Thai-Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup
This one pot Thai-inspired chicken noodle soup is a vibrant take on the classic Winter comfort food. But with it all made in one pot, a rich broth from start to finish in under 45 minutes, and packed full of vegetables, it’ll be a great help to start out the new year in style.
Happy New Year, friends! I know I’m not alone in wanting to eat a little lighter after all of the holiday festivities, and this soup does the trick. You can play around with the noodle-to-carrot ratio (or completely omit the noodles for a paleo-friendly version) for your ideal soup.
And you guys, this broth. It’s so rich and silky and flavorful. And EASY. You just dump in your ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes, and it’s ready for the quick cooking ingredients. Which only take about 5 minutes to cook. So from start to finish it really is less than 45 minutes. And you get this:
It’s as good as it looks. And it fights the Winter blues and sniffles like a champ.
- 6 cups water
- 8 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, and sliced thin
- 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (preferably free range and organic)
- 1 one inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of a knife
- 2 scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces
- unrefined sea salt
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 3~5 Thai chilis, sliced thinly (optional)
- 2 red or orange bell peppers, core and pith removed and sliced thinly
- 4 large carrots, scrubbed clean
- 4 ounces thin rice noodles**
- 2~3 limes
- fresh cilantro
- In a large pot, bring water, shiitake, chicken, ginger, garlic, scallions, and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Once boiling, drop the heat to a gentle simmer and let simmer for 20~30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool slightly. Remove the ginger, garlic, and scallions from the pot.
- Meanwhile, slice the carrots with a spiralizer on the thinnest blade possible to make carrot noodles*. Trim the carrots to edible lengths.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and add back to the pot. Add coconut milk. Add the chilis (if using), carrots, bell peppers, dried rice noodles, and let simmer for roughly 5 minutes until the noodles are tender. Take the pot off of the heat and add the juice of 1 or 2 limes to taste, cilantro, and season with more salt if needed. Serve immediately with a lime wedge and more cilantro on the side.
- *If you don't have a spiralizer, you can use a mandolin slicer with a julienne blade or slice as thinly as possible with your knife.
- **For a grain-free/paleo variation, omit the rice noodles and increase the carrots to 6 large carrots.
Marnie
January 3, 2017
This looks so good and so beautiful. Wish I could be enjoying it with you. Can’t wait to try it out. Miss you.
Lillian
January 15, 2017
Miss you, friend! I wish we could be enjoying it together as well!
maren
January 5, 2017
looks so yummy! do you soak the rice noodles before adding them or just cook them in the broth for those last 5 minutes? It never says when to add them.
Lillian
January 15, 2017
Hi Maren! I just add them right into the soup and let them simmer until done. Sorry about that, I’ll fix it.
Mary Fouts
March 16, 2017
I made this last night for dinner. Omitted the rice noodles, and served the soup in soup bowls over steamed organic brown basmati rice. Absolutely delicious! Love the colorful vegetable and herb combinations in the soup. I bet the leftovers will be even more tasty.
Lillian
March 16, 2017
What a brilliant idea! I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you so much for visiting!