Michele's Thai Chicken Soup

This is a delicious, substantial soup. I have substituted quinoa for rice in the traditional recipe to make it a bit healthier. I hope you like it!

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 450 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• ½ roasted red pepper, chopped
• ½ cup half-and-half, or more as needed
• 1 (10 ounce) package coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms
• 5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced
• 6 cups chicken stock, or more as needed
• 2 tablespoons lemongrass paste (such as Gourmet Garden™)
• 1 ½ teaspoons sambal oelek (Indonesian red chile paste)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook and stir until mushrooms brown and onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken thighs; cook and stir until no longer pink in the center, 5 to 8 minutes.

Step 2

Pour chicken stock, coconut milk, quinoa, and half-and-half into the pot. Stir in tomato paste, lemongrass paste, red curry paste, sambal, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer until flavors combine, about 30 minutes. Stir in roasted red pepper.

Step 3

Mix water and cornstarch together in a small bowl until no lumps remain. Pour into the pot; stir soup until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.