Thai Shrimp-Chicken Soup

This Thai-inspired soup starts where all great soups should: with a homemade broth. The chicken bones simmer for a full hour with onion, bay leaf, thyme, and parsley, building a rich, savory base that store-bought broth can’t touch. That broth then gets spiked with garlic, ground coriander, chili powder, and soy sauce, which gives it a warm, Southeast Asian backbone.

Shrimp and sliced chicken breast cook directly in the seasoned broth for just five minutes. That brief simmer is all they need. The chicken strips are thin enough to cook through quickly while staying tender, and the shrimp are done the moment they turn pink. Overcooking either one turns this from silky soup to rubber-band stew.

Mushrooms go in at the same time as the proteins, soaking up the spiced broth like little sponges. Scallions and fresh cilantro get stirred in right at the end so they keep their crunch and brightness. Ladle the soup over bowls of hot rice, which absorbs the broth and turns each serving into a complete meal.

Chef Tips

• Save the chicken bones from other recipes in the freezer. When you have enough, this soup practically makes itself.
• Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve. Bits of bone and herb stems make the soup cloudy and gritty.
• If fresh cilantro isn’t available, flat-leaf parsley works. It won’t taste the same, but it adds the green freshness the soup needs.

Variations

• Coconut milk addition: Stir in half a can of coconut milk with the spices for a richer, creamier version closer to tom kha gai.
• Rice noodle swap: Replace the rice with thin rice noodles dropped into the hot broth. They cook in about 3 minutes and make this feel more like a Thai noodle soup.