Tom Yum Gai Thai Soup (Printable)

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

# What You 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 as substitute
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 or to taste
14 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice plus extra for serving

→ Garnish

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

# Directions:

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

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd expect, and the kitchen fills with an aroma so good you'll catch yourself just standing there breathing it in.
  • One bowl somehow feels both light and deeply satisfying, the kind of meal that makes you feel better immediately.
  • It's naturally dairy-free and gluten-free, so you're not sacrificing complexity for dietary needs.
02 -
  • Don't rush the initial infusion step—those five minutes of simmering aromatic ingredients is what separates restaurant-quality broth from something that tastes one-dimensional.
  • Lime juice added at the end tastes brighter than lime added during cooking, so this timing matters more than you'd expect.
03 -
  • Smashing your aromatics with the side of your knife before adding them multiplies the flavor intensity more than simply tossing them in whole.
  • Taste the soup before adding lime juice—this final seasoning layer is where you dial in whether it tastes bright versus mellow, so don't let someone else decide for you.
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