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Weeknight Thai Chicken Meatball Khao Soi. This northern Thai inspired noodle soup is the simplest weeknight dinner. Made with flavorful Thai curry paste, coconut milk, and plenty of fresh herbs and lime juice. Toss in seared gingery chicken meatballs and plenty of delicious egg noodles, it’s hard to beat the easy Thai inspired soup. It’s the perfect any night of the week dinner that’s made in 30 minutes, hearty, cozy, and healthy too.
Say hello to my personal favorite recipe of the week. This soup is a combination of everything I love most. It’s colorful, hearty, full of so many vegetables, has crispy (flavorful) chicken meatballs, noodles, and truly the most delicious soup broth. If I wasn’t making a million other things every single week I would be making this soup on repeat. It’s one of my favorites…probably should have saved it for a possible future cookbook but I simply had to share.
Sooo, hopefully, that lets you know just how excited I am. I know this soup is different, but I beg you to try it.
The background + inspiration.
First, I want to share the background on Khao Soi, in case you’re unfamiliar with it. It’s a soup from Northern Thailand made with very specific Thai curry paste giving the soup its unique rich flavor. Additionally, it’s made with creamy coconut milk, which makes this more like a curry…but yet it’s still soup. Well actually, it’s somewhere in between the two!
After reading up on Khao Soi, I discovered there are actually a few variations throughout different parts of Thailand. Some parts of the country will use rice noodles, while others use egg noodles. However, the broth remains the same…curry paste and coconut milk. You can read up on the history here, if you’d like.
So the inspiration? Of course, it’s once again my brother, Brendan. He’s traveled to Thailand a few times now and each time he brings me curry paste and noodles. It’s like winning the lottery, I love him so much for it. Praying he and Lyn’s head back soon because my stash is currently gone.
Anyway, this is their favorite soup. I’ve made a couple versions of it now, one you can find in the Half Baked Harvest Super Simple Cookbook. But I think today’s version might just be my favorite…
My point is, I just love the meatballs in this version, they’re such a fun twist.
Here is how you make Thai Khao Soy.
Going to put this right out there before getting into details, this is not an authentic Khao Soi. This is just my take, it’s similar but different.
Moving along, aside from cooking the noodles, this soup is made entirely in one pot. The meatballs are the exact same mix that I used for my ginger sesame meatballs…ground chicken, green onions, garlic, and ginger. Roll this all together, then pan-fry the meatballs in a bit of olive oil to get them nice and crispy on the outside. Toss in some baby bok choy, or other greens of your liking, and sear them until they are crisp. At this point, you’ll remove everything from the pot so that the meatballs and greens don’t overcook or lose their crispness.
Next, you’ll want to sauté the Thai red curry paste for a minute or two before adding in the liquids. This will activate the flavors in the curry paste and give you a richer tasting broth. Now, just add in all the liquid, stir back in the meatballs and bok choy, and simmer everything together for a few minutes. You want the meatballs to cook fully through and the flavors in the soup to meld together.
While that’s happening, boil some egg noodles (or use rice noodles if you are gluten free). By the time the noodles are ready, the soup will be too!
Let’s talk about the toppings.
Because they are the best part! Well, maybe not the best part, but they contribute so much to this soup.
I am not shy with my toppings, I really like to layer them on. Use ingredients you love most, but here are my recommendations…plenty of fresh Thai basil, a generous handful of thinly sliced green onions, some very thinly sliced shallots (bonus points if you fry the shallots in oil first), lots of fresh-squeezed lime juice, and lastly – chili oil…lots and lots of chili oil.
For the chili oil, I simply make up a quick homemade batch, but you can easily use store-bought too. And if you can’t find any Thai basil, regular Italian basil works as well.
And that’s it, simple, so much flavor, quick, easy, extra color, and insanely good!
I really can’t begin to express just how good. If you loved my Thai ramen or my coconut milk braised chicken, I think you’ll also greatly enjoy this. Similar(ish) flavors, but very different dishes.
The broth, the crispy meatballs, the noodles, the toppings…everything all together. It is the BEST. Creamy, hinted with ginger and garlic, a touch spicy, a touch sweet, herby, salty, so perfect. Yeah, I think that pretty much sums this up. So how about a cozy bowl of Khao Soi tonight? You only need thirty minutes.
You can do it!
If you make this Weeknight Thai Chicken Meatball Khao Soi, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Weeknight Thai Chicken Meatball Khao Soi.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 636 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 green onions, finely, chopped, plus more for serving
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 baby bok choy or 1 bunch kale, chopped
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
- 2 (14-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce (or low sodium soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup each fresh cilantro and Thai or regular basil, chopped, plus more for serving
- 8 ounces egg or rice noodles
- sliced limes and thinly sliced shallots, for serving
- chili oil, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Add the chicken, green onions, ginger, garlic, and a pinch of pepper to a bowl. Mix until just combined. Coat your hands with a bit of oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-20 meatballs).2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add the meatballs and sear until crisp, about 4-5 minutes, turning them 2-3 times. Toss in the bok choy and cook 2 minutes more, until just charred on the edges. Transfer everything to a plate.3. To the same pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and the curry paste. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, and honey. Slide the meatballs and bok choy back into the soup. Simmer over medium heat until the meatballs are cooked through, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the herbs. 4. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.5. Divide the noodles between bowls and ladle the soup over. Top each bowl as desired with basil, green onions, shallots, lime juice, and chili oil.
This post was originally published on January 22, 2020
I don’t have fish sauce right now, but I do have soy sauce and oyster sauce. Which would be a better substitute? I’m so excited to see a recipe for khao soi! Can’t wait to try it this week.
Hey Allie,
I would use a combo of both! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi,
I want to make this for a group of people.
What is the best way to cook this in advance? Already brown the meatballs & bok choy and then make the soup when everyone is here, or make the whole soup in advance (but maybe the veg gets soggy?)
Thanks!
Hey Julie,
I would go ahead and do the meatballs and box choy in advance and then make the soup when your guests arrive. I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan
We made this tonight and it was truly so, so good! Thank you for this recipe!
Hey Leah,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Really easy. The meatballs need salt. Full of flavor.
Hey Jon,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
This was delicious. My husband said restaurant flavours. Yum. I made this exactly as directed (except, lol) I used tofu – i tried to make tofu-balls but had no idea how to bind them on the fly – so used as a crumble and added a ton of vegetables, and wish I used more! Add more veggies, no question. I added kale, broccoli and red peppers. I wish I added more. So delicious. Will make this again and again.
Hey Trish,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so excited that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
New here, first recipe I’m trying. Is there a reason for the low sodium chicken broth? Honestly it didn’t have much kick or spice for my taste… I would probably add salt or use regular broth next time, and only 2 cups instead of 3. Also agree with the prep time comments, it took me a bit longer to form the meatballs and chop everything by myself than the suggested estimates. Maybe with 2 people or a better kitchen layout this could be faster.
Hey Spencer,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
This recipe was so easy to make and delicious! It had so many complementing flavors.
Hey Ashley,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday! xTieghan
This was out of my comfort zone when it comes to recipes for my family but it was a hit. I’m not a lover of coconut but this was just so good. The leftovers the next day also were just as good as the night before. Thanks for the recipe.
Hey Suzana,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday! xTieghan
DEFINITELY making this tonight! Made the turmeric chicken recipe this week as well and I’m in love. Contrary to what it may seem, it truly only takes 30-45 minutes. 45 for me, a very unorganized cook!
Hey Sylvie,
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Ok my whole family loved it!! Even my
Uber pickey 12 ye old son.
I used 1/2 ground chicken and 1/2 ground turkey because turkey I can get at Costco.
I also only used baby kale and no bok choy.
I used regular basil since I cannot get Thai basil at king soopers.
I will be adding this recipe to the family favorite list! I would post a pic but I don’t know if you can!
Not a single recipe I have tried from you has failed us, you are awesome!
Hey Brook,
I am so thrilled that your family enjoyed the recipe, this makes me so happy! xTieghan
This recipe is delicious! The prep was so simple and quick, once I read the recipe. As for preparing it, the recipe was well written and straight forward. We did change one aspect and that was to thicken it up a bit but that is a personal preference for my household. Next go around, I will start boiling water earlier- I forgot how long a watch pot takes to boil, lol.
Hey Natalie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Never have I ever commented on a recipe, but this was THAT good and I had to. I have been eying it all week and went for it tonight while my husband was working. Whenever I start with “I found a recipe on a blog that I want to try” I am almost always met with hesitation because they never turn out as expected. I will say it took me longer than 30 minutes (more like 50)…but new recipes always do before I perfect them. I added a bunch of veggies we had in the fridge (mushrooms, zuc, onion) along with everything you have above and it was a HUGE hit. Can’t wait to make it again. You’ve got me hooked!
Hey Amanda,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, and thanks so much for your kind message and giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I’ve had this bookmarked for a while to try, but never pulled the trigger because something about the recipe made me think the flavor might not be there- and I think I was right. I usually love HBH’s recipes, but I felt the proportions + directions for seasonings had this dish fall a bit short. I thought the chicken meatballs desperately needed some seasoning + binder or fat to improve the texture. The broth was a bit flat in flavor as well- I may recommend reducing the amount of chicken broth & upping the fish sauce, +50% curry paste to compensate. Overall, a solid infrastructure for a relatively quick and easy weeknight meal, but I do think there’s potential to get it to the same level as many of HBH’s recipes! I don’t mean for this to be a mean review! Just my honest thoughts. I love HBH and I will be leaving a review on one of my favorite recipes to compensate. I appreciate you, HBH!
Hey Caroline,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry you did not enjoy the flavors, let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
A die hard Khao Soi fan here. We made this recipe and felt like it needed more sugar. Tasted too much like a regular salty soup base. Realize this isn’t an authentic recipe, but we liked the meatball addition. Might try adding the meatballs to an authentic recipe.
Hey Devin,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This was delicious. I doubled the recipe and made exactly as stated except I used about 2 cups less broth because it wouldn’t fit in my pot. I skipped the step where you took out the meatballs and bok choy to sauté the curry sauce and just added the ingredients all at once because I was lazy. It was still delicious.
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. That is so great the recipe was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan