Thai Soup With Broth Beef Tomatoes and Lemongrass Larb

A quick and easy, creamy, authentic tom kha gai (Thai coconut chicken soup) packed with flavor and made with coconut milk and aromatics like lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal root.

A small bowl of tom kha gai served in a wooden bowl with a large soup spoon

Table of Contents

What is Tom Kha Gai Soup?
Ingredients and Substitutions for Tom Kha Gai
How to Make Tom Kha Gai
Tips
What to Serve with this Thai Soup with
Coconut Chicken Soup Variation
Storing and Reheating Tom Kha Gai
FAQs
More Thai Recipes You May Like
Recipe Card
Looking for More Soup Recipes? Try These!

What is Tom Kha Gai Soup?

Tom kha is one of Thailand's most popular soups and is one of the best soups to have in cold weather.

It's my favorite Thai soup (my second favorite Thai soup is the classic spicy tom yum soup), because of the creamy citrusy flavor and even though it is made with coconut milk, the sour hot soup doesn't feel like a heavy soup at all. This Thai chicken coconut soup is PACKED with flavor and has a wonderful balance of spicy, sweet, salty, and sour.

If you never had tom kha soup, but you've tried tom yum before, they are actually very similar in taste, but the main difference is that tom kha has coconut milk in it, which makes it a creamier soup. If you prefer to make this a vegetarian soup, you can simply omit the chicken, which turns it into Tom Kha Soup.

This tasty authentic tom kha gai (aka tom kha kai) soup is very quick and easy to make, uses traditional Thai ingredients, and is made from scratch. The best part is, it only uses one pot from beginning to end so it has an easy clean-up!

Ingredients and Substitutions for Tom Kha Gai

Mise en place of tom kha gai ingredients (chicken, coconut milk, broth, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, galangal, lime, sugar, fish sauce, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms)

Coconut Milk - Alternatively, I also like to use coconut cream as well if I feel like a thicker creamier soup.
Chicken - You can use white or dark (boneless) chicken meat. I like to use chicken breast that has been thinly sliced. It's very important you marinate it in a bit of corn starch to keep it moist and tender. You can also make tom kha gai without chicken as well and it would be called tom kha. I have also made this with thinly sliced pork belly, tofu, shrimp, seafood, and leftover meats.
Broth/Stock - Any type of broth (chicken, beef, vegetable, seafood) will work for this soup. You can even use water if you like.
Galangal - If you cannot find galangal, do not substitute it with ginger. You can just make tom kha gai without galangal and it will taste fine.
Lemongrass/Kaffir Lime Leaves - Kaffir lime leaves are a very important component to give the soup flavor, and I highly encourage you to use them but if you cannot find them you can substitute it for double the amount of lemongrass. Try to use whole lemongrass stalks, so that you can strain them out more easily.
Fish Sauce/Lime/Palm Sugar - This is the holy trinity for making that balance of sweet, tart, and savory flavors. Use fresh lime juice for this soup, it will taste much better. If you cannot find palm sugar, you can substitute it with light brown sugar, cane sugar, or white sugar.
Garlic/Onions - These will give your broth a lot of flavors. I like to add the onions in after the aromatics are done simmering and removed so that I have a bit to eat. If you don't like eating onions, you can add the onions during the aromatic simmer stage and remove them with the aromatics.
Vegetables - You can be creative and add any type of vegetable to this soup. I like to use a mix of mushrooms (any kind, shiitake, button, oyster, etc), tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, sweet red peppers, and/or snow peas.
Cilantro/Basil/Chili Oil - I like to use these ingredients as a garnish, but it is optional.
Thai Chilies - I use this to make this soup spicy. Use fewer chilis for a milder spicy flavor or omit it completely if you don't want it spicy at all.

How to Make Tom Kha Gai

Prepare Aromatics for the Soup

Prepare the aromatics by smashing the garlic, ripping the kaffir lime leaves, removing the dry parts of the lemongrass and smashing it, slicing the galangal, and finely chopping the Thai chilies.

Tom kha gai aromatics (lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, garlic) being prepared on a cutting board.

Making the Broth

Set the stove to medium-high heat and add the broth and soup aromatics. Once the broth starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and gently simmer it for 15 minutes with no lid.

Prepare the Vegetables

While the broth is simmering, thinly slice the onions, sweet red pepper, snow peas, and mushrooms.
If you are using a large tomato, cut them into small wedges, if you are using baby tomatoes, slice them in half length-wise.
Cut the limes in half and squeeze out the juice into a small bowl and set it aside.

Vegetables being sliced on a cutting board (thinly sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, snow peas, shallots, sweet red peppers

Marinate the Chicken

Thinly slice the chicken breast and mix it with soy sauce, water, corn starch, and oil, and set it aside for later.

Thinly sliced chicken breast for tom kha gai

Thinly sliced chicken breast being marinated

Putting Everything Together

Once the soup has finished simmering, remove the aromatics and discard them.

Removing aromatics from the broth after it has finished simmering.

Add in the finely sliced onions and chicken and cook it for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked.

Cooking the shallots and sliced chicken in the hot broth

Stir in the coconut milk and let the soup gently simmer for 1 minute.
Add in the vegetables and cook them for a few minutes
Mix in the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar, and do a taste test to make sure it is balanced. If it is not, adjust it to your liking.
Garnish with cilantro or Thai basil and enjoy!

Tips

Kaffir lime leaves are a very important component to give the soup flavor, and I highly encourage you to use them but if you cannot find them you can substitute it for double the amount of lemongrass.
If you cannot find galangal, omit it. Please do not substitute ginger for it. Galangal and ginger have completely different flavor profiles.
If you want a creamier soup with a stronger coconut flavor, substitute coconut milk with coconut cream.
Try to use full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor.
High heat will remove some of the flavors from kaffir lime leaves, just like how high heat also breaks down the flavors of fresh herbs, so try to keep the broth at a low simmer to get the most flavor from the aromatics.
You can make this into a small cozy meal by adding a small bundle of rice noodles to it right before serving. Simply soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes until they are soft (do a taste test). Once the noodles are soft, add them to the soup.
If you have extra galangal, kaffir lime leaves, or lemongrass you can freeze them for up to 6 months in a Ziploc. Make sure you remove as much air out of the ziplock as possible.

What to Serve with this Thai Soup with

If you want to keep things on the simple side, you can also serve plain white rice or a small bundle of rice noodles with tom kha gai to make it a full meal.

If you have a bit of time and are planning to have guests, or you are entertaining and cooking for a group of people, you can pair this soup with our popular Grilled Thai Coconut Chicken Skewers, easy to make Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Lemongrass Pork Meatballs (Larb Style) or my personal favorite, Lao Crispy Rice Salad (Nam Khao).

Whenever I have leftover rice, I also like to make some Thai Basil Fried Rice, using ground beef, chicken, or pork which also goes very well with this soup as both dishes are packed with flavor.

If you're looking for a light meal, I like to serve it with light glass noodle dishes like Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad) or Pad Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Stir Fry).

A large wooden bowl filled with hot tom kha gai coconut chicken soup

Coconut Chicken Soup Variation

Although most people know this as a Thai soup, it actually originates from Laos as well. The main difference between the Thai version and the Laos version is that the Laos-style coconut soup has dill in it. So if you are up for trying something different, add some dill to the broth when you add the aromatics (lemongrass, lime leaves, etc).

Storing and Reheating Tom Kha Gai

Store it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. Alternatively, you can also freeze this soup as well. To reheat it from the fridge, microwave it for 1 minute, stir the soup, and microwave it for another minute. Keep doing this until it is hot. You can also reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat. If you are reheating it from frozen, thaw it in the fridge overnight first.

FAQs

What is the difference between tom yum and tom kha soup?

Both soups have a very similar flavor base, which is a balance of spicy, salty, sour, and sweet. The main difference is tom kha is a creamier version of tom yum. Since tom kha is made with coconut milk/cream it also has a coconut flavor as well.

What does tom kha gai mean?

Tom means boiling, kha means galangal, and gai means chicken. It literally means 'boiled galangal chicken'.

Can I make this soup with shrimp?

You definitely can! You can add any type of seafood, vegetable, or meat to this soup, be creative!

Can I make this soup ahead of time?

Yes, you can make this soup ahead of time, it gets even more flavorful the next day.

Can I make tom kha gai without galangal?

Yes, you definitely can! To make tom kha gai without galangal simply omit it and do not substitute it with ginger. Ginger will give the soup a different flavor.

Is tom kha gai spicy?

Traditionally, this soup is a little spicy, but you can adjust the amount of spiciness by adjusting the number of Thai chilies you add to the soup. If you don't want it spicy at all, you can just omit the chilies.

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

You can make this soup in a slow cooker but I would not add the meat or vegetables until you are ready to eat it so that the chicken doesn't get overcooked and the vegetables don't get mushy. The cook time for the soup takes about 15 minutes as well, so it may not be worth it to make it in a slow cooker.

More Thai Recipes You May Like

Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad)
5 Minute, Easy Thai Peanut Sauce
Pad Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Stirfry)
Thai Basil Turkey Fried Rice
Tom Yum Goong (Thai Hot and Sour Soup)
Grilled Thai Coconut Chicken Skewers
Easy Khao Soi (Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)
Creamy Thai Red Curry
Thai Peanut Sauce (From Scratch)
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

If you like my recipes and want to be updated on when new ones come out, please consider subscribing to my newsletter (we don't spam) and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for all of my latest recipes!

A closeup of tom kha gai soup with mushrooms, tomatoes, snow peas and chicken.

Recipe Card

A bowl of Thai tom kha gai soup served in a wooden bowl

Kaffir lime leaves are a very important component to give the soup flavor, and I highly encourage you to use them but if you cannot find them you can substitute it for double the amount of lemongrass.
If you cannot find galangal, omit it. Please do not substitute ginger for it. Galangal and ginger have completely different flavor profiles.
If you want a creamier soup with a stronger coconut flavor, substitute coconut milk with coconut cream.
Try to use full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor.
High heat will remove some of the flavors from kaffir lime leaves, just like how high heat also breaks down the flavors of fresh herbs, so try to keep the broth at a low simmer to get the most flavor from the aromatics.
I like to add the onions in after the aromatics are done simmering and removed so that I have more food to eat. If you don't like eating onions, you can add the onions during the aromatic simmer stage and remove them with the aromatics.
You can make this into a small cozy meal by adding a small bundle of rice noodles to it right before serving. Simply soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes until they are soft (do a taste test). Once the noodles are soft, add them to the soup.
If you have extra galangal, kaffir lime leaves, or lemongrass you can freeze them for up to 6 months in a ziploc. Make sure you remove as much air out of the ziplock as possible.

▢ 3 cups broth or water
▢ 1 can coconut milk (or coconut cream, 400ml)
▢ 2 tablespoons fish sauce
▢ ¼ cup lime juice (Approx. 2-3 limes)
▢ 4 ½ teaspoons palm sugar (or light brown sugar, cane sugar)
▢ ½ teaspoon salt

Soup Aromatics

▢ 2 stalks lemongrass
▢ 10 kaffir lime leaves (*See note 1 for substitution)
▢ 7 slices galangal (*See note 2 for substitution)
▢ 4 cloves garlic
▢ 2-3 bird's eye chili

Chicken Marinade

▢ 1 chicken breast (thinly sliced)
▢ 1 teaspoon soy sauce
▢ 1 teaspoon water
▢ 1 teaspoon corn starch
▢ 1 teaspoon oil

Vegetables

▢ ½ small onion (or 3 large shallots, finely diced, approx ¼ cup)
▢ ¼ cup button mushrooms (any type of mushroom will work)
▢ ½ cup baby tomatoes (any type of tomato will work)
▢ ¼ cup snow peas (tips removed, thinly sliced)
▢ ¼ cup red peppers thinly sliced

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark