Anna Louise There are days when I want something genuinely warming and fragrant but do not have the energy to make something elaborate. On those days I make this. Twenty-five minutes, one pot, and a bowl of something that smells extraordinary and tastes even better.
Thai chicken noodle soup sits somewhere between a broth and a curry — lighter than a Thai green curry, more substantial than a plain chicken broth. The coconut milk gives it a gentle richness and creaminess.
The lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime leaves give it that characteristic Thai fragrance that is unlike anything else in cooking. And the rice noodles, tender chicken, and fresh coriander make it a complete, satisfying meal.
This is the soup I make when someone has a cold. It is the soup I make on a cold February evening when the world needs improving. It is the soup that my husband specifically requests, which tells you everything you need to know.
Mary Berry’s Thai chicken noodle soup is not an authentic Thai recipe — it is a British cook’s very good interpretation of Thai flavours, using ingredients that are genuinely available in most supermarkets and coming together in under half an hour.
Getting the Thai Flavour Right
The three ingredients that give this soup its Thai character are lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and fresh ginger. They are all widely available in most supermarkets now and are worth buying. None of them can be replaced with a dried alternative without the flavour suffering significantly.
Lemongrass: Bash the whole stalk with the flat of a knife before adding — this releases the aromatic oils inside. Remove before serving.
Kaffir lime leaves: Added whole to the broth and removed before serving. They give a vivid, slightly citrus fragrance that is completely distinctive.
Fresh ginger: Grated finely, it gives a bright, clean, slightly spicy warmth that ground dried ginger cannot replicate.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
For the Soup
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 3cm fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced — deseeded for less heat
- 1 stalk lemongrass, outer leaves removed, bashed and bruised with a knife
- 4 kaffir lime leaves (fresh or dried — both work)
- 1 tbsp Thai green curry paste (or red — both are good here)
- 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk
- 800ml good quality chicken stock
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 500g boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, very thinly sliced
- 200g rice noodles (flat or vermicelli — both work), cooked according to packet and drained
To Serve
- Fresh coriander leaves — a generous handful
- Bean sprouts — a handful per bowl
- Extra sliced red chilli
- Extra lime wedges
- Sliced spring onions
- A drizzle of sesame oil
How to Make Mary Berry Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
Step 1 — Build the Fragrant Base
Heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for five minutes until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, and chilli and cook for two minutes — stirring frequently, as garlic can catch quickly.
Add the Thai curry paste and stir for one to two minutes until it is fragrant and coated everything in the pan. This brief frying of the paste is what gives the soup its depth — the same principle as every Thai dish on this site.
Step 2 — Add the Aromatics and Liquid
Add the bashed lemongrass stalk and kaffir lime leaves. Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Stir well to combine everything. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, and caster sugar. Stir to combine. Taste at this point — the broth should be fragrant, slightly creamy from the coconut, and well-balanced between sweet, salty, and sour. Adjust with more fish sauce for saltiness, more lime juice for sharpness, or more sugar for sweetness.
Step 3 — Cook the Chicken
Add the very thinly sliced chicken to the simmering broth. Cook for four to five minutes until the chicken is completely cooked through and tender. Thinly sliced chicken cooks much faster than chunked chicken — the thin slices are important for the delicate, silky texture that suits this soup.
Step 4 — Finish with Lime
Add the lime juice. Taste one final time and adjust. Remove the lemongrass stalk and kaffir lime leaves.
Step 5 — Assemble and Serve
Divide the cooked rice noodles between warm deep bowls. Ladle the hot broth and chicken over the noodles. Top each bowl with a generous handful of fresh coriander, a small nest of bean sprouts, sliced spring onions, and extra chilli. A drizzle of sesame oil and extra lime wedges alongside.
Serve immediately.
My Top Tips For Perfect Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
Slice the chicken very thin. Thin slices cook in four to five minutes in the simmering broth and give a delicate, almost silky texture. Thick pieces take much longer and can become slightly tough. Freeze the chicken for fifteen minutes before slicing — it firms up and makes very thin slicing much easier.
Cook the noodles separately and add them to the bowls. Do not add the noodles to the broth and cook them there — they absorb the broth and turn the soup starchy and thick. Cook them separately, drain them, add them to the bowls, and ladle the broth over them. The noodles stay separate and the broth stays clean.
Fry the curry paste before adding the liquid. One to two minutes of frying the paste in the aromatics before any liquid goes in develops the fragrance and gives the broth a depth that adding paste directly to liquid cannot achieve.
Balance the broth before adding the chicken. The moment to adjust the fish sauce, lime, and sugar is before the chicken goes in — not after. Get the broth exactly right while you can still taste it cleanly.
Be generous with the fresh garnishes. The fresh coriander, bean sprouts, and lime wedges at the table are not decoration — they are part of the dish. The freshness of the garnishes against the warm, creamy broth is the contrast that makes the soup feel alive.
Serving Suggestions
As a complete meal in a bowl — it needs nothing alongside. As a starter before a Thai-inspired dinner. On a cold evening when you need something warming and fragrant. Made for someone who needs looking after.
How to Store Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
In the fridge: Store broth and chicken separately from the noodles for up to 2 days. Noodles stored in the broth absorb it and become bloated. Reheat broth and chicken gently, cook fresh noodles, and serve.
In the freezer: Freeze the broth and chicken — without noodles — for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently. Add fresh noodles when serving.
Mary Berry Thai Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and chilli — 2 minutes. Add curry paste — stir 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Pour in coconut milk and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Taste and adjust — balance sweet, salty, and sour.
- Add thinly sliced chicken. Cook 4–5 minutes until cooked through.
- Add lime juice. Taste one final time. Remove lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.
- Divide cooked noodles between warm deep bowls. Ladle hot broth and chicken over. Top with coriander, bean sprouts, spring onions, chilli, and sesame oil. Serve with extra lime wedges.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use prawns instead of chicken?
Yes — large raw prawns added to the simmering broth for two to three minutes until just pink and cooked through give a wonderful alternative. They suit the Thai flavours beautifully.
Can I use dried kaffir lime leaves?
Yes — dried kaffir lime leaves have less fragrance than fresh but still give a pleasant result. Use four to six dried leaves. Fresh are significantly better if you can find them.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — replace the chicken with firm tofu cut into cubes and the fish sauce with soy sauce. Use vegetable stock. Tofu Thai noodle soup is excellent.
Can I use egg noodles instead of rice noodles?
Yes — medium egg noodles cooked separately and added to the bowl work equally well. They give a slightly more substantial, slightly more Chinese character to the soup. Both are good.
Why is my broth cloudy?
The coconut milk was added to liquid that was boiling too vigorously — this can break the emulsion and make the broth look slightly separated. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer throughout. The flavour is not affected, only the appearance.
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