This low carb Tom Kha Gai recipe is a delicious Thai chicken soup recipe that you're going to fall in love with! It's delicious, quick, keto, and incredibly easy to make on your stovetop.
What Makes This Tom Kha Soup So Great
- Delicious. This Thai soup is SO very tasty! It's spicy, sour and creamy all at the same time. With wonderfully tender chicken and mushrooms in every bite, you'll want to savor this Thai coconut soup.
- Simple. This soup takes so little effort, it barely feels like cooking. It's perfect as a weeknight dinner option or even as an appetizer for a full-out Thai meal.
- Quick. You can make this Tom Kha soup in less than 30 minutes, making it a great lunch option or last-minute dinner solution. No excessive preparation involved. No longwinded cooking. Just food done quick and in a hurry, just the way I like it.
- Keto-Friendly. This is a fantastic Keto recipe that you can indulge in completely guilt-free. Low carb and delicious? How could you possibly resist?!
- Stovetop. You can make this one-pot dish right on your stovetop. No need to bust out a bunch of dishes or kitchen appliances. Just one saucepan and you're good to go.
How To Make This Low Carb Thai Soup
- Add ingredients. Place water, chicken, ginger, chilis, mushrooms, fish sauce, lemongrass, Splenda and salt in a large saucepan.
- Cook. On high heat, allow the soup to come to a boil, and then lower to medium heat. Add in the coconut milk and stir. Let the soup simmer on for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir. Stir in lime zest, lime juice and the rest of the fish sauce.
- Serve. Serve with springs of cilantro and lime wedges.
What Is The Difference Between Tom Kha And Tom Yum Soup?
Tom Kha Gai and Tom Yum soup are quite similar. They're both deliciously hot, spicy and sour Thai soup dishes and they have a lot of ingredients in common. The real difference is that Tom Kha includes coconut milk, which makes the soup creamier and sweeter than Tom Yum.
Is Tom Kha Soup Good For You?
One of my favorite things about this dish is that it's a delightfully low carb soup. It's full of low carb and nutrient-dense ingredients. making this a great dish for those living a keto lifestyle. With only 8 grams of carbs per serving, you can enjoy this soup guilt-free!
How Long Does Tom Kha Soup Last In The Fridge?
This delicious Thai soup should last for 3-5 days when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight food container. As a matter of fact, it tastes just as good if not better the next day.
Ginger vs Galangal
Before I get a lot of people complaining at me for using ginger when I should use galangal-I know. I know that traditional Thai Tom Kha Gai uses galangal and not ginger.
I know that galangal and ginger don't taste the same, that galangal is piney, and light and that ginger has a stronger flavor.
I also know that about 85% of my readers do not have easy access to galangal, me included.
So I wrote the recipe to make it accessible to all. If you have galangal, by all means use it. If you don't like ginger, by all means omit it.
But whatever you do please don't write and comment and complain because I've explained WHY I made the choice I did.
You know why else I chose it? Because I tried it with Ginger and actually LIKED it that way. So there.
More Delicious Homemade Thai Recipes
- Thai Gai Yang - use your Air Fryer to make awesome Cornish Game Hens!
- Thai Green Curry - delicious and full of Thai spices!
- Thai Peanut Chicken - use the Air Fryer to get perfect crispy chicken!
- Basil Beef Bowls - these are spicy and the perfect quick meal idea!
- Thai Cashew Chicken - Nutty, full of veggies, and so easy.
- Bang Bang Shrimp - Sweet, spicy and tangy.
- Air Fried Beef Satay - Super fast and authentic.
- Panang Curry - A delectable Thai curry dish.
Save yourself from a sink full of dishes and make this delectable 20-minute Tom Kha Gai soup for dinner tonight! Make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook so they can enjoy it as well!
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
Ingredients
- 3 cups Chicken Broth, or water
- 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, cut into bite size pieces
- 6-8 slices Fresh Ginger Root, thin slices
- 2 Red Thai Chilies, left whole
- 1 cup Straw Mushrooms, canned, undrained
- 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Minced Lemongrass
- ½ teaspoon Splenda
- 1 can Full-Fat Coconut Milk, 13.5 oz can
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
For Serving
- ¼ cup lime juice, fresh
- Lime Zest, zest of 1 lime
- fresh cilantro leaves and stems
- Lime Wedges
Instructions
- Place water, chicken, ginger, chilis, mushrooms, fish sauce, lemongrass, Splenda and salt in a large saucepan.
- If you have access to galangal, this is when you would use it instead of ginger. I addressed why you might choose to do this in the full post.
- On high heat, allow the soup to come to a boil, and then lower to medium heat. Add in the coconut milk and stir. Let the soup simmer on for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in lime zest, lime juice and the rest of the fish sauce.
- Serve with springs of cilantro and lime wedges.
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Nutrition
Don't forget to check out my other Keto cookbooks.
Keto Instant Pot, Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets, & Treats, and Easy keto in 30 minutes.
Sounds wonderful! I'll just need to get the can of mushrooms and the lemongrass (and while I'm at the Asian market Gould look for galangal, although I love ginger)! I usually use chicken breast, vs thigh, so assuming that's not an issue for this. Wondering if lower fat coconut milk would be as good? And I don't use Splenda - is that just to keep it keto?
Tracy, I didn't use the Splenda or any sweetener or sugar and we thought the soup was amazing!
Yes to lower fat coconut milk although you may need to use less water and splenda/sugar is not mandatory.
Excellent!! I love this soup and it's hard to find near where I live. Now that I can make it at home, I'm thrilled!! So, so easy!! And delicious!!
Hi - can I use coconut cream rather than coconut milk? Thanks in advance
Yes but you will need to thin it with water.
Awesome - thank you 🙂
When your daughter asks how to make something and Urvashi answers!!!
THIS is my favorite soup ever. I call it "the soup of the gods," and my husband knows where we're going when I say I want that--our favorite restaurant, Thai Garden. Now I can try to make it myself! Theirs I think MAAAAAY use a hair less coconut milk, but I'll try it this way first because (a) I could be wrong, (b) I #TrustVashi, and (c) I might like it better, if that's possible.
You are the BEST, Urvashi! Thanks so much! I use your cookbooks several times/week.
Woohoo! So glad to hear that this excites you. Enjoy!