This Keto Thai Chicken Soup with zucchini noodles is the low carb ultimate comfort food. It’s so easy to make and only takes 30 minutes from start to finish. Dairy-free and Paleo too.
I first created this delicious and easy Thai Chicken Soup back in 2015 and it’s been a favorite ever since. It got really chilly here in Portland this past weekend so I made it yet again. I’d almost forgotten how good it is!
I really do love soup of all kinds. Rich and hearty soups like my Chile Relleno Chicken Soup, or vegetable soups like the Keto Cream of Mushroom. And don’t even get my started on chili, which may be the ultimate comfort food. Have you tried my Keto Short Rib Chili yet?
But this Thai Chicken Soup was the first soup I ever added zucchini noodles to, and I was blown away by the flavor and consistency of the soup itself. And the zoodles were utterly perfect. I have the ideal way for allowing them to cook without being too soggy in a soup like this.
Be sure to check it out below!
How to make zucchini noodles
Step 1: Purchase yourself a good spiral vegetable cutter. The hand-held ones are not worth your time and money, and the bigger ones are not particularly expensive. I have the Paderno spiralizer and it’s lasted me over 6 years now. Worth every penny.
Step 2: Grab a zucchini, chop of the ends, and start spiralizing!
I’d say that if any kitchen gadget could inspire a serious addiction, the Spiralizer would probably rank at the top of the list. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever stood there at your kitchen counter turning the crank and watching the fun noodle-shaped veggie slices that result.
You do one zucchini and get quite a giggle out of it, especially the somewhat phallic-looking zucchini core that results. Then you do another zuke, and another, and before you know it, you have a huge pile of spirally low carb zucchini noodles taking over your counter.
But you can’t stop, won’t stop, because it’s simply too much fun. You find yourself eyeing every fruit and vegetable in the house, wondering how that would fare on your spiral cutter. Really, it’s a sickness.
Can zucchini noodles be made ahead?
Surprisingly, they can. Not too far ahead, mind you. But I’ve had leftover zucchini noodles from recipes like this one and I’ve simply popped them in a tupperware and stored them in the fridge. They are fine for up to 3 days.
Don’t try freezing them, they become complete mush. I have heard of some people dehydrating them and then reconstituting them later but I have yet to try that myself.
How to make Easy Thai Chicken Soup
Deciding how to use your zucchini noodles is the fun part. Adding them to this Keto Thai Chicken Soup is a delicious way to cook and enjoy zoodles.
But you don’t want to just plop them into the soup the way you would with regular noodles. So bear with me here and I will give you my little trick for making them absolutely perfect and not the least bit soggy.
The soup itself is insanely easy to make. Simply sauté the onions in coconut oil, and add in the aromatics like jalapeño, Thai curry paste, and garlic. I love the green Thai curry paste for this but you could use red as well. And if you don’t like things as spicy as I do, skip the jalapeno and cut back on the curry paste.
Once you add the broth, you bring the soup to a boil and add the red pepper, sliced chicken, and fish sauce. The chicken is thinly sliced so it cooks quickly in the broth itself, and only takes about 5 minutes. A little chopped cilantro adds great flavor too.
Only now do you get to add the zucchini noodles. Except you don’t add them to the pot with the soup. You place them at the bottom of the soup bowl and pour the hot soup over top of each individual serving. The heat of the soup cooks the noodles perfectly, without making them soggy.
This Thai Chicken Soup is the perfect comfort food. One of my friends swears it cured her of the flu!
More Keto Thai Recipes
Paleo Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ¼ medium onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoon green curry paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken bone broth
- 13.5 ounces canned coconut milk (full fat)
- 1 medium red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 pound chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced against the grain
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce (use Red Boat for sugar free)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 medium zucchini, spiralized
- 1 lime cut into 8 wedges
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat until melted and shimmering. Add the onions and sauté until just translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the jalapeño, curry paste and garlic, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and coconut milk, whisking until fully combined.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and add the red pepper, chicken and fish sauce. Let simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro.
- Divide the zoodles among 8 soup bowls and ladle the soup over; the heat of the soup will make the zoodles tender. (If you are not serving it all at once, only use enough zoodles for each bowl of soup you are serving. The rest will keep well in a covered container for a few days).
- Serve each with a squeeze of lime.
Angela Rupp says
I am not a huge fan of the zoodle but this soup covers them up very well.
Carolyn says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Valeria Dombiak-Woelfel says
Just had this soup today after pinning it a long while ago. It is soooooo good! I enjoyed it very much. Thanks Caroline for the awesome recipes!
By the way I was scared it would be spicy so I took the inside of the jalapeno and run it under water and it was just perfect even not spce loves approved !
Leny says
If using curry powder instead of paste. How much powder do you suggest?
Carolyn says
Curry powder? Like Indian curry powder? Because this is a thai recipe and I don’t know of any thai curry powders. I wouldn’t know how to use them.
Iris Crain says
Re: Freezing the Zoodles –
They sell frozen zoodles at the store, so I’m going to take a page from an extention office book and say you need to blanch the zoodles for about three-four minutes in slightly salted *boiling* water, drop them in an ice bath at the end of the 3 minutes, dry them on toweling and *then* freeze. The fast boil then ice bath “pops” some of the cells containing water and so less cells remain full of water to burst and make things soggy when you defrost the zoodles, at least that would be my take on it. Me personally, I’d put a tiny bit of “Fruit Fresh” (Citric Acid) in the ice water bath for freshness and to keep them from browning while freezing. I also wouldn’t keep them in the freezer more than about 4 months, I’m pretty sure the commercial stuff can last longer because they’re soaked in chemical preservatives, and no one wants that!
Susan K says
Can I use red curry paste? What would be the difference I do not know much about these.
Carolyn says
Sure! They have different flavor profiles but both are delicious.
m says
I am excited to make this!!
HomeEducatingWinns says
Wow. I like Thai food, but because of a cancer diagnosis we have been doing keto, so I was excited to find this recipe. Made it tonight, but I have no spiralizer so I just used my mandolin for julienne type zucchini cuts. We loved it, even my 14 yo. It wasn’t until I was packing leftovers that I realized I had forgotten to put in the fish sauce, but I had doubled the recipe to have lots leftover so I added it. We love it both ways, and I loved the unami flavor after adding the fish sauce. It was my first time using the curry paste, I’m glad I did. And thank you for the lesson on the coconut milk, I was wondering the same thing when I was at the store today!
JBean says
Just made this! Super delicious. I followed recipe to the T. Next time I might add a smidge more “kick” with some chili paste but this one is a keeper!
Blossom Smith says
I just made this tonight. I tweaked it. I did 1/2 teaspoons of: pepper, thyme, poultry seasoning, basil and 2 chicken bouillon cubes(I may do one next time) I also did chicken thighs since I had them on hand. I loved it. I did it 8 hours in the crock pot. This will be how I make chicken noodle soup from now on. Thanks for the recipe!
Sara Welch says
This is everything a gourmet soup should be, and then some! Looking forward to making this for dinner tomorrow; delish!
Kristyn says
I am excited to make this!! Love thai soups & I love the idea of using zucchini, instead of pasta! Looks delicious!
Julie Blanner says
This was so good! I loved the flavor, but I loved even more that my girls loved it. They are so picky sometimes!
Natalie says
Light & so tasty!! Love zoodles!! I feel so much better eating them & not guilty!
Krissy Allori says
This is so good! I think it’s going to be my new go to soup when I’m feeling a little under the weather.
Leahna says
I made this and omglob, I can eat this erryday ????
So good! Thanks
Erica Robertson says
Omg this is delicious! Even my husband who “hates” Thai food loves this soup! It’s so easy and so yummy. Def good spice. I got yellow curry paste bc my Safeway didn’t have green. Added Mung sprouts as a garnish! So good!!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Alison F. says
I made this soup tonight and it was delicious. I subbed 2 tbsps red curry paste for the green (I like spicy soup ) and didn’t have zucchini so I added mushrooms at the same time as the red pepper instead; otherwise, I made it as written. I’ll be making this often. Thank you so much!
Carolyn says
Your version sounds wonderful!
Tara says
So delicious! Love a new way to eat zoodles.
Allyson Zea says
I think this would be good without the chicken? It looks so hearty and I love Thai soup!