Tom Yum Chicken Soup (Tom Yum Gai)

Pailin Chongchitnant • October 4, 2014

Jump to video!


Tom Yum Goong (tom yum soup with shrimp) might be the most famous version of this Thai hot and sour soup, but the chicken version is just as delicious. There's a little more to it than simply substituting chicken for shrimp, as Thai people have figured out the best flavour pairings for these two different proteins.

Tom yum is a brothy, spicy and sour soup, infused with the classic Thai herbs: lemongrass, galangal and makrut (kaffir lime leaves). If you love the flavour of these aromatic herbs, but want something milder and creamier, a little more comforting, check out this easy tom kha gai recipe that I know you will love!

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Tom Yum Gai

Tom Yum Gai ต้มยำไก่ (lemongrass chicken soup)


Ingredients

  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 350 g chicken thigh, 1-inch pieces
  • 3 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 heads shallots
  • 3 - 4 dried chilies (or substitute fresh chilies)
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, bottom half only, cut into 1 - 2 inch pieces
  • 5 - 6 rounds galangal
  • 5 - 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn
  • 2 heads shallots, cut in half vertically
  • 2 Tbsp tamarind juice
  • 200 grams oyster, straw or beech mushrooms
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halves, or regular tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 2 - 3 Tbsp lime juice (how much you need depends on the acidity of your tamarind)
  • ½ - 1 tsp sugar (you may or many not need this)
  • Salt as needed
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • 3 - 4 leaves sawtooth coriander (optional)

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use


Instructions

Bring 4 cups of stock to a boil in a medium pot. 

While the stock is heating, place the dried chilies on a sheet pan and, without preheating, broil them on low in the oven on the top rack. When the chilies puff up and start to darken in colour, remove from heat and add them directly to the stock pot. If you want a spicier soup, break the chilies in half before adding.

Turn the broiler up to high and broil the shallots, cut side up, until the edges are charred, about 3-5 minutes. Add them to the stock pot.

Once the stock boils, add chicken, 2 Tbsp fish sauce, and simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is fork tender. Once chicken is tender, add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and simmer for 3-5 minutes to infuse. Then add  2 Tbsp tamarind juice, sugar, mushrooms and tomatoes; bring the soup back to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with the remaining lime juice, fish sauce and/or salt as needed.

Stir in cilantro and sawtooth coriander just before serving.

Join us on Patreon for bonus content and rewards!


By Pailin Chongchitnant May 7, 2022
Tom yum goong maybe the most famous soup of Thailand, but its milder creamier sister, tom kha gai , is my personal favourite. This comforting Thai coconut chicken soup recipe is infused with the classic Thai herbs: lemongrass, galangal, and makrut (kaffir) lime leaves. It's so easy yet so loveable that when someone asks, "I'm new to Thai food, what should I try/make first?" Tom kha gai is my answer.
By Pailin Chongchitnant May 6, 2022
If you love mangoes, and you love mango desserts, Mango Royale, aka Mango Float, is an absolute must-try; right after mango and sticky rice , of course! It's a frozen Filipino dessert that takes advantage of peak-of-the-season mangoes, and uses only 5 ingredients. There's no baking involved, and it's so easy it's essentially fool-proof!
By Pailin Chongchitnant April 22, 2022
I LOVE all kinds of basil, but I don't love how quickly it goes bad and that it doesn't freeze well. So I came up with this recipe as a way to use up any amount of basil you have on hand . It's an easy and versatile sauce that only uses pantry staples, and can be stored in the fridge for at least a week. Reheat it and pour onto any cooked protein, or use it as a stir fry sauce - or heck, you can even use it as gravy for your mashed potatoes. It can also be made vegan. The possibilities are endless!
By Pailin Chongchitnant April 8, 2022
Imagine this: soft and creamy ice cream bars that you didn't need to whip or churn. All you have to do is cook the ice cream base, pour it into a mold, then cut it into pieces. And it's so soft your teeth will glide right through it as you take a bite, and it's wonderfully chewy. Yes, chewy.
By Pailin Chongchitnant March 25, 2022
I wanted a fried rice recipe that really celebrates the flavours of chilies - not just their heat. This fried rice features not one, not two, but three different types of chilies, combined with the fragrance of Thai basil to tie it all together! And no, it doesn't make this dish overwhelmingly spicy, and you can indeed customize the heat level while still preserving all the delicious chili flavour. It's not something I created out of thin air, but a traditional Thai dish (with a couple of tweaks from me)!
By Pailin Chongchitnant March 8, 2022
If you love cooking Asian food, oyster sauce is probably already in your kitchen. But do you know if the one you have is a "good one”? And is the expensive oyster sauce you bought (or didn't buy) worth the splurge?
By Pailin Chongchitnant March 3, 2022
With over 3 million views on YouTube, this recipe is one of the most popular, and an OG, on Hot Thai Kitchen. This world-famous tom yum soup is universally loved; and with this authentic recipe I promise you can make it as good as, if not better than, the ones in restaurants. It's one of the first dishes I learned to make as a child because it's so easy, making this a great first Thai dish to try!
By Pailin Chongchitnant March 1, 2022
Thai green curry chicken is my most popular recipe on the YouTube channel with over 4 million views . If you want a completely authentic recipe, and one that maximizes deliciousness, this is it right here. It is one of the best known dishes of Thai cuisine, and despite its complex flavours, it is actually quite easy to make at home. It's also gluten free, and adaptable for vegans!
By Pailin Chongchitnant February 21, 2022
Pad see ew is one of the most well-known and well-loved Thai dishes, but most people only know of the more common version of pad see ew that uses fresh wide rice noodles (ho fun). This version however uses thin rice vermicelli, and it's the one that I actually grew up eating in Thailand. It’s an incredibly fast dish to make; from the time I get up to cook to the time I sit down to eat, it takes only 20 minutes! You can even watch me prep and cook it all up in real time in the video tutorial below just to see how fast it really is!
By Pailin Chongchitnant February 7, 2022
Easy, delicious, and versatile; what else could you ask for in a chicken recipe? Lemongrass chicken is a staple menu item in Vietnamese restaurants in Canada, and one that my husband gets all the time - which is why I was inspired to recreate it. It is so quick to prepare, kid-friendly, can last you the whole week in the fridge (yay meal prep), and you can grill or broil it!
More Posts
Share by: