Lemmongrass Chicken Soup

This is more or less a copy of the lemmongrass chicken soup served at a Thai restauraunt which changed owners in Albuquerque around 2001. I have modified it a bit, but it is very similar to the soup they served at their buffet.

Makes about 3 quarts to 1 gallon


Saute about 1 lb. chicken breast or thigh meat sliced thin with 5 cloves minced fresh garlic and 1/2 tsp ground pepper and set aside.

To 1.5 quarts of chicken stock add about 1 cubic inch of Thai Ginger sliced thin across the fibers. You can leave the skin on. Also add 1 stalk lemmongrass sliced with a severe diagonal in one inch pieces. You want a long diagonal so that the soup can get into the fibers and extract the flavor. Simmer these herbs for about 10 minutes.

Add the following to the simmering stock

The soup is now nearly done.


Serve with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, some thinly sliced jalapeņo peppers, and quarters of fresh limes.
Note that the lime leaves, ginger, and lemmongrass are inedible, and diners should be encouraged to leave these behind.


For a milder, smoother soup, replace the diced tomatoes with a can of cocunut milk. Note that the coconut milk can be boiled longer, and can be added at the same time as the chicken stock. In fact the oil will help extract the spice essences.

Since this is a smoother soup, I would recommend serving this variation without the jalapeņos or lime.


Aaron Birenboim
Last modified: Wed Nov 23 08:26:14 MST 2005