Recipes Dinner Poultry Dishes Chicken Main Course Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup) This spicy and sour soup features aromatics like makrut lime, lemongrass, and chiles to flavor a creamy base of coconut milk and chicken broth. By Andrew Zimmern Andrew Zimmern Andrew Zimmern is an Emmy-winning and James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer, and social justice advocate. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on September 19, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Charlie Worthington / Prop Styling by Natalie Ghazali Total Time: 35 mins Servings: 6 to 8 Jump to recipe Spicy and creamy, this soup simmers all the ingredients together, allowing the flavors to meld beautifully.Coconut milk gives tom kha gai its signature richness and velvety texture.Plan ahead and cook this soup the night before — letting all the flavors sit overnight in the refrigerator will make them that much more dynamic when ready to eat. I am eight years old. I am on a food recon trip with my dad in the middle of a fall day in Los Angeles. He is there for work, and I am tagging along for a few days of fun with my old man. We arrive at the place he has been searching for, a now-defunct restaurant called Thai Kitchen that used to be on Vermont between Eighth and Ninth. I have never seen, smelled, or tasted Thai cooking. Walking in the door, I feel overwhelmed by the bright perfume of mint, lemongrass, and chile, the now unmistakable bounce in the air when tamarind hits a wok. First thing I eat: chicken soup. There is a great New York City Jewish joke in there somewhere, but all I have energy for right now is recalling my first encounter with one of my favorite foods, tom kha gai. To this day, I make this dish almost every time I have guests in my house. There is no better recipe to define my obsession with the romance of food, travel, or, for that matter, good, solid cookery. — Andrew Zimmern What’s the history of tom kha gai? The first version of this soup appeared in a recipe book in the 1890s. Called tom kha pet, it was flavored with chile jam and galangal — a root in the ginger family — and used duck instead of chicken. Tom kha differentiates itself from other Thai soups like tom yum with the addition of creamy coconut milk. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen To easily peel ginger root, opt for a spoon; the thin curve of the spoon’s edge allows you to get into the nooks and crannies of the ginger. Press the edge of the spoon against the ginger and pull down towards you — the skin should flake right off. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 6 to 8 servings 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, sliced crosswise into 2- x 1/4-inch pieces 1/4 cup fish sauce 3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth 2 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar 5 teaspoons Thai red chile paste 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger 1 stalk lemongrass, tender inner white part only, minced (about 2 tablespoons) 2 fresh or dried makrut lime leaves, or 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced 2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 red or green Thai chiles, thinly sliced on the bias 1/3 cup packed cilantro leaves, for garnish Directions In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the fish sauce. In a large pot, combine the stock with the sugar, chile paste, tamarind, ginger, lemongrass, and lime leaves and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and fish sauce along with the mushrooms and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the lime leaves. Stir in the lime juice and chiles. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the cilantro, and serve. Make ahead Store the finished soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a day. Return to the stove and bring to a simmer when ready to eat. Originally appeared: October 2011 Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.