One-Pot Thai Coconut Soup Recipe

Skip the take-out, it's time to make your own version of Thai-inspired coconut soup, a comforting meal you'll crave again and again. Recipe developer Kristen Carli of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness brings us this Thai coconut soup recipe, and it's definitely an easy one to pull off in about 30 minutes, from start to finish. "Soup season is all about comforting soups, but I love soups with a bit more dimension, rather than just being one-note. This soup has some heat and some brightness that really elevates it," she explains.

This Thai coconut soup recipe makes four servings so if you're cooking it just for yourself, it's great for leftovers or meal prep for the week. Per Carli, "This will keep up to four days in the fridge." The absolute best news? All you need is one large skillet to whip up this soup. It's a one-and-done meal, so you will not have a million pots and pans to clean when you're finished cooking. Continue reading for details on executing this recipe to perfection.

The first step in any recipe is making sure you've got everything you need before you start that stove up. This Thai coconut soup recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of olive oil, half a yellow onion (diced), 1 teaspoon of crushed ginger, 8 ounces of shiitake mushrooms (sliced), 32 ounces of chicken broth (the standard carton size), two dried ancho chilis, one 15-ounce can of coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of red curry paste, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 cups of cooked shredded chicken, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of chopped cilantro.

A few notes regarding the ingredients: If you can't find dried ancho chilies, do not fret. Carli ensures us, "You could substitute one teaspoon chili powder for the two dried ancho chilis." But for the coconut milk? Go full fat from a can, or go home. "Full fat coconut milk from a can is ideal," she confirms.

When all your ingredients are prepped and ready, you can head over to the stove. The first step in this Thai coconut soup recipe is sautéing the veggies. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add the chopped onion and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until onion is translucent, which is usually about five minutes. 

Next, add the crushed ginger and the sliced shiitake mushrooms to the skillet. Cook all of these ingredients together for another five minutes, again, making sure to stir pretty frequently as it cooks.

Now you will add in the chicken broth and chilis (or chili powder) to the sautéed onion, ginger, and mushrooms. After you pour the broth in and stir everything together a bit, bring the entire concoction to a boil. Once the soup starts boiling, immediately lower the heat setting so that the soup comes to a simmer. Let the soup simmer uncovered on the stove for 15 minutes. 

Occasionally check it during this time to make sure it is in fact simmering—sometimes you can go too low and there is no action in the liquid, and other times it can be too high and it starts boiling again. You know your own stove the best.

The next step, after the soup has simmered for 15 minutes, is adding the coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, and cooked chicken. Simmer the soup, with the addition of these ingredients stirred in, for another five minutes.

Want to make this Thai coconut soup meat-free? You can use tofu, with one caveat: Carli says, "If you would like to sub tofu in, I would recommend using crispy tofu or fried tofu to add some texture. The cooking process would be the same."

The final step in this Thai coconut soup recipe is the addition of the lime juice and cilantro. The recipe calls for one teaspoon of cilantro, but you can certainly add more or less to taste. As soon as you add these final ingredients to the skillet, the soup is ready to serve and eat.

And if you'd like to add more texture (and carbs) to the soup, you've got options. Carli instructs, "You could also add in rice about 20 minutes before serving or rice noodles about five minutes before serving."