This is the dish that most closely resembles the tom kha gai soup I fell in love with at my neighborhood Thai restaurant. It is tasty, satisfying, and nutritious. The chunks of ginger, lemon grass, and galangal can be discarded or added back to the pot because they are not intended for consumption.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 10 kaffir lime leaves
- 4 cups chicken broth, or more to taste
- 2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk
- 3 Thai chiles, chopped
- 1 (1 inch) piece galangal, thinly sliced
- 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
- 3 (5 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 1 stalk lemon grass, chopped
- 2 (6 ounce) cans whole straw mushrooms, drained
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 3 tablespoons Key lime juice
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Devein lime leaves and cut into very thin slices; set aside.
- Combine chicken broth and coconut milk in a large pot; bring to a boil. Add chiles, galangal, and ginger and simmer over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Add chicken, sliced lime leaves, and lemon grass and continue to cook until chicken is no longer pink in the centers, about 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the drained straw mushrooms, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Stir well, and serve with plenty of fresh cilantro on top as a garnish.
- You can make a flavorful chicken broth by simmering a rotisserie chicken carcass, garlic, onion, celery, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce for a couple of hours in a stockpot with as much water as you desire, instead of using pre-made. If making your own, strain solids from broth and freeze all but 4 to 5 cups of the broth for later use.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 402 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 44 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 25 g |
| Sodium | 1417 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |