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Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients. Quarter the mushrooms. Discard dry outer lemongrass leaves and use about 40 g of the pale lower stalks. Bruise with the flat of a knife and cut into 4-5 cm lengths. Thinly slice the galangal and tear the makrut lime leaves. Finely slice the chilli, then wash and dry the coriander. On a separate board, cut the chicken across the grain into slices about 5 mm thick. Wash hands, knife and board after handling raw poultry.
Infuse the stock. Pour 600 ml ready-made stock into a saucepan of about 3 litres. Add the galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 8 minutes with the lid partly on. Do not add the chicken or coconut milk yet.
Remove the woody aromatics. Lift out the galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves with a slotted spoon. Use a small strainer to catch loose fragments if needed. Keep the infused stock in the saucepan, do not discard it. Removing the aromatics now keeps tough stalks and leaves out of the serving bowls.
Cook the chicken and mushrooms. Return the stock to a gentle simmer. Add the chicken slices and mushrooms, separating any clumps of meat with a spoon. Once simmering resumes, cook gently for roughly 6-8 minutes. Timing depends on slice thickness. Check the thickest piece with a food thermometer: the chicken must reach at least 74 °C or 165 °F.
Add the coconut milk. Stir the contents of the can to combine the cream and liquid, then pour into the soup. Add the sugar, chilli and initially 20 g of the measured 25 g fish sauce. Heat for 2-3 minutes to a very gentle simmer, stirring carefully. Avoid a rolling boil to help keep the texture even.
Season off the heat and serve. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the lime juice and coriander. Taste the broth. Add the remaining 5 g fish sauce only if needed, as brands vary in saltiness. Divide into 4 servings. Optional cooked rice is served separately and is not included in the ingredients or calorie estimate.
Choosing the ingredients
Look for fresh or frozen galangal, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves at an Asian grocery. Use the pale lower part of roughly two lemongrass stalks, not the dry green tops. Stalk sizes vary, so the 40 g weight is more useful than a fixed stalk count. Four lime leaves means leaves, not four whole limes.
The stock must already be cooked. Making chicken stock from scratch is not included in the 35-minute estimate. Taste stock made from a cube before seasoning, as it may need less fish sauce. Do not add extra salt automatically.
Brown button mushrooms are used in the illustrated steps. The same weight of oyster mushrooms, torn into small pieces, is another option. Unidentified wild mushrooms are not a suitable direct substitute.
Ingredient swaps and limitations
- No fresh galangal: frozen galangal is the closest option for this recipe. Ginger changes the character of the soup.
- No makrut lime leaves: you can leave them out, with some loss of aroma. Bay leaves are not a substitute.
- Only a ready-made tom kha paste: follow its manufacturer's dose and check its salt content. This ingredient list is designed for whole aromatics, not for adding a jar of paste on top.
- No chicken: tofu and vegetable stock make a separate adaptation. For a vegetarian version, also replace the fish sauce and check all other labels.
Balancing the broth
Taste after adding the lime juice. For more saltiness, add a little of the reserved fish sauce. For a fresher sour note, add a little extra lime juice directly to the bowl. Do not try to fix every imbalance with a large amount of sugar. Check whether the broth is actually too salty or too hot first.
Tom kha is a soup, not a thick sauce. Flour and starch are unnecessary. A rolling boil after adding coconut milk will not concentrate the flavour in a useful way and can make the texture less even. Adding lime at the end keeps its aroma fresh.
Serving size, scaling and calories
The base yield is 4 servings, not 4 litres. Divide the pot evenly and serve optional cooked jasmine rice separately. More chicken soup ideas are available in our chicken soups collection.
About 330 kcal is an estimate for one-quarter of the pot without rice. It assumes coconut milk at roughly 180 kcal per 100 ml, raw chicken breast at roughly 120 kcal per 100 g and a light stock. Coconut milk brands are the main source of variation. This is not a laboratory measurement or a value per 100 g.
The finished soup has not been weighed. For calories per 100 g, weigh the cooked soup without its pot, divide the energy in all ingredients used by that weight and multiply by 100. Scaling servings changes ingredient amounts, not cooking time in direct proportion. Use a larger saucepan when needed and always check the chicken is cooked through.
Storage and reheating
Transfer leftovers to shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the room is above 32 °C or 90 °F. Keep at 4 °C or 40 °F or below and use within 3 days.
Reheat the portion you need to at least 74 °C or 165 °F throughout, stirring and checking with a food thermometer. Do not stop at lukewarm to protect the coconut texture. The soup may separate after chilling and the chicken may become firmer after reheating.
Recipe video: Tom kha gai by Pailin’s Kitchen
Important: English-language video. The presenter uses a different order for adding the ingredients.
Images are AI-generated.
FAQ
Can I make tom kha gai without curry or soup paste? +
Yes, this recipe uses whole galangal, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves instead. Fish sauce, lime and a small amount of sugar balance the broth. Do not add a jar of paste on top of the listed seasonings.
Which coconut milk should I use? +
Choose unsweetened cooking coconut milk, usually around 17-20% fat. A thin coconut drink intended for coffee or cereal will give a different result. Stir the solid cream and liquid together before pouring.
Can ginger replace galangal? +
Ginger has a different aroma and is not an equivalent substitute. Look for fresh or frozen galangal at an Asian grocery first. A ginger version can be a home-style coconut soup adaptation, but it will not reproduce the same tom kha flavour.
Do you eat the lemongrass and lime leaves? +
The woody stalks, firm galangal slices and whole lime leaves are usually not eaten. In this version they are removed before adding the chicken and mushrooms. Pick out any remaining fragments.
What can I use instead of fish sauce? +
Soy sauce is an option for a different version. Add it gradually and taste rather than assuming identical saltiness. Check allergens: fish sauce contains fish, and standard soy sauce often contains soy and wheat. Changing the sauce does not make this chicken-and-stock soup vegetarian.
Why has my coconut milk separated? +
High heat or the particular product can cause fat to separate. Lower the heat and stir gently. A change in texture alone does not mean the soup has spoiled. Food safety still depends on fresh ingredients, fully cooked chicken and correct storage.
Is tom kha gai very spicy? +
Two grams of fresh chilli is just a starting amount because varieties vary greatly. For a mild batch, omit chilli from the saucepan and offer it separately to adults. Coconut milk does not guarantee that hot chillies will taste mild.
How is tom kha different from tom yum? +
Galangal and a coconut base are central to tom kha. Tom yum typically puts greater emphasis on a hot-and-sour broth. Both soups have variations, so the difference is not simply white soup versus clear soup.
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