ONE POT THAI CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

One Pot Thai Chicken Noodle Soup -
Photo by JayDi Photography

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to one of the best one pot meals I've come across: the One Pot Thai Chicken Noodle Soup.  The name alone is a mouthful, but what a flavourful mouthful you'll get with the end result! This is a very hearty soup/meal chock full of vegetables and spices and it's actually good for you!

Lots of ingredients - Photo
by JayDi Photography

Don't shy away from giving this recipe a shot because there is a long list of ingredients.  With just a bit of time management with the prep, this will come together in a breeze.  As long as your vegetables are chopped and ready to go and your protein is cut in pieces, the rest is just add, stir and wait. (Impatiently, I might add!)

The aroma that will fill your kitchen as the soup bubbles away is intoxicating.  The Hubster would chuckle at me every time I added a component or just went in to stir because I couldn't contain my excitement.  

If you're new to Asian cooking, some of these ingredients might sound exotic to you. The fish sauce is a good example.  No, it's not going to make your soup taste fishy.  In fact it's one of those ingredients that does have a particular aroma when you first pour it in, but in the end it's that background note that makes you go Mmmm!  The Thai red curry paste may be another one of those ingredients that are not (yet) staples of your pantry.  Sure you could make your own. I've done it. It's a long, tedious process with satisfying results, but I will admit I prefer to keep my pantry stocked with the jars of good quality, pre-made pastes. 

One Pot Thai Chicken Noodle Soup -
Photo by JayDi Photography

I fell in love with this soup before I had even let this delightful elixir pass my lips.  The Hubster went back for seconds, and even ate it as leftovers and that is HUGE for him and soups.   My sister and 4 year old niece gave their thumbs up  of approval.  But the biggest surprise of all, was my brother-in-law.  He was making fun that peanuts don't belong in food, that they're just a snack and go well with beer. So we left off the peanuts as his garnish and put a few extra chilis, and even he gave his seal of approval.  So much so, my sister's even asking about buying the ingredients to make it at her house.  That was it for me. I knew then, this would be a family favorite from now on!

ONE POT THAI CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced through the equator to create thin fillets
1 onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
2-4 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced 

5 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 14 oz. cans coconut milk
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
5-6 kaffir lime leaves (*Optional - I've yet to find any of these locally, even by omitting them, the soup is bursting with flavour.  I will order online because I'm curious enough to give it a go!)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced (white button mushrooms work just fine)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped bite size cauliflower florets

3 oz. rice vermicelli/thin rice noodles/sticks broken into pieces** 

1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha or more to taste 

Garnish options - Photo
by JayDi Photography

GARNISH

crushed peanuts 

lime juice 

sliced red chili

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven/soup pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides, approximately 2 minutes, but don’t cook through. Remove to a plate. 
2. Add one tablespoon olive oil to now empty pot and heat over medium high heat. Add onions and carrots and sauté 3 minutes. 
3. Add curry paste, ginger, garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. 
4. Add chicken back to pot followed by chicken broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves (optional), brown sugar, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is tender enough to easily shred. 
5. Remove chicken and let rest until cool enough to shred or chop. Meanwhile, add mushrooms, bell peppers, cauliflower and rice noodles to pot. Simmer approximately 5 minutes OR just until your noodles are short of al dente. You want them undercooked as they will continue to cook once removed from heat. Stir in shredded chicken, cilantro, lime juice and sriracha. 



Noodles Going In - Photo by
JayDi Photography

6. Discard kaffir lime leaves. Taste and add additional sriracha for spicier or lime juice for tangier. If you would like a less “chunky” soup, stir in additional broth or coconut milk. Garnish individual servings with crushed peanuts and/or cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice to taste. 

My Favourite Red Thai Curry Paste -
Photo by JayDi Photography

Recipe Notes

*Some Curry brands are spicier than others. If you are using a more mild brand then I would start with 1/4 cup curry paste. If you are using a spicier brand, I would start with 2 tablespoons. You can add more curry paste to taste once the soup is simmering or add sriracha to taste at the end of cooking.

**If you find it too difficult to break the uncooked noodles, then I like to use kitchen shears to cut the noodles directly in the soup pot right after they are cooked. 

*Adapted from: http://carlsbadcravings.com/one-pot-thai-chicken-noodle-soup/