I have to give full credit for this photo of Thai Chicken Soup to my boys. They helped me stage the shot and then sat with me at the computer to crop and size the photo. They are becoming such little artists, having far surpassed me in this arena.
The delicious Thai soup above is based on a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated. My friend Deb got me hooked on this magazine last year when she gave me a subscription. The recipes in Cook’s Illustrated use fresh interesting combination of ingredients and often are not overly complicated.
We ate this soup for dinner tonight; I downed the bowl in the photo above as soon as I finished snapping the pictures; it is sweet, rather spicy and very comforting. After he finished his, my younger son said, “it was good; this is a happy, happy, happy soup.” That is a direct quote!
I am hoping that with more soup we can build more community. Many people have been leaving comments over here of late which is wonderful. I also want to take a moment to encourage people to respond to each others comments.
Jeanne, one of my regular readers, asked a question here. I hope that any of you who have experience in figuring out which foods work best for you will feel free to jump in and respond to her comment, it’s great when we can support one another…Now, back to soup!
Thai Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or coconut oil
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 8 sprigs cilantro, chopped
- 4 cups Chicken Stock or Kettle & Fire Bone Broth
- 28 ounces full fat coconut milk
- ½ pound crimini mushrooms
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 pound chicken breasts skinless-boneless, halved lengthwise, sliced on bias, cut into ⅛ inch thick pieces
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons red curry paste
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ cup cilantro, minced
- 2 serrano chilies, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium heat
- Add shallots and cilantro, stirring frequently until softened 2 to 5 minutes
- Stir in stock and coconut milk and bring to a simmer
- Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard solids (shallot and cilantro)
- Return broth to saucepan
- Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms and broccoli and cook until tender 2 to 3 minutes
- Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer pink 1 to 3 minutes
- Combine lime juice, curry paste, and fish sauce in a small bowl then stir into soup
- ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, chilies, and scallions
- Serve with wedges of lime
Equipment
This soup also works very well with leftover chicken. Leftovers are a great thing in so many ways. They save us trips to the store as well as time in the kitchen.
Other uses for leftover chicken? I use it to make a simple Mexican salad for dinner (salad greens with black beans, guacamole and salsa) and to add an extra hit of protein to this sesame noodle dish.
As you can see from the recipes on this blog, while I don’t eat the SAD (Standard American Diet), I do not feel deprived. I focus on the foods I can eat, create as much variety as possible and savor every morsel I put into my mouth! All in all, I feel happy and grateful to have access to the beautiful fresh foods that nourish me day in and day out.
lawrence says
Thanks Elana…this is the second time i have made this soup…very nice and warming in this rainy british weather! I added some big shrimp with the chicken which made it even tastier!
Dionne says
I hope this comment gets to Nicole!
Please check out http://www.LDNinfo.org
for the fibro and chronic fatigue.
I too had these conditions and many more and am 100% well due to diet restrictions and LDN and cleansing. So much so, that I only avoid gluten, dairy and sugar now, and am 100% healthy!
Natalie says
Dionne,
If you get this – I am interested in hearing more about your experience with LDN, cleansing, and dietary changes. I have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and have not felt any better with cleansing and dietary changes alone. My email is n.kimble @ msn.com if you see this I would so appreciate an email!
Kelley says
Elana,
I ‘stumbled’ across your site in search of a healthy birthday cake recipe for my 1 year old daughter. Her birthday is in a week so I haven’t tried the cake & frosting recipe yet; however, I am in LOVE with your site! My husband and I made the Thai Soup this evening and, oh my gosh, thank you!! It’s fantastic! (It was even better several hours later for a midnight snack!) I can’t wait to try the cake and lots more of your wonderful ideas. I am also amazed by the beauty of the photos – we eat with our eyes first and my mouth is watering! I’m totally inspired!! :)
Thank you,
Kelley
Joyce says
I’ve tried so many of Elana’s recipes that now, if I see one that interests me, I automatically Pin it. I don’t need to read it first, because I know it will be great. I have yet to try one that hasn’t been delicious. Trying this soup this week, for sure.
H.B says
Elana,
I uploaded one of your pictures from Flickr to my web site.
The image is a click able link back to your images.
Looks delicious. Bookmarked your site.
Thank you
Brent
Faith says
This recipe sounds great! But,I read somewhere that fish sauce was a hidden source of gluten in Thai food. Not sure why this would be the case, but would like to be certain that this is indeed a safe ingredient. I love Thai food and fish sauce adds so much flavor. What exactly is fish sauce and what is in it? Thanks for your help.
Stacie K says
I love this recipe! Thai offers so much flavor with lots of options for us GF eaters. I used slivered snow peas in place of broccoli-not as nutritious but loved the added crunch. Thanks Elana-you keep me inspired to cook clean, healthy, and delicious foods!
elana says
Thanks for your lovely comments everyone :-)
Jessica says
I just discovered your blog and am so looking forward to trying these recipes! and you seem so lovely! Thank you so much for your community spirit and your positive attitude
Bobbi says
Just made this tonight and added baby boc choy. It was great. Our 3-year old ate it right up and asked for more. Thank you!
Karen says
Loved the soup! Next time I might add a few more vegies to it, and maybe leave the shallots in or puree them and add to the stock. Shrimp sounds good too! I am new to your site, and will definitely be making more of your recipes.