Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Soup with Coconut and Galangal)
Boneless chicken thighs simmered in stock with sliced galangal, lemongrass, shallots and fish sauce, then a pounded galangal infusion, makrut lime leaves, Thai chiles and coconut cream stirred in off the heat, seasoned with equal parts fish sauce and lime juice.
Tom kha gai means "chicken galangal soup," and Serious Eats' Derek Lucci points out that tom kha translates to "boiled galangal," so the galangal is not negotiable. Wikipedia describes it as a spicy and sour hot soup with coconut milk, says it originated around 1890 and was first recorded in a Thai recipe book, and that the earliest recorded version, tom kha pet, used duck and young galangal in a coconut milk curry before chicken became the more popular choice. It shares most of its base with tom yum; the coconut is what makes it creamy, milder and sweeter.
Lucci writes that tom kha gai has a spot on nearly every Thai restaurant menu in the West but often tastes like "a warm smoothie" from too much coconut cream and too little galangal. His fix is a galangal stock: galangal pounded in a mortar and steeped in warm chicken stock, with the coconut cream cut by a rich, well-seasoned stock and added only at the very end.
Why it works the kitchen science
A galangal infusion
Pounding galangal and pressing warm stock through it pulls out its peppery, piney flavor fast, so the soup tastes clearly of galangal instead of only coconut.
Coconut last, off the heat
Stirring in the coconut cream, lime leaves and chiles at the end keeps the coconut fresh and the aromatics bright, and stock does most of the work so the soup is creamy without tasting like a smoothie.
Step by step
- Step 1
Pound the 50 g piece of galangal in a granite mortar into a coarse paste, about 30 seconds.
- Step 2
Warm 1 cup stock to a simmer in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat and take it off the heat. Pour a third of it over the galangal and press with the pestle about 1 minute; repeat with the rest of the stock, then leave it to infuse.
- Step 3
In the empty saucepan, combine the 2 2/3 cups stock, sliced galangal, lemongrass, shallots and 1 tbsp fish sauce and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Step 4
Add the chicken, return to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender and the thickest piece reads 165°F, about 20 minutes.
- Step 5
Strain the galangal stock into the pot through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing hard on the solids. Stir in the lime leaves, chiles and coconut cream and take the pot off the heat.
- Step 6
Stir in the lime juice and the remaining 3 tbsp fish sauce, taste, and serve in warmed bowls with cilantro, with jasmine rice on the side.
Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Soup with Coconut and Galangal)
Serves 4 · about 6 cups · 35 min total
Galangal stock
- 1 cup homemade or store-bought chicken stock (unsalted if possible)
- 1 (4-inch) piece fresh galangal (about 50 g), peeled
Soup
- 2 2/3 cups homemade or store-bought chicken stock
- 1 (4-inch) piece fresh galangal (about 50 g), peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 stalks lemongrass, bottom 7 inches only, outer leaves removed, cut on a bias into 2-inch lengths
- 2 medium shallots, peeled and lightly smashed
- 1/4 cup fish sauce, divided
- 2 1/4 lb (1,020 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 10 fresh or frozen makrut lime leaves, center ribs removed
- 5 to 9 fresh Thai red chiles, stemmed and lightly smashed
- 1 cup full-fat coconut cream, stirred well
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
- Cilantro leaves, to garnish
- Jasmine rice, to serve
Method
- Pound the 50 g piece of galangal in a granite mortar into a coarse paste, about 30 seconds.
- Warm 1 cup stock to a simmer in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat and take it off the heat. Pour a third of it over the galangal and press with the pestle about 1 minute; repeat with the rest of the stock, then leave it to infuse.
- In the empty saucepan, combine the 2 2/3 cups stock, sliced galangal, lemongrass, shallots and 1 tbsp fish sauce and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Add the chicken, return to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender and the thickest piece reads 165°F, about 20 minutes.
- Strain the galangal stock into the pot through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing hard on the solids. Stir in the lime leaves, chiles and coconut cream and take the pot off the heat.
- Stir in the lime juice and the remaining 3 tbsp fish sauce, taste, and serve in warmed bowls with cilantro, with jasmine rice on the side.
Adapted from Derek Lucci, "Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Soup with Coconut and Galangal)", Serious Eats (updated March 20, 2025), serves 4. We follow it as written: 1 cup warm stock pressed over 50 g pounded galangal and left to infuse; 2 2/3 cups stock with 50 g sliced galangal, 3 stalks lemongrass, 2 shallots and 1 tbsp fish sauce brought to a boil; 1,020 g boneless, skinless thighs simmered covered about 20 minutes; the galangal stock strained in; 10 makrut lime leaves, 5 to 9 Thai chiles and 1 cup coconut cream off the heat; 1/4 cup lime juice and the remaining fish sauce. The 165°F check is ours. Serious Eats. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Lucci prefers stock made from chicken and water only; if you buy it, choose unsalted with few aromatics.
- Coconut milk works in place of coconut cream; the soup is just less rich.
- The galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves are for flavor; eat around them.
- It's best right away; reheat leftovers to 165°F and brighten with fresh lime juice.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Ginger can stand in for galangal. Disputed: Wikipedia says galangal is sometimes replaced with ginger; Serious Eats says ginger is not a substitute.
- Tom kha was always a chicken soup. Documented as false by Wikipedia: the earliest recorded version used duck.
- More coconut means better tom kha. Disputed: Lucci says restaurant versions often use too much coconut cream; how rich it should be is a matter of taste.
- Tom kha is milder than tom yum. Documented as Wikipedia's account: the coconut milk makes it creamier, milder and sweeter.
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