Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup- Gai Tom Kha
Submitted by ricey
This authentic Tom Kha Gai simmers chicken breast in coconut milk with galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. A fragrant Thai coconut soup that hits every note: creamy, sour, salty, and spicy.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minTom Kha Gai is one of those Thai soups that ruins you for all other soups.
The broth starts with coconut milk and chicken stock infused with galangal and bruised lemongrass stalks, building a fragrant base that smells like a Bangkok street market on a warm evening.
Once strained, tender chicken breast pieces poach gently in that silky broth before fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, fresh serrano chiles, and a generous squeeze of lime juice bring everything into sharp, electric focus.
Every spoonful is a balancing act of creamy, sour, salty, and fiery.
Pro Tips
- Fresh galangal is ideal, but dried works in a pinch; just reduce the quantity by half since dried is more concentrated
- Bruise the lemongrass stalks with the back of a knife to release their citrusy oils before simmering
- Don’t boil the soup after adding the lime juice or it can turn bitter
- Kaffir lime leaves are the secret weapon here; tear them slightly before adding to release more fragrance
- Adjust the serrano chiles to your heat tolerance, but don’t skip them entirely since the spice is essential to the balance
Ingredients
Directions
In a saucepan, bring the coconut milk, chicken stock, galangal and lemon grass to a boil; reduce and simmer for 20 minutes.
Strain stock; discard galangal and lemon grass.
Return stock to a boil, add chicken and reduce to a simmer until tender (about 2 minutes).
Add fish sauce, citrus leaves and chiles.
Stir in lime juice.
Garnish with more chiles to taste and coriander leaves.
Serve hot.
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