Tom Yum Gai Thai Soup (Print)

Vibrant Thai soup with tender chicken, aromatic herbs, and spicy-sour broth flavored with lemongrass and lime.

# Ingredients:

→ 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
11 - 2 tablespoons fish sauce
12 - 1 tablespoon sugar
13 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
14 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus extra for serving

→ Garnish

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

# Directions:

01 - In a large saucepan, bring chicken stock to a gentle boil. Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and smashed chiles. Simmer for 5 minutes to infuse flavors.
02 - Add chicken slices and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until cooked through. Skim off any foam from the surface.
03 - Stir in mushrooms, tomatoes, and onion. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until vegetables are tender but retain their structure.
04 - Add nam prik pao, fish sauce, sugar, and salt. Stir well and simmer for 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning to preference.
05 - Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Taste and adjust sourness or salt as desired.
06 - Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and additional sliced chiles if desired. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The broth comes alive with aromatics that make your whole kitchen smell like a Thai restaurant, but it's actually simple enough for a weeknight dinner.
  • It's naturally dairy-free and gluten-free, which means everyone at your table can eat without worry.
  • That spicy-sour punch hits different every time you adjust the lime and chiles, so you can make it exactly how you want it.
02 -
  • Don't skip the smashing step with lemongrass and chiles—bruising them releases oils that whole pieces never will, and that's the difference between flat and fragrant.
  • Lime juice goes in at the very end, not at the beginning, because heat destroys its brightness and you need that sharp sourness to cut through the richness of the broth.
  • Fish sauce smells like low tide at first, but it dissolves into the broth and becomes invisible flavor that makes people say the soup tastes incredible without knowing why.
03 -
  • Smashing the aromatics instead of just tossing them whole into the pot makes the flavor release faster and more intensely—it's a small move that changes everything.
  • Buying pre-sliced chicken from the meat counter saves time and ensures even cooking since all the pieces are uniform thickness.
  • Keep extra lime wedges on the table because Tom Yum is one of those soups where people want to keep adjusting their own sourness bite by bite.
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