Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup is packed with delicious fresh flavors and hearty texture. The recipe comes together easily, perfect for anytime of the year.
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This Thai Chicken Soup recipe is so easy, delicious, and hearty. Made with easy to find ingredients, this soup tastes luxurious with as much or as little heat as you want. Complex flavors from fresh ginger, bright lemon or lemongrass (whichever is easy to find), warm red curry paste and silky coconut milk. The chicken cooks to perfection, plus mushrooms and carrots add excellent texture and fresh flavor.
Ingredients in Thai Chicken Soup-
Boneless Chicken Breasts- Two chicken breasts is the perfect amount if you also like a good helping of broth, but you could add up to three breasts if you want more bites of chicken in the soup.
Onions, garlic, and ginger- These ingredients are the aromatics in the soup. Mixed with just a bit of oil and then heated in the microwave before placing into the slow cooker helps to release as much flavor as possible.
Carrots and mushrooms- The carrots become perfectly tender and flavorful while cooking in the slow cooker and the mushrooms do best added at the end to retain their tenderness.
Chicken broth and coconut milk- The coconut milk add the creamy factor and a tiny bit of sweetness inherent in coconuts (buy unsweetened coconut milk).
Fish sauce, cilantro, red curry paste, salt and pepper- The fish sauce adds great depth but can be left out if you don’t like it. You can replace it with soy sauce to replace a little bit of the umami that is very important here. Fresh cilantro stems are tied together and placed in the slow cooker to be removed at the end so you get the fresh herby tang from cilantro. Red curry paste doesn’t add heat but is rich and bold.
Fresh lemon zest or lemongrass- Lemongrass or fresh lemon zest add the brightness that brings all the other flavors front and center. Either one works well, so add whatever you have or is easy to find.
Scallions, jalapeños, limes, and chili oil for topping- If you want more fresh taste and texture, adding fresh scallions and lime juice just before serving takes care of that. And if you want a little or a lot of heat, sliced jalapeños and chili oil pair so well with this soup. My husband doesn’t love heat but he still adds a bit of the chili oil and it’s just right.
How to make Thai Chicken Soup-
Before placing everything in the slow cooker heat the chopped onion, grated ginger, and minced garlic in the microwave for a few minutes to let the ingredients soften. This helps the aromatics release as much flavor as possible. Then place this mixture in the slow cooker.
Add chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, chopped carrots, a cilantro bouquet, and two whole boneless chicken breasts. Cook these ingredients on low for four to six hours.
Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and let cool while you add the sliced mushrooms to the slow cooker and turn the heat up to high for fifteen minutes. Adding the mushrooms at the end gives them time to absorb some great flavor without becoming rubbery from absorbing too much liquid. Then heat and add the second can of coconut milk, shred the chicken and add it back to the pot to heat for a couple minutes.
The chicken is perfectly tender, the bold flavors from the curry paste, lemon zest and fish sauce blend well with the onions, garlic, and ginger. Different textures from the carrots, mushrooms, and garnishes bring everything home for a unique comfort food meal. Top with chopped scallions, then add some sliced jalapeños and a drizzle of chili oil if you want heat. This soup is so tasty and looks pretty.
The soup is a great all in one meal that requires no accompaniments, but you could heat up some frozen edamame pods and top with a good dash of chunky salt to enjoy with the soup. Also, easily made vegetarian, leave out the chicken and either just increase the vegetables, or add large chunks of extra firm tofu at the end, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and omit the fish sauce or use vegan fish sauce.
If you like this Thai Chicken Soup, other soup recipes we love include Corn Chowder with Summer Squash, Oven Baked Fish Chowder, and Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. All of these soups are perfect for a cool night. However, my family loves soup all year long!
Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 whole onions, minced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 14-oz can coconut milk
- Zest of one lemon
- 3 whole carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 10 cilantro stems, tied together with twine
- 3 chicken breasts, skinless-boneless
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice from 2 limes
- 1 14-oz can coconut milk
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, Thai Kitchen brand is a good one
For the Garnishes:
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 fresh jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced thin
- 2 scallions, sliced thin
- Lime wedges
- Chili oil as desired
- Basil Thai or regular
Instructions
- Microwave onions, garlic, ginger, and oil in bowl, stirring occasionally; until onions are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.2 whole onions,, 6 cloves garlic,, 2 tablespoon fresh ginger,, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Stir broth, coconut milk, lemon zest, carrots, fish sauce, and tied cilantro stems into slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, Zest of one lemon, 3 whole carrots,, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 10 cilantro stems,, 3 chicken breasts, skinless-boneless , Salt and pepper,, 1 14-oz can coconut milk
- Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-sized pieces using two forks to pull the chicken apart. Discard cilantro stems. Do not return chicken to soup just yet.
- Stir in mushrooms, cover, and cook on high for 15 minutes. Microwave 2nd can of coconut milk in bowl until hot, about 3 minutes, then whisk in lime juice, sugar and curry paste to dissolve.8 ounces white mushrooms,, 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice from 2 limes, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste,, 1 14-oz can coconut milk
- Stir hot coconut milk mixture and shredded chicken into soup and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with a generous amount of salt and a little bit of pepper to taste and serve with fresh herbs and/or other garnishes.½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, 2 fresh jalapeno chiles,, 2 scallions,, Lime wedges, Chili oil, Basil
Equipment
Notes
- The recipe can easily be made vegetarian by switching the broth to vegetable broth, omit the fish sauce or use vegan fish sauce or soy sauce. Replace the chicken breasts with one black of extra firm tofu (pressed). Add the tofu at the end with the second can of coconut milk for the last 5 minutes before serving.
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.
This is amazingly delicious! adding to my weeks. Thanks for sharing!
Just what I was looking for. I make pho a lot for our kids but get tired of it. This is a perfect alternative. Thank you Sally!
Adding to my meal prep this week, cant wait!
Even my kids loved it! Great flavor, easy to make for week nights. loved it!
This recipe speaks to my heart. I love Thai recipes. Can’t wait to make this one!
Sounds delish and I’m making this for supper tonight!
My wife and I will enjoy this but we need to know how many carbs are in this.
Tevrah, I’m sorry I don’t know. It doesn’t have many carb ingredients and most of the carbs should come from the chicken in this recipe. I don’t track this information closely. I just try to cook with a balance of fresh and healthy real food (most of the time).