A healthy winter soup to kick off the new year: spicy thai chicken & rice noodle soup. It’s a flavorful spin on chicken noodle soup that is still every bit warming and comforting. Full of vibrant Thai flavors to keep things fresh and exciting as we start a new decade during these cold winter months.
Happy 2020! I hope everyone had the most wonderful holiday and a couple of relaxing weeks taking it nice and slow. I definitely slowed down a bit and took the time to simply enjoy the season. Excited to be back and sharing the very first recipe of the year – a spicy thai chicken & rice noodle soup!
And it could not be more of everything we need right now…healthy, warming, packed with flavor, and extremely satisfying. After a very indulgent month or so of holiday cooking, I’m really excited to bring an entire January of “feel good” food to the blog. Recipes that get us back to feeling our best. My kind of healthy eating is vibrant, fresh, and extremely tasty. Everything in moderation with a focus on adding more good ingredients into recipes instead of taking ingredients away or restricting certain foods.
With that mindset, I feel that my cooking becomes more colorful and more delicious than ever, which is exactly the case with this Thai-inspired soup.
I crave Thai flavors this time of year (just like my thai sweet potato soup or this winter vegetable curry). Ingredients like ginger, lemongrass, curry paste, coconut milk, lime juice, and fish sauce add such bold flavor to dishes keeping even the healthiest of foods rich and hearty.
This chicken & rice noodle soup is simple to make, plus holds fairly well for heating up leftovers. I’m hoping it’s just what you need to jump back into the kitchen and start the new year with fresh cooking inspiration!
PrintSpicy Thai Chicken & Rice Noodle Soup
a satisfying, slightly spicy thai chicken & rice noodle soup with scallions and herbs
servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 large skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts
- safflower oil
- kosher salt
- ½ lb brown rice noodles
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2–4 red fresno chilis, thinly sliced (depending on your heat preference)
- 4 carrots, peeled + halved + sliced ¼”
- ½ lb mushrooms, stemmed + sliced ¼”
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp minced lemongrass
- 2 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
- 1 ½ qt chicken stock
- 4 limes, juiced
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
garnishes…
- thinly sliced scallions
- cilantro leaves
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken dry and place on a sheet pan. Coat with a drizzle of oil and season with a pinch of salt on all sides. Roast, skin-side up, for 30-35 minutes until cooked through. Let cool slightly. Remove the skin and use two forks to shred the meat. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rice noodles one minute less than the package’s instructions. Drain the noodles and run under cold water. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion, shallots, and chilis. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often, until tender and slightly caramelized. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Add the carrots and mushrooms. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass. Cook for a minute until fragrant.
- Add the red curry paste and stir well to combine. Whisk in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in the shredded chicken and cooked rice noodles to heat through. Right before serving, stir in the lime juice and fish sauce. Serve the soup hot with scallions, cilantro leaves, and a lime wedge on top for squeezing.
