicken into small pieces.
• Add bok choy and shredded chicken to the soup. Cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes, until bok choy is tender and broth has thickened slightly. Remove from heat, taste, and season with Kosher salt, as needed.
• Divide the rice noodles into bowls and pour the soup on top. Garnish with scallion greens, thinly sliced pepper, cilantro leaves, and toasted sesame seeds. Add a lime wedge to squeeze into the soup, if desired.

Notes

If not eating immediately, soup and noodles can be stored separately. Garnish the soup only when ready to eat. Reheat the soup in a pot over the stove or in the microwave until hot. 

Keyword flavorful, healthy, warm

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