Tom Kha Gai Coconut Galangal Chicken Soup

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Floating markets

📍 Where this dish comes from: Floating markets (Damnoen Saduak, Amphawa) · Floating markets
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Tom Kha Gai Coconut Galangal Chicken Soup, plated and ready to serve

Tom Kha Gai is one of Thailand’s greatest culinary achievements: a soup that is simultaneously complex and harmonious, rich yet fresh, warming yet cooling. The galangal — not ginger, never substitute — gives the broth a floral, medicinal depth that is entirely its own. Combined with lemongrass, kaffir lime, and coconut milk, then brightened at the last moment with a hit of fresh lime juice, it becomes something far greater than the sum of its parts.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Tom Kha Gai Coconut Galangal Chicken Soup

Tom Kha Gai Coconut Galangal Chicken Soup

Thailand's most beloved coconut soup — tender chicken in a silky galangal-lemongrass broth with mushrooms and a back-note of heat.
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 510kcal

Ingredients

  • 600 ml full-fat coconut milk
  • 400 ml chicken bone broth
  • 500 g chicken thighs sliced
  • 200 g oyster or straw mushrooms
  • 6 slices fresh galangal
  • 3 stalks lemongrass bruised
  • 6 kaffir lime leaves torn
  • 5 bird's eye chilies lightly crushed
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • Coriander to serve

Instructions

  • Combine coconut milk, broth, galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime in a pot.
  • Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Do not boil vigorously.
  • Add chicken and mushrooms. Simmer 12–15 minutes until chicken is cooked.
  • Add chilies. Simmer 2 more minutes.
  • Remove from heat. Season with fish sauce and lime juice.
  • Taste — it should be creamy, sour, salty, and aromatic.
  • Serve with coriander. The galangal and lemongrass are not eaten.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 510kcal | Protein: 35g | Fat: 38g | Fiber: 1g
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Cooking Tom Kha Gai Coconut Galangal Chicken Soup in the kitchen

Health Benefits

  • Coconut milk provides MCTs that support ketosis and offer rapid energy without spiking blood sugar.
  • Galangal contains bioactive compounds such as galangin, studied for their antioxidant properties.
  • Lemongrass is traditionally used to support healthy cholesterol levels.
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