This red curry chicken noodle soup is so easy and quick, you will never buy it again! The recipe has very little prep and is nearly as simple as combining ingredients into a pot. A great dish for people who love bold Thai flavours without the heavy investment of time and effort.
This recipe is one of those that I created out of pure luck. It was late afternoon and Steph as always was on my case about dinner. We had nothing in the fridge which even further fuelled Steph’s HANGER pains. So, I did what she always expects me to do… make something out of nothing! And out of that near death experience, this red curry chicken noodle soup recipe was created.
I hope you guys like it!

Be Careful of Curry Paste!
In the past, I have tried making many curry recipes and each one of them said to fry the curry paste until fragrant. Now I don’t disagree with this but I have learnt a very valuable lesson. When the pan and oil is hot, adding curry paste is like throwing your fireworks into a bonfire all at once.
Streams of searing hot projectiles will explode in all different directions. Trust me when I say this… it is not pleasant. So now I add the oil and paste into the pan when it’s cold and let it come to temperature. This may not be right but I no longer get paste to the face and that to me… is winning!

Optional Extras!
This recipe is the bare minimum since it is my “go to” when I want something quick and quick. If you want to jazz it up a little, try adding these extra goodies to elevate your noodle soup to another level.
- Tofu Puffs will take on the flavours of the soup and will burst as you chew on them. Available at Asian groceries.
- Bamboo Shoots will add a wonderful sour hit and texture to the noodle soup.
- Fried Shallots is just one of the greatest garnishes for most south east Asian recipes. Works really well with this dish.
- Thai basil a great addition to the noodle soup if you can get it!
- Crispy Noodles will add a crispy texture and flair to your noodle soup!
Other Similar Recipes
- Cheap and Easy Chicken Curry
- Quick Chicken Pho
- Quick Beef Pho
- Seafood and Udon Noodle Soup
- Laos Khao Soi – Tomato Meat Sauce Noodle Soup
Show Us Your Creations!
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Quick Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1.25 L chicken stock (low sodium)
- 4 chicken thighs, chopped into strips
- 400 ml coconut cream
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce or to your taste
- 375 gm dried egg noodles (or 500 gm of fresh egg noodles)
Optional Extras
- 225 gm bamboo shoots (1 small can or 1 cup), cut into strips
- 180 gm Tofu puffs (1 packet), cut in halves
Garnish
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
- 5 sprigs coriander, roughly chopped
- 200 gm bean sprouts
- 2 chillies, roughly chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp fried shallots (optional)
- 1 packet crispy noodles (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare all of your ingredients.
- In a cold pot, add the oil and the curry paste. Turn the heat up to medium and allow to come to temperature. (Turn down the heat if the curry paste starts spitting)
- Once curry paste is fragrant, add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, coconut cream and any extras. Let the soup come to boil and then turned down the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Cook the egg noodles in accordance to the package directions.
- Add fish sauce, sugar and tamarind paste to the soup. Taste check and adjust according to your taste.
To Serve
- Divide the noodles into bowl. If the noodles have gone cold, put each bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Bring the soup to a gentle boil and then ladle into each noodle bowl.
- Add beansprouts and then garnishes.
- Serve.
Dying to know how spicy this is? I married into an Irish/boiled dinner kind of family. Will this kill them? Should I have a back dinner plan just in case?
Hi Mel! Honestly, I wouldn’t say this dish is hot or even medium but it’s not mild like pepper. I think it should be OK. But I guess the only way to find out is to make it for them and serve it with jugs of ice cold milk!