Super simple soup. Super complex flavors.
This easy, whip-it-together soup is perfect for a weeknight dinner. It’s packed full of amazing flavors and is sure to become a regular in your dinner rotation!
About this Recipe:
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really tired of Thanksgiving leftovers. There’s only so much turkey and potatoes one person can eat in a week.
Don’t get me wrong, I look forward to those traditional flavors all year round. But we’re on Day 5 of leftovers and I’m so over it right now.
But goodness gracious I still have so much turkey!!
And then a culinary factoid dawned on me: turkey can be a substitute for chicken in almost anything. So I started pondering how to use my leftover “chicken” in a way that mixed up the flavors and introduced some variety into my week.
Then swoops in my superhero: Thai Curry Soup.
Why I love this soup:
It’s so stinkin’ easy. It’s a must-do recipe any time you have leftover cooked chicken (or turkey!) hanging out in your fridge.
Andrew and I are big fans of those inexpensive rotisserie chickens from the grocery store. They’re huge time-savers because you can use the cooked chicken in just about anything. We also like to make our own chicken stock with the bones (which I’ll post about soon, I promise).
This soup is even easier when you use bags of frozen onions and peppers! I’ve always had a hard time with those particular frozen veggies because they get mushy. Fajitas, for instance, are horrible with frozen peppers and onions. But they work beautifully in soup! They cut down on most of the prep time, too. Can’t beat that.
I love all the Thai and Asian flavors in this soup. The broth a perfect balance between sweet, savory, spicy, creamy, and salty. The noodles are light and delicate. But it’s the garnishes really take it over the top – the punch of the jalapeno, the cool freshness of the cilantro and basil, the zip of the green onion, and the pop of lime. Mmmmm so good.
This soup is filling and satisfying, but light at the same time. In fact, it’s a light enough soup that you can enjoy it any time of year. Even in the summer! (Perk: because it cooks so fast, it won’t heat up your house either.)
Bonus! This soup is gluten free when you use rice noodles! Check your seasonings and broth that they are gluten free, too.
Check out the notes at the bottom of the recipe card for some tips and substitution ideas!
I hope you enjoy this Easy Thai Curry Soup! If you have questions, please comment below. As always, I would love feedback and your reviews of the recipe!
Easy Thai Curry Soup
This easy, whip-it-together soup is perfect for a weeknight dinner. It's packed full of amazing flavors and is sure to become a regular in your dinner rotation!
Ingredients
Soup:
- 1 lb Chicken, cooked and shredded (about 2 cups)
- 1 Onion (medium), diced
- 2 Bell Peppers (any color), diced
- 1 T. Sesame Oil
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 T. Ginger, minced
- 3 T. Red Curry Paste
- 6 c. Chicken Broth
- 1 can Coconut Milk (lite)
- 1 T. Fish Sauce
- 3 T. Soy Sauce
- 4 oz Rice Noodles*(half a package)
Garnish:
- Fresh Cilantro
- Fresh Basil
- Green Onion
- Lime slices
- Jalapeno, thinly sliced
Instructions
- If your chicken is not already cooked (i.e. leftover rotisserie chicken or something like that 🙂 ) dice it up into small pieces and saute it in the bottom of your large soup pot with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. While the chicken is cooking, dice up your onions and peppers. Once the chicken is cooked, set it aside on a plate for later.
- In the bottom of a large soup pot, start heating the sesame oil over medium high heat. Add the minced garlic, ginger, and red curry paste. Stir around for a minute or two, until the mixture becomes fragrant.
- Add the diced onion and pepper. Stir and allow to cook for a few minutes until soft.
- Add the broth, coconut milk, and cooked chicken. Stir and bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes.
- Add fish sauce and soy sauce. Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. (You can add more soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, or even Sriracha if you want the broth spicier.)
- Once you are satisfied with the flavor of the broth, you can add the rice noodles. The super thin kind work best (Vermicelli), because they cook right in the soup in about 2-3 minutes. *See Note Below*
- Serve this soup garnished with any (ALL!!) of the recommended garnishes above. All together, they boost this soup from good to AMAZING because they really make the Thai flavor profile pop!
Enjoy!
Notes
PROTEIN: You can easily substitute the chicken with turkey! I love to use leftover rotisserie chicken (or Thanksgiving turkey 😉 ) and just dice it up into little pieces. You can also use turkey or vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Use whatever you have on hand.
Tip: You can easily make this vegetarian by omitting the poultry and using vegetable broth.
VEGGIES: Save yourself a little time and effort by using two bags of frozen onions and peppers! Really, I can’t recommend this substitution enough. Less time, less effort, less mess, and more all-around convenience. I always have a few of these in my freezer to cut down on prep time for easy soups and slow cooker meals.
RICE NOODLES: Check the package directions to make sure you have the right kind (Vermicelli). You can use the thicker rice noodles (that look more like spaghetti) but they’ll take a lot longer to cook. If you have the thick kind, I recommend pre-cooking them in their own pot before adding to the soup. I’ve used both kinds before, and I definitely recommend the Vermicelli because they’re thin, cook fast, and I personally think their dainty texture works better in this soup.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 392Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 76mgSodium 1843mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 23g
This Nutritional information was calculated by Nutritionix.com based on the above ingredients list, and is provided as an estimation. Actual results may vary based on brands of ingredients and measurement accuracy.
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