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Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup

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This easy crock pot recipe is easily adaptable when it comes to the veggies. Sub in or add carrots, potatoes or leeks. Or for a purely veg version change up the chicken broth for vegetable broth and leave out the chicken | @Heidi | FoodieCrush foodiecrush.com

This slow cooker Thai soup with chicken is packed with flavor thanks to the combination of curry paste, coconut milk, fresh ginger, and lime.

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup | FoodieCrush.com

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup Recipe

Here’s the thing about cooking with slow cookers. It’s convenient. But only if you’re creating a recipe where you don’t have to dirty more than the slow cooker. Like this slow cooker Thai chicken soup.

I’m all about time management. I eat breakfast while I do the dishes, I brush my teeth while I tie on my running shoes. In other words, I’m a multi-tasker who isn’t terribly efficient at getting much of any of my laundry list of daily to-dos completed because my mind thinks I have to do more than six things at at time. Why? Oh why?

So these days, unless its a lazy day weekend, my to-do list doesn’t always necessitate spending an hour and a half making dinner. I don’t mean letting it cook, I mean MAKING dinner.

Enter the genius invention that has been on every wedding registry since 1973: The slow cooker. And this slow cooker Thai coconut chicken soup. If I’m going to use a slow cooker, I want to make a recipe where I don’t have to brown this, sauté that, and dirty one single other pan to make my dream dinner come true.

Prepare yourself, you will need to dirty a cutting board and a knife to make this Thai coconut chicken soup. And maybe a whisk or big spoon. But other than that? You can put that fancy dish washing scrubbie away my friend, this is a one stop shop recipe I’m happy to make. Just so long as someone else does the dishes dish.

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup | FoodieCrush.com

What’s in This Thai Soup?

In the spirit of no-fuss cooking, I tried to keep the ingredients list for this Thai coconut chicken soup as minimal as the prep work. Here’s what I used in this Thai chicken soup:

  • Red curry paste
  • Coconut milk
  • Chicken stock
  • Fish sauce
  • Brown sugar
  • Peanut butter
  • Chicken breasts
  • Red bell pepper
  • Onion
  • Fresh ginger
  • Frozen peas
  • Lime juice
  • Cooked white rice
  • Fresh cilantro

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup | FoodieCrush.com

How to Make Slow Cooker Thai Soup

Add all the ingredients but the lime juice, cilantro, rice, and peas to your slow cooker. Pop the lid on, turn the slow cooker to High, and let the Thai soup cook for 4 hours.

After 4 hours, stir in the peas and let the crockpot chicken soup cook for another 30 minutes.

I like serving this Thai coconut chicken soup over white rice with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro on top.

Can I Omit the Fish Sauce?

Technically, yes. But that small amount of fish sauce adds so much umami flavor to this Thai soup. There’s really no substitute for fish sauce, so I highly recommend using it in this recipe. You should be able to find it in the Asian section of your grocery store or online.

Can I Make Thai Soup in an Instant Pot?

You likely can. However, I’ve only ever made this Thai coconut curry soup in a regular slow cooker so I can’t give any tips on adapting this recipe for the Instant Pot.

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup | FoodieCrush.com

Tips for Making Slow Cooker Thai Soup

This Thai chicken soup recipe is easily adaptable when it comes to the veggies. Sub in or add carrots, potatoes or leeks. Or for a purely veg version, change up the chicken broth for vegetable broth and omit the chicken. Just be sure to keep the lime and the peanut buttery taste to complement the spiciness of the curry and you’re in business.

For the best flavor, I recommend using freshly grated ginger and freshly squeezed lime juice. Ground ginger won’t give you the same flavor as fresh, and pre-bottled lime juice doesn’t compare to freshly squeezed limes.

A few readers have said their soup has split near the end of the cook time. That’s just the coconut milk and broth separating from each other — your Thai soup hasn’t gone bad. Just give the soup a stir to bring everything back together. To avoid this separation, I recommend using full-fat coconut milk in this recipe.

More Crockpot Soups to Try

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

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4.48 from 363 votes

Slow Cooker Chicken Thai Soup

This slow cooker Thai soup is packed with flavor thanks to the combination of curry paste, coconut milk, fresh ginger, and lime.
Course Soup
Cuisine Thai
Keyword slow cooker
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 266kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 2-12 ounce cans of coconut milk
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts , cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper , seeded and sliced into ¼ inch slices
  • 1 onion , thinly sliced
  • 1 heaping tablespoon fresh ginger , minced
  • 1 cup frozen peas , thawed
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • cilantro , (for garnish)
  • cooked white rice

Instructions

  • Mix the curry paste, coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter in a 4-½ to 6-quart slow-cooker bowl. Then, place the chicken breast, red bell pepper, onion and ginger in the slow cooker.
  • Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
  • Add in the peas and cook for 30 minutes longer.
  • Stir in lime juice and serve with cilantro and white rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 747mg | Potassium: 704mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1627IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg

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    • Hayley

      Hi Sara, no need to pre-cook, we put it in the slow cooker raw. You’re welcome to brown it in a skillet beforehand if you like. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply

  4. Linda

    This was fantastic! My husband loved it. Thanks for the recipe. What red curry paste do you use, the one I had was not spicy at all.

    Reply

  6. Apkhall

    This has been a weekly lunch staple for us. So easy to make, delicious, and our toddler loves it too! We follow the recipe pretty much to a T, but leave out the rice. So good!

    Reply

  7. Joan

    Excellent recipe. I did make a few changes. I did not use the crock pot. I sautéed the veggies, added mushrooms. I added rotisserie chicken near the end along with only 1 can of coconut milk. Adding the coconut milk at the end with temp turned down was perfect and it never curdled each time I made it.

    Reply

  8. Arielle

    I’ve made this in the slow cooker before and absolutely LOVED it. I always add extra veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, bean sprouts) and top with chopped peanuts for an added crunch. I serve it over ramen noodles and it is very similar to my favourite Thai dish – khao soi. Last night I made it on the stove since I didn’t have a slow cooker with me, and it turned out wonderful!

    Reply

  11. Victoria B

    I read comments on Pinterest and the site and made adjustments I highly recommend you try. First, start with frozen chicken breasts. This keeps the. From drying out and is no work. Just shred before you add the peas. I also waited to add the coconut milk until I added the peas so no curdling issue. I added some shredded carrots and thickened with arrowroot starch. No it wasn’t spicy hot at all. The red curry paste you use makes a big difference. I only had Thai Kitchen on hand versus my normal Asian food market kind. Just added some sriracha to kick up the heat. Will try with the real stuff next time.

    Reply

  13. Anna

    This has been a weekly lunch staple for us. So easy to make, delicious, and our toddler loves it too! We follow the recipe pretty much to a T, but leave out the rice. So good!

    Reply

  15. Christi

    Sorry, but this was pretty bland to me. There isn’t even any salt called out in the recipe. So I had to add in about 1/2 tsp of salt and some pepper. Then I also ended up doubling the red curry paste. Once I added in all of that flavor it was a lot better.

    Reply

  16. Tiffany

    Forgive me if this has already been asked- I have a peanut allergy, does anyone know if the recipe will still work without peanut butter or if almond butter can be substituted? Thank you for any help.

    Reply

  17. Ingrid

    I never comment on food blogs, but I’ve made this soup so many times that I feel moved to comment on this recipe. I usually make it exactly as written, unless I double it. (In that case, I don’t double the coconut milk. I use 3 cans for a double recipe and add a little extra broth.) It is so delicious that my sons are thrilled when they walk in and smell it in the crockpot. They know what we’re having for dinner by the amazing smell, and it has remained a favorite for over a year!

    Reply

  19. Meg

    I’ve been making this for years!! First time I’m actually putting in the ginger. I add in mushrooms & shrimp for more flavor/vitamins/protein with about 30 min left to cook…. and squeeze in generous amounts of Sricha. Also, I serve it with pad Thai noodles!

    Reply

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    Reply

  29. george snape

    […] is what I made in my new pressure cooker last night: Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup with a recipe from FoodieCrush. It’s really yummy yummy yummy yummy, it just needs some more kick (I’ll […]

    Reply

  30. george snape

    […] is what I made in my new pressure cooker last night: Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup with a recipe from FoodieCrush. It’s really yummy, it just needs some more kick (I’ll […]

    Reply

  37. Nicole

    After reading other comments I decided to make this on the stovetop using pre-cooked chicken. Sautéed onions peppers and ginger for 5 minutes then added other ingredients and simmered 30-ish minutes. Used half light coconut milk and half regular. Added cooked chicken and peas toward the end. Yummm!!! I would recommend cutting back on fish sauce and increasing red curry paste. I also added red pepper flakes and a little cornstarch at the end. This was absolutely delicious !!!

    Reply

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