Thai Coconut Soup with Chicken
Thai Coconut Soup with Chicken
Coconuts are an excellent source of good saturated fats and helps boost your immune system. Combined with lemongrass, chiles, and ginger, give this fragrant, spicy soup with authentic Asian flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, breast or thigh, cut into 1-inch strips
- 3 stalks lemongrass, trimmed, smashed, and cut into 2-inch lengths
- 10 nickel-sized slices fresh ginger
- 2 fresh chilies, preferably Thai, seeded and minced, or hot red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps (discard the stems or reserve them for stock) or button mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Preparation
Combine the coconut milk and stock in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat a bit, add the chicken, and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the lemongrass, ginger, and chilies; simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the larger pieces of spices.
Return the chicken to the pot along with the mushrooms and heat about 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the nam pla, lime juice, and sugar.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, taste, and adjust the seasonings, adding more nam pla, lime juice, or sugar.
Garnish with the cilantro and serve.
Variation
Add additional Asian or Asian “style” vegetables like bean sprouts, snow peas, carrots.