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).
Got ingredients leftover? You must make this easy tom kha gai recipe. It has uses all the same herbs, but is milder and creamier with the addition of coconut milk. If you love tom yum, I know you will also love tom kha gai.
For a Thai soup that doesn't use any hard-to-find ingredients, try this chicken potato soup that is super comforting and was a staple in my family in Thailand!
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!
Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.
- Chicken stock
- Chicken thigh, 1-inch pieces
- Fish sauce
- Shallots
- Dried chilies (or substitute fresh chilies)
- Lemongrass, bottom half only, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- Galangal
- Kaffir lime leaves, torn
- Shallots, cut in half vertically
- Tamarind juice
- Oyster, straw or beech mushrooms
- Cherry tomatoes, halves, or regular tomatoes, cut into wedges
- Lime juice (how much you need depends on the acidity of your tamarind)
- Sugar (you may or many not need this)
- Salt, as needed
- Cilantro
- Leaves sawtooth coriander (optional)
How to Make Tom Yum Gai ต้มยำไก่ (lemongrass chicken soup)
Here are all the steps to make this recipe. If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.
- 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 tablespoon 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 tablespoon tamarind juice, sugar, mushrooms and tomatoes; bring the soup back to a boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoon 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.
Tom Yum Gai ต้มยำไก่ (lemongrass chicken soup)
- Yield: Serves 4
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 tablespoon lime juice (how much you need depends on the acidity of your tamarind)
- ½-1 teaspoon sugar (you may or many not need this)
- Salt as needed
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 3-4 leaves sawtooth coriander (optional)
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 tablespoon 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 tablespoon tamarind juice, sugar, mushrooms and tomatoes; bring the soup back to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoon 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.
arianna
Yeah I second the commenter who said Pai Lin is a great cook. I had ZERO knowledge of cooking at all years ago, and I essentially learned from Pai Lin's youtube videos how to make some Thai meals. They always come out really good and people love my Thai cooking!!!
★★★★★
Ernest
I've watched a bunch of her videos and she is a really good, really authentic cook, and she gets broth better than most. The chicken broth and soup for tom yum gai is awesome. When she talks about "short cut" chicken broth by using chicken drumettes or little wing pieces, that's when I knew she really knows chicken broth. She doesn't cook with sugar much, if at all, and the balance of salty (fish sauce), aromatic (lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves), sour (tamarind) and spicy (this is perhaps her best advice) is perfect.
John
The wife has me making this every weekend. Seriously, I do the cooking...unless she is making her Filipina food..I digress.
This is a sensational recipe. I don't do the sugar, the wife and daughter like it a little more "tangy" than sweet. I add just a tad bit more water and add a couple of 2 min baskets of egg noodle on the bottom of the bowl, I pour the soup over the noodles...by the time the bowls hit the table the noodles are perfect.
This food is incredible when you are sick. I will substitute some shrimp once in a while. Just remember unfrozen shrimp takes minutes to cook. This eliminates about 30 minutes of cooking time.
God Bless and keep the recipes coming
★★★★★
Adrian
My local Thai Kitchen does this soup with a little bit of coconut (?) milk and it was my favorite, until today. now this is my favorite. tthe ccharred shalotts, and the tamarind were just perfect additions
Thank You!
★★★★★
Ann
Delicious! I did not add sugar and it was perfect-
I did have some big chunks of lemongrass in the bowls I served...was I supposed to fish this out prior to serving?
Thanks! Great recipe and so quick!
Ann
★★★★★
Jaye
No, the diner is to remove 3 flavorings; lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and
galangal (which looks like a slice of a tree limb). Some servings may not contain the last two items.
Holly Salley
I made this again today and it is so delicious. Everything I have ever made from Hot Thai Kitchen has been delicious. I this is no exception.
★★★★★
Luke Parlor
I loved this dish. It reminded me so much of the Tom Yum that I had in northern Thailand, nearly 10 years ago. It was that dish that made me really appreciate how good a Tom Yum could be, unlike so many westernised versions. This one bough back those memories.
★★★★★
SG
Great and simple Tom Yum, definitely a hit at our house. Used fresh chilies and shiitake mushrooms instead since we can't find the others easily and still turned out wonderfully. A tip would be to add the lemongrass and galangal in teabags or keep a strainer them them in the soup - it makes them very easy to fish out!
★★★★★