Tom Yum Gai Thai Soup (Printable)

Spicy-sour Thai soup with chicken, mushrooms, and aromatic herbs in a vibrant, tangy broth.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, thinly sliced

→ Broth

02 - 5 cups chicken stock
03 - 2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed, cut into 2-inch pieces and smashed
04 - 5 kaffir lime leaves, torn
05 - 3 slices galangal or fresh ginger
06 - 2 Thai bird's eye chiles, smashed

→ Vegetables

07 - 5 oz oyster or button mushrooms, sliced
08 - 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
09 - 1 small onion, sliced

→ Seasonings

10 - 2 tablespoons nam prik pao Thai roasted chili paste
11 - 2 tablespoons fish sauce
12 - 1 tablespoon sugar
13 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
14 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

→ Garnish

15 - 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
16 - 1 to 2 Thai chiles, sliced

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring chicken stock to a gentle boil in a large saucepan. Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and smashed chiles. Simmer for 5 minutes to develop aromatic flavors.
02 - Add sliced chicken to the simmering broth and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until just cooked through. Skim off any surface foam.
03 - Stir in mushrooms, tomatoes, and onion. Continue simmering for 3 to 4 minutes until vegetables reach tender consistency without becoming mushy.
04 - Add nam prik pao, fish sauce, sugar, and salt. Stir thoroughly and simmer for 2 additional minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
05 - Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Taste the broth and adjust sourness or salt to your preference.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced chiles if desired. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than takeout, and the aroma alone makes your kitchen smell like a Thai restaurant.
  • The broth has this balanced intensity—spicy, sour, fragrant—that feels like a complete meal in a bowl without any cream or heaviness.
  • Once you nail the technique, you can swap proteins or vegetables depending on what's in your fridge and mood that day.
02 -
  • Don't skip the five-minute infusion step at the beginning; those aromatics need time to release their essential oils into the broth, otherwise the soup tastes flat and one-dimensional.
  • Add the lime juice only after you've taken the pot off heat, because boiling lime juice loses its brightness and makes it taste bitter and flat instead of vibrant.
03 -
  • If nam prik pao is hard to find, make a quick substitute by blending roasted red peppers with crushed garlic, chili flakes, and a touch of tomato paste, though the real thing is worth hunting down.
  • Smashing the aromatics instead of finely chopping them releases oils more gradually into the broth, creating a cleaner, more elegant flavor than if you pulverized them into paste.
Return