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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
Hi! This looks amazing! (As do all of your recipes! So glad I randomly found your book at TJ MAXX!) anyway, would ground beef work instead of the chicken? That’s what I have on hand currently. And would I replace chicken broth with beef broth if I did that? Thanks!
Hey Yana! Yes, ground beef will work great! I would recommend still using the chicken broth. That will be delish! So glad you found the book as well 🙂 Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Khao soi, amazing
Thank you Patty! xTieghan
Amazing! So simple and easy. A new favorite, thank you!
Thank you so much Chris! I hope you continue to love the recipes I share! xTieghan
Tieghan,
I found your instagram through a friend. And I have thanked her multiple times! Love, love, love the inspiration you’re giving me. I’ve gone to your website five separate times today. I made this Khao Soi last night, had left overs for lunch, and will be eating again for dinner. It is SO good!
You have a new fan!
Thanks, lots of love,
Kyra R.
Aw that is so amazing to hear! I am so glad you have been enjoying my recipes and I hope you continue to! Thank you! xTieghan
Holy moly this was SO tasty! I am so happy I recently stumbled upon your Instagram page and took the initiative to head to my favorite Asian market to pick-up some fresh noodles & produce. The recipe was simple and it came out incredible, my family isn’t familiar with too many Thai / Asian dishes and everyone really LOVED this. I can’t wait to make it again 🙂
Hi Jena! I am so glad you found my site as well! Thank you for trying this! xTieghan
We really loved the flavor of the soup. And it’s such a filling and well-rounded dish. Now that I’ve made it once, I think I could definitely make it in 30 min or less next time. I did struggle keeping my meatballs together; they kept falling apart when I turned them. If you have any tips on how you keep yours whole so they get that nice sear?
Hey Hannah! It is important to not turn the meatballs before they are ready, so if they are sticking to the pan, give them a bit more time to cook.
Also, What percent fat are you using for your meat? Is it super lean? I recommend using something with a little bit of fat to help the meatballs stay moist and hold together. If you are having trouble, you can also add 1 egg to the meatball mix. This will ensure they do not crumble. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
How can I make this vegetarian but keep all the yummy things in the meatballs?
HI! Have you ever tried a quinoa meatball? I wonder if that might work well? Or just simple saute all the ingredients in the meatballs with olive oil, just don’t use the meat! That would be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Just read your new cookbook cover to cover since I’ll be teaching the cooking class based on it at Williams Sonoma next week (meanest green pizza and coconut carrot cake)… been following and cooking along with you for quite sometime and have great success with your creations!… keep it up, you are INSPIRING ❤️
Aw that is so great! Thank you so much, Lori! I hope you have an amazing class! xTieghan
Incredible! I added cayenne pepper for a little more spice but WOW this recipe is phenomenal. We love Thai food and this will definitely be a new regular. Thanks Tieghan!
Thank you Traci! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Looks sooo yummy! I’m trying to adapt the recipe to fit within my WW points. Would it ruin it to use reduced fat coconut milk?
Hi! I am sure low fat coconut milk will be just fine! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
OMG! This is so delicious! The flavors are outstanding and everyone in the family love it! Thank you!
Thank you so much Sunday! xTieghan
First time trying this recipe! Love it!!!
Aw amazing! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan, I made this a few days ago for my husband and 22 year old son. I cook a lot and am pretty adventurous, so it’s not always home runs, but whenever I do hit one – the whole family agree it “goes on the menu.” That is, the menu for restaurant we will probably never open but if we did open, we would only serve food that we LOVE.
Anyway I’m sitting here eating the last leftovers – plotting when to make it again. Won’t be long:)
Notes: I used Klusky Polish Egg noodles which worked great. Added an egg and a splash of breadcrumbs to the meatballs, otherwise I essentially followed the recipe (which rare for me:) perhaps a little heavy on my 3 loves, Garlic, Ginger, Red Curry This soup is everything. Thanks for all the cooking smarts and creativity all the time! – LOVE YOUR BLOG.
Hi Jenn! I am so glad you all enjoyed this recipes so much! So amazing to hear! Thank you! xTieghan
No ginger in Kao Soi curry please. The dish look very delicious but you missing one most important ingredient in the curry base, you need to put indian yellow curry powder in it too. You say this is not the Authentic one but still no basil in kKao Soi cause it’s kill other flavor in the dish
Hi Charlene! I think if you tried this, you might change your mind! But I will take the yellow curry powder into consideration! Thank you! xTieghan
I thought the liquid ratio to chicken was to much. I
I also ran into a moisture problem when trying to brown the balls. They just let out so much water and didn’t brown as much as i wanted and stuck a bit. I used a Dutch Oven. Maybe I should have used a straight cast iron? Any ways. It was too soupy and we prefer chicken chunks to ground meat..
Hi Jolene! I am sorry that happened… Is there anything that could have happened in the making of this? Please let me know! I would love to help! xTieghan