Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Coconut Soup)

Tom Kha gai is a very well known Thai soup made by using chicken, coconut milk, herbs fish sauce, and lime juice. It is a creamy light soup that is not only delicious but also full of fresh herbs that will keep you healthy all winter long. 

What does Tom Kha Gai mean?

Tom  =  boil, Kha = Galangal, Gai = chicken. So basically Tom Kha Gai is a chicken soup using galangal root made by boiling all the ingredients together in large sauce pan or dutch oven. It’s super fast and easy to make.

What is the difference between Tom Kha and Tom Yum soup?

When I think about making Tom Kha Gai soup, it’s hard not to think about Tom Yum soup as well. The two kind of go hand-in-hand because of the similar ingredients used in both. There’s just a couple of minor differences between the two soups. The addition of coconut milk to Tom Kha soup is the primary distinction, although you can also make Tom Yum Soup with coconut milk. I’ll share that recipe in the near future. Tom Yum is also more spicy from the addition of the Thai chili paste (also known as Tom Yum paste). You can make my easy Tom Yum soup here. 

Is Tom Kha soup healthy? 

Tom Kha soup is very healthy. It is gluten and dairy free, and it is very low in carbs. The coconut milk typically used in this soup has extra calories, but coconut milk is not bad for you since it’s fruit and it has a lot of the good fats that our bodies need. Tom Kha is a bit more mild and sweet than the Tom Yum soup, making it especially good for those who can’t quite handle the spiciness of other Thai recipes yet. It’s also a good soup for when you are feeling under the weather as the soup is full of nutritious herbs that have medicinal healing properties to help aid in your recovery. 

How do you cook Tom Kha Gai?

Tom Kha Gai is very easy to make. All you have to do is grab the below ingredients, prepare them for cooking and basically just add them all in quick easy steps to a soup pot until you get the tasty flavors desired. Pictured are the ingredients you will need for this creamy delicious Thai soup. 

You will need these ingredients to make my Tom Kha Gai recipe. (Aso listed in the picture below)

• Chicken stock
• Chicken
• Coconut milk
• Galagal
• Lemongrass
• Kaffir lime leaves
• Cilantro
• Fish sauce
• Lime juice 
• Fresh Thai chilis (optional)

Instructions on how to make Tom Kha Gai soup (with step by step photos below)

1. In a large sauce pan or dutch oven on medium high heat, add stock, galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a boil. (You are essentially making a quick stock here for the soup base.)  
2. Add chicken, mushroom and fish sauce. Lower heat to medium high. Cook until the chicken is done (anywhere from 8-10 minutes, depending on your stove top).
3. Add the entire can of coconut milk (I used Aroy-D for this recipe). Stir together and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the cilantro, stir in together and cook for a minute or so and turn the heat off.
5. Turn the heat off and remove the sauce pan from the stove top. Add lime juice and stir in one last time.
6. Let cool for a few short minutes and portion out in soup bowls for serving. Garnish with cilantro.

And that is it folks! Simple, easy, healthy, creamy, light and super delicious! 

Tom Kha Gai is a good Thai soup to use to introduce your palate to Thai flavors. The creamy base of the coconut milk has a mild and sweet flavor that makes it a good soup to cozy up with on cold winter days. Let’s go take a little adventure trip to the Asian markets to grab ingredients to make this divine recipe! 

Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Coconut Soup)

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Suwanee
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 5 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Tom Kha gai is a very well known Thai soup made by using chicken, coconut milk, herbs fish sauce, and lime juice. It is a creamy light soup that is not only delicious but also full of fresh herbs that will keep you healthy all winter long. 

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

4 cups chicken stock

5 slices galangal, around 1.5 inch wide and slightly larger than the thickness of a quarter (coin)

3 lemongrass stalks; use only the rounded light green part at the bottom (See note in recipe card)

5 kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn

1 lb chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups of thinly sliced mushrooms (i.e. button, shitake)

4 ½ Tbsp fish sauce

1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk

3 Tbsp lime juice

¼ cup cilantro, stems and leafy parts chopped

2 Fresh Thai chili pepper (Optional)

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Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan or dutch oven on medium high heat, add stock, galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to a boil. (You are essentially making a quick stock here for the soup base.)  
2. Add chicken, mushroom and fish sauce. Lower heat to medium high. Cook until the chicken is done (anywhere from 8-10 minutes, depending on your stove top).
3. Add the entire can of coconut milk (I used Aroy-D for this recipe). Stir together and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the cilantro, stir in together and cook for a minute or so and turn the heat off.
5. Turn the heat off and remove the sauce pan from the stove top. Add lime juice and stir in one last time.
6. Let cool for a few short minutes and portion out in soup bowls for serving. Garnish with cilantro.

And that is it folks! Simple, easy, healthy, creamy, light and super delicious! 

Notes

*Lemongrass-use only the rounded bottom part of the lemongrass for cooking. Cut the stalk around 3-5 inches long and make sure to bruise them with a heavy kitchen tool to help release the flavor and fragrant even  more. 

• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 20
• Category: Easy
• Method: Boiling
• Cuisine: Thai

Keywords: Thai coconut soup. thai chicken coconut soup. tom kha gai. Thai coconut chicken soup. easy thai soup