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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
Made this last night and everything about this recipe is great. The only thing I’ll do differently next time, would be to add a pinch of salt to the chicken meatballs when combining with the scallions, ginger and pepper. Otherwise, this has now become a staple recipe for us. Tieghan is right, don’t skimp on the toppings at the end!! I really love how the fresh lime juice brightens up the flavors and we didn’t have Thai basil, so I used cilantro instead and it was still fab. Thanks for sharing all these incredible recipes Tieghan!
Hi Catherine! I am so happy this recipe has been turning out so well for you!! Thank you so much for trying it!! xTieghan
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes to make. Incredibly flavorful and filling. Love it!
Thank you so much Claire! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious! Easy to make and full of flavor. I will be making this often. Thank you!
Thank you Kelli! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
SOOOOOO delicious and easy! A new favorite for sure.
Thank you! xTieghan
This recipe is pretty easy, and really good. I doubled the recipe, for leftovers.
I made a few changes, for my taste. First. I added mushrooms, steamed broccoli, and more greens than the recipe asks for, for nutrition and to bulk it up a bit. I don’t like raw scallions, so I cooked a chopped scallion with the mushrooms. I cooked the mushrooms and greens in broth, after the meatballs were cooked. I used much more garlic than the recipe called for (I love garlic), but the curry paste/coconut milk ratio was on point, for me. I like the Mae Ploy brand. In addition, I think that 3 tbs. of fish sauce is a bit much, so I used 2 tbs. + 1 tbs. of low-sodium soy sauce per batch. I also used slightly less olive oil than the recipe calls for, but that is due to my love of chili oil.
This recipe is interesting, because when it’s first served, it’s soup-y; however, the rice noodles absorb much of the liquid when it’s refrigerated overnight. I will definitely be making this again, and I will experiment with different veggies to mix into the dish.
Hi Meghan! Thank you for trying this one! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hello! I want to make this tonight but only have one can of cocomilk…what do you think? Just not as creamy I’m sure. Would you add more broth or no? Thanks!
Hey Kris,
I would add a little more broth:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Dear TIeghan or Tieghan’s assistant who gets paid to answer all these questions — when you say Low Sodium Chicken Broth, do you just use the cheap easy canned stuff, or do you always have legit broth from scratch on-hand?
Hey Troy,
I like to use boxed chicken broth from Whole Foods, I usually get the 365 brand. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Bland. We love Thai. Visit Thailand often. SOOOO bland. The chicken meatballs are almost flavorless and I doubled the spices. As a white dude…this is white people Thai
I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe, Cody! xTieghan
I wish i could give this more stars! I’m a huge fan of traditional Thai cooking and this fits the bill perfectly. I grew my own Thai basil and added lemongrass and fresh bird’s eye chilies I grew myself as well, all of which made an excellent addition. We also used pork we raised and butchered ourselves for the meatballs as opposed to chicken, and man oh man did that make it even better. Thank you so much for sharing.
Ooo love that! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Kasey! Thank you! xTieghan
This was fantastic! My boys ages 19,11, and 10 loved it as well. Super easy to make and delicious. My family has loved every one of your recipes we have cooked! Our new favorite recipe site!
Thank you so much Jana! I am so happy this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this recipe for dinner last night and my husband and I both loved it. It was super easy-minimal time and dishes. We will definitely be adding this to our regular dinner rotation!
Love to hear that Erica! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xTieghan
BOOM! Here’s a power punch to your tastebuds! Be not afraid..this is an easy meal to assemble and boy is it satisfying. Appreciate the journey this meal has taken me during COVID times. Delish!
Thank you so much A! xTieghan
I love this recipe! I’ve made it so many times:) My husband and I visited Chiang Mai last spring and discovered this wonderful dish. I’ve made your version with the meatballs, but when we were in Chiang Mai we had it with chicken drumsticks. I have a bunch of frozen wings in the freezer and was thinking to keep the chicken tender, throwing them in the pressure cooker. Do you have any tips on how to season and cook them in pressure cooker before adding to the dish?
Thanks!
Hey Katie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I haven’t tested this with drumsticks but I would just season with salt and pepper. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi!! New follower here and oh wow your recipes look delicious, and so amazing and your pictures are gorgeous!! I’m making this tonight and this will be my fifth night in a row making your fabulosity recipes!! The only thing I regret is not finding you sooner!! ?
Welcome!! I am so glad you are enjoying my blog and I hope this turns out amazing for you! Thank you so much! xTieghan
THIS IS THE BEST! I’ve made it many many times and it never gets old. Plus I’ve shared it with nearly everyone I know – lol.
One question – I’m currently low on herbs (?). Do you think mint would work or be so weird in it … ?!
Hey Bridget,
I am so glad you have enjoyed this recipe! I think mint would be totally fine here! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan