Thai-Style Chicken Soup with Basil
A fragrant and flavorful Thai soup featuring tender chicken breast, aromatic lemongrass, and fresh basil in a rich broth enhanced with tamarind, fish sauce, and Thai chilies. This warming soup combines the perfect balance of sweet, sour, spicy and savory flavors.
Ingredients
- •2 stalks fresh lemongrass stalks
- •2 large shallots
- •2 large garlic cloves
- •2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- •2 quart chicken stock
- •1 can diced tomatoes
- •2 ounces tamarind
- •3 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
- •2 pieces fresh Thai chiles
- •2 pieces Kaffir lime leaves
- •1 piece peeled ginger
- •1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast
- •¼ pound snow peas
- •⅓ cup basil leaves
- •1 serving jasmine rice
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Cut off and discard top of lemongrass, leaving 6-inch stalks, then finely chop. Cook lemongrass, shallots, and garlic in oil in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 12 to 15 minutes.
15 min
- 2.
Add stock, reserved tomato juice, tamarind, fish sauce, chiles, lime leaves, and ginger and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes.
30 min
- 3.
While soup simmers, freeze chicken breast just until slightly firm, 20 to 30 minutes, then thinly slice crosswise.
30 min
- 4.
Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large saucepan, pressing hard on and then discarding solids. Return to a simmer and stir in chicken, diced tomatoes, snow peas, and basil. Gently simmer just until chicken is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional fish sauce and salt.
5 min
