Skip to main content
LoginSign Up
Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken and Mushrooms

Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken and Mushrooms

“Words, in every language, fail us,” J.M. Hirsch writes of this explosively flavorful tom yum soup he tried in Bangkok.

By Courtney HillFebruary 1, 2023

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    1 hour
  • Active time plus cooling
    30 minutes active
  • Rating

Tom yum is a classic Thai soup that is spicy, sour and savory. It also is intensely fragrant and flavorful with Southeast Asian aromatics, including lemon grass, galangal and makrut lime leaves. On a recent trip to Bangkok, we learned to make tom yum gai—the chicken version—from home cook and food blogger Rawadee Yenchujit. Back home, we needed to substitute ginger and lime zest for the harder-to-find galangal and makrut lime leaves. If you can find fresh galangal, use an equal amount in place of the ginger. And if you’re able to get fresh makrut, use 10 sets of leaves (they grow in pairs) in place of the lime zest. The chili paste, sometimes referred to as chili “jam”—nam prik pao in Thai—is a common addition to tom yum. Made by blending shallots, garlic, dried chilies, shrimp paste, tamarind, oil and other ingredients, the paste brings added complexity and color to the soup, along with a touch of fat that helps carry the flavors. Thai Kitchen roasted chili paste is sold in small jars in the international aisle of most supermarkets. If you like, serve the soup with steamed jasmine rice.

Tip

Don’t leave the saucepan uncovered during simmering. Keeping the lid on ensures the broth will not over-reduce, which will upset the balance of flavors and result in too little volume.

Ingredients
  • 2

    limes (see headnote)

  • 4

    stalks lemon grass, trimmed to the bottom 6 inches, dry outer layers discarded, bruised

  • 4

    Fresno or jalapeño chilies, stemmed, 2 halved and seeded, 2 sliced into thin rings

  • 3

    medium shallots, halved

  • 3

    medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • 1

    2-inch piece fresh ginger (see headnote), cut into 4 or 5 coins and bruised

  • 2

    tablespoons Thai chili paste (see headnote)

  • Kosher salt and ground white pepper

  • 1 ½

    pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, trimmed

  • 12

    ounces button or cremini mushrooms, quartered if small or medium, cut into sixths if large

  • ¼

    cup fish sauce, plus more as needed

  • ⅓

    cup chopped fresh cilantro

Step 1

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the limes in strips; remove only the colored portion, not the white pith underneath. You will need a total of 8 strips, each 2 to 3 inches long. Juice the limes; set aside.

Step 2

In a large saucepan, combine 6 cups water, the zest strips, lemon grass, 2 halved chilies, shallots, garlic, ginger, Thai chili paste, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Add the chicken, cover and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low; simmer until the thickest part of the breast reaches 160°F, 25 to 30 minutes. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a medium bowl; set aside to cool. Remove and discard the solids from the broth.

Step 3

Return the broth, covered, to a simmer over medium. Add the mushrooms, re-cover and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding the skin and bones.

Step 4

When the mushrooms are tender, return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Stir in the sliced chilies, ⅓ cup of the reserved lime juice, the fish sauce and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Taste and season with additional lime juice, fish sauce and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the cilantro.

Featured in