🍲 Tom kha gai (Thai coconut chicken soup)
Tom kha gai is a creamy Thai soup of chicken and mushrooms simmered in coconut milk infused with lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves. The broth is rich yet bright, with a gentle citrusy, peppery fragrance from the galangal. It is finished with lime juice and chili and eaten with steamed rice as part of a shared meal.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken breast or thigh, sliced
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 500 ml water
- 200 g mushrooms, sliced
- 2 lemongrass stalks, cut and bruised
- 5 slices galangal
- 5 makrut lime leaves, torn
- 2 tbsp lime juice, 1–2 chilies, salt and coriander
Method
- Bring the water and half the coconut milk to a simmer with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves for 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and remaining coconut milk and heat for 3 minutes without boiling hard.
- Season with salt, lime juice and crushed chilies, garnish with coriander and serve.
How to make it lighter
- Use light coconut milk or replace part of it with more water.
- Load the soup with extra mushrooms for volume.
- Choose chicken breast and skip extra rice if you want a lighter meal.
History
The name means roughly 'galangal soup with chicken', and the dish is a long-standing part of central Thai home cooking. It is now one of the best-known Thai soups worldwide alongside tom yum.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →