This Thai Chicken Soup with zucchini noodles is the ultimate low carb comfort food. It has a rich, coconut-scented broth with plenty of chicken and vegetables. And it takes only 30 minutes to make!
I first created this delicious Thai Chicken Soup back in 2015 and it’s been a favorite ever since. When the chilly rains creep over the Pacific Northwest, we make this easy keto soup frequently.
I really do love soup of all kinds. Rich and hearty soups like my Chile Relleno Chicken Soup, or vegetable soups like Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup. And you will often find a pot of Keto Chili bubbling away in my kitchen.
I made this Thai-style coconut chicken soup recently for a friend when she was under the weather. And she swears it cured her of the flu. Now that’s a healthy bowl of deliciousness!
Why we love it
This recipe is lighter than a lot of keto soups, so it’s great when you don’t want a heavy meal. While the coconut milk does lend some creaminess to the broth, it doesn’t have any dairy. It also has a bright fresh flavor from the green curry paste.
And the zucchini noodles stay nice and firm, without become a soggy mess. The trick is to add them to each bowl before ladling the hot soup overtop. That way, they cook just enough to combine perfectly with the other ingredients.
With all the chicken and low carb vegetables, it’s a healthy high protein recipe. And it takes only 15 minutes to make, start to finish. Easy enough for a busy weeknight!
Reader reviews
“Delicious! My hubby said he could eat this every week forever… he is super picky, so thats a win.” — Jacky P.
“We had this for dinner tonight and honestly we all agreed it was one of the best soups we have ever had! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.” — Kitty
“This was so good! I loved the flavor, but I loved even more that my girls loved it. They are so picky sometimes!” — Julie B.
Ingredients you need
- Onion: You can use white or yellow onions.
- Jalapeño: Skip this if you don’t like spicy food.
- Green curry paste: You can also use red curry paste, but I think green has the right flavor for this recipe.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is a must for the best flavor.
- Canned coconut milk: This is the base of the soup and gives it flavor and creaminess. Use full fat coconut milk.
- Red bell pepper: This adds some color and flavor.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs: By cutting the chicken into thin strips, they will cook quickly in the soup. You can also use any leftover cooked chicken you have. Just add to the soup and it’s ready when heated through.
- Fish sauce: There really is no substitute for fish sauce, so don’t skip it. I use Red Boat for a sugar free fish sauce.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro offers such vibrant and wonderful flavor. You can use parsley or basil if you can’t tolerate cilantro.
- Zucchini: You will need to spiralize the zucchini noodles prior to making the soup.
- Lime: Again, fresh lime offers more bright and wonderful flavor and a little acid to balance the soup.
- Staples: Chicken broth, avocado oil.
Step by Step Directions
1. Sauté the onions: In a large sauce pan, heat the avocado oil over medium heat until melted and shimmering. Add the onions and sauté until just translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the aromatics: 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.
3. Add the chicken: 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.
4. Add zoodles and serve: 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.
Tips for Success
Purchase 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 for years.
Don’t add the zucchini noodles to the pot. By placing the zucchini noodles in your soup bowl and ladling the hot soup over it, the heat of the broth cooks the noodles perfectly, without making them soggy.
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.
Slice the chicken relatively thinly so it cooks quickly and evenly. No need to cook it before adding it to the soup!
Frequently Asked Questions
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, as they become complete mush.
You can freeze this Thai soup as long as you don’t include the zucchini noodles. The soup will freeze well for up to 3 months. Once reheated, add the zoodles and enjoy!
This Keto Thai Chicken Soup recipe has 6g of carbs and 1g of fiber per serving. That comes to 5g net carbs per serving.
More keto Thai-style recipes
Thai Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil, can also use coconut or olive oil
- 1/4 medium onion,, chopped
- 1 medium jalapeño,, chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp green curry paste
- 2 cloves garlic,, minced
- 6 cups (1,419.53 ml) chicken bone broth
- 13.5 ounces (382.72 g) canned coconut milk, (full fat)
- 1 medium red pepper,, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 pound (680.39 g) chicken breasts or thighs,, thinly sliced against the grain
- 2 tbsp fish sauce, (use Red Boat for sugar free)
- 1/4 cup (4 g) chopped cilantro
- 2 medium (566 g) zucchini (about 10 ounces each), 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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This was so good! I loved the flavor, but I loved even more that my girls loved it. They are so picky sometimes!
Light & so tasty!! Love zoodles!! I feel so much better eating them & not guilty!
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.
I made this and omglob, I can eat this erryday ????
So good! Thanks
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!!
So glad you liked it!
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!
Your version sounds wonderful!
So delicious! Love a new way to eat zoodles.
I think this would be good without the chicken? It looks so hearty and I love Thai soup!
oh my gosh this looks amazing! Thank you so much!
Thai food has become a fan favorite in our home. I will have to give this recipe a try!
My kids are more motivated to eat veggies when they’re in spiral form so I use it as much as possible too! This soup sounds pretty amazing!
This looks so good! Can you make this in a crockpot?
I am sure you can, but I haven’t tried it.
OMG! It is glorious!!! I just had to add celery and little ginger, also I made it without fish sauce or jalapeno, but it is still so close to the original Thai chicken soup! I loved it, and it will be my favorite this winter for sure! so fast, and so good!Thank you SO MUCH!!!
So glad you liked it!
This soup sounds delicious and I’m looking forward to trying it as I absolutely love Thai food but have been avoiding it while on the keto diet these past few months. One question – if I make a batch of this soup for lunchtime at work will the zoodles cook well enough if I just put them in before reheating it in the microwave each day?
I think they should be okay as long as they aren’t sitting in the soup all day.
Delicious! My hubby said he could eat this every week forever… he is super picky, so thats a win!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I made it today and it was delicious!!
Kind regards,
Nancy