Authentic Tom Kha Gai Recipe ต้มข่าไก่ - Hot Thai Kitchen!

This soup is one of the most popular dishes in Thai restaurants, and it's always a favourite whenever I make them for my friends and family!
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About Pai:
Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the KZbin channel Pailin's Kitchen.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook at home via KZbin videos, her cookbook, and cooking classes. She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand every year to visit her family. Visit her at hot-thai-kitchen.com
#ThaiFood #ThaiRecipes #AsianRecipes

[@PailinsKitchen]

HELLO LOVELY VIEWERS! Important Note: If you have questions about this recipe, you can post it here for the community to answer. But if you want to ask me, please get in touch via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or my website (all links are in the description above). If you leave questions in the comments I may not see them due to the large volume of comments I receive across the hundreds of videos on this channel. Also, before sending on any questions be sure to read the written recipe on the website as I often add extra tips and notes not covered in the video. Thank you for watching!

[@jerryjencik3879]

Hi Pai, love your cooking show. During my recent trip to Thailand i had this fantastic seaweed soup with minced pork and mushrooms. It was delicious. Could you do this soup in some of yours future videos?. Thanks

[@michaeldouglas6872]

How do You make it a little more creamier ?

[@sifaatulwakiah2515]

I am from Indonesia.. thanks for many recipes you shares.

[@mkvisini]

Love your videos, but you shouldn't be using the same spoon to cook with as you do for tasting. You're basically putting your spit into the soup every time you taste the soup then stick the spoon in to stir it.

[@dorisk.7083]

Why not use bone in chicken to make the stock and use the meat instead of buying boneless meat and adding to stock?

[@victorian-dad]

Hello Pailin, Just made this for my 15-year-old daughter. She has won "The most difficult child to cook for in the world" competition for the past 12 years! SHE LOVED IT! Thank you so much for your easy to understand and follow video. You have made my day!

[@yogidevendrabiriyani1777]

I learned thials as my first dish YEARS ago..and its my best all these years later after all ive learned...I'm autistic

[@wnose]

FYI, for North Americans, I highly recommend looking for frozen lemongrass from Thailand in your local asian grocery store. It's like night and day compared to lemongrass grown locally. I also suggest adding a tbsp of vinegar to the chicken thighs @ the outset since it helps with collagen extraction.

[@christinajackson2662]

Oh my gosh, I made this tonight and it was WONDERFUL! Topped it with a little chili-garlic oil and I think it may be the best thing I've ever cooked. My kiddos and I especially loved sucking the broth off the aromatics, particularly the lemongrass.

[@tmnprlsaicntr]

I've made this soup so many times, both original and vegetarian versions. They are both equally mind blowing! Credit goes to you Pailin!

[@belleaydelotte9593]

I’m Thai but never learned to cook from my grandma so your videos are so awesome! I want to make sure my kids are still connected in some way to Thai culture.

[@grant575mixmaster]

I have been watching Pai's channel now for a week. It's the best Asian cooking channel hands down. What I like the best is how Pai makes mistakes but does not edit them out, it makes the videos so much more relatable, and more importantly if you make the same mistake you know what to do!!

[@harnainbedi2932]

hello pailin...this is a compliment for what you are and not for what you cook...watching your videos makes me happy...with your voice and expressions you always spread so much positivity

[@joannietrotter2344]

Pai, you really make me laugh because even though you are a phenomenal chef, you sometimes forget to add an ingredient at the right time (like most of us average cooks!) so you either salvage or adapt. 😃.. It just proves that it can, and does, happen to the best of us. I love it!

[@DianeH2038]

Tom Kha Gai is my must-have soup when I'm sick (and as you said, even better when you're not sick!). I remember a trip to NYC where I had a miserable sinus infection and couldn't taste any of the delicious food I was eating, so I went to a good Thai restaurant to eat Tom Kha Gai and I added enough chili vinegar to open up my sinuses even more, plus cucumber salad on the side. by the end of the meal, I could taste everything and was well on my way to healing! I've since had sinus surgery and don't REQUIRE this soup like I used to, but I should remember to eat it anyway. it's very healing, for sure. and delicious!

[@danagboi]

Thanks for the recipe - one of my favourite thai dishes; I always order it. The best one I ever tried used a technique I have not seen anywhere else. They used dried chillies which they deep fried until quite dark. When the soup arrived, one could see the colour leeching out of those chillies into the soup. The toasty chilli flavour was out of this world. Many thanks for your great videos and keep up the good work!

[@povpottery3648]

Thank you Pailin! I just followed this recipe exactly and it came out great! It is all gone but next time I cook it I will send a picture! Tom Ka Gai is my favorite food of all time, I have tried cooking it before unsuccessfully, but this time finally it was restaurant quality!

[@PailinsKitchen]

Awesome!

[@claretoolis6662]

Made this last night for supper with friends, it was my first time cooking a Thai dish, I am glad to say it was bloody amazing! So delicious, thanks :)

[@josechenao52]

Hi, Pailin. I just used this recipe and it turned out wonderful, thanks a lot.

[@JonathanKandell]

You give excellent directions on how to balance the different flavors. Wish more recipes on youtube were like that, cause that's the key.

[@Jim-by8io]

Hi Pailin, I had cooking lessons in Thailand, we made this dish and it was great. At the near end of cooking we tasted, it was nice, then we added fish sauce, it was better, then we added lime juice and it made so much difference. I will try your version soon.

[@camcurv-a-match2769]

I love how you deliver this video, so pleasing to the ears. Thanks for the recipe.

[@cleancarnivore]

Thank you!!!! I am new to Thai food. I have never eaten, never cooked this soup before. WOW!!! It is NOT like anything I have every tasted. It is amazing. I stayed with the recipe to a "T" since I was able to find all I needed between Whole Foods and a large Asian grocery. As I began to write this I realized I had left out the mushrooms. I had only eaten a couple of spoonfuls so...back to the pot. A whole NEW dimension. Thanks again.

[@tattersb8072]

This is absolutely INCREDIBLE!! I made it with shrimp instead of chicken. STILL incredible!

[@momakesgoodmeatloaf]

thanks for uploading! this was the simpliest recipe i found on youtube. ,making this rn and the lemon grass smells oh so good

[@billyjay1373]

Thanks so much Pailin! This is one of my Thai favs and have been making for years, but could never get it quite right, this time added the lime after the heat is off! Best tip ever, thank you it’s amazing!

[@amoramor1725]

Hi Pailin. Im a Filipina lives in Belgium. I have been following you for a long time. I learnd cooking thai food thanks to you. In 3 hours my friends are coming over im going to make this dish wich they love so much. Im always proud when they are here an i served thai food👍👍👍👍

[@schan7423]

I just made this today. It was so yummy! Definitely a new recipe added to our family menu. Thanks Pai for sharing! ❤️

[@ironman8o1]

best cooking show on youtube I cant wait to try your recipes pailin:)

[@pingpong6861]

My first time making Tom kha gai, and it came out great! Thank you so much for sharing. I used Kitchen Basics Original Chicken Stock, and it didn't interfere with the flavor of the soup at all. I added some green beans and red bell pepper just because I like them. They go well with the rest of the soup.

[@GG-oo3gl]

I has been in love with this dish and now thank to you i able to make it. It really delicious

[@stevencottam93]

When you started to explain why you were doing the chicken in that way and using this method I instantly subscribed. So excited to try this. 😀

[@ryanwire]

Narak jing jing. Keep up the excellent work, and thank you for sharing your talents and adorable personality!

[@brianpage1886]

First I made your chicken stock. I left out the salt as you said. I was taught to salt stock in French Cooking class with coarse sea salt. If you leave the salt out you can adjust the flavour based on what other ingredients you are using. Brilliant. I made a double batch so I have a freezer full. I will never salt stock again. This soup is fantastic, quick and easy. Another winner. Absolutely delicious. Luckily Sainsburys stock all the ingredients here in the UK so it is super convenient. Loving your books. My wife thanks you too for this recipe because she got to enjoy it after work with over some steamed rice!

[@Frostysleet]

I’m not sure why I never order this before whenever I go to Thai restaurant, my go to is always Tom yum. I just made this for dinner and it’s a hit!!! Kids love it too. Love the addition of lime juice, really brightens up the soup. It’s easy too! Pai, thank you so much for sharing all these amazing recipes! ❤️

[@sallgal]

Love this recipe! It’s the first recipe for tom-kha gai that I’ve attempted on my own and it’s so simple and yummy!

[@AkaniTV]

I just made this recipe for dinner. So delicious! And galangal is definitely a pine forest, WOW! 😂

[@eleniphotos]

I just had it for the first time. Loved it! Now, thanks to you I can make it!

[@BoondocTravels]

New subscriber here. Just made this soup, but had to travel to Anchorage, about 45 miles, yesterday to get ingredients. So fun to explore Thai food.

[@Soter_Rev]

First time making this! We love it as restaurants and have been wanting to make it for a while, and we can never get enough! This was better than any restaurant we've been to, and those have great Tom ka gai! Sooo good! The difference is the chicken thighs and letting them braise. Everywhere else uses a thin cut of chicken breast that is bland, no matter the one I've had at a restaurant. The tender, salty thighs make all the difference! 😊 Also, we used a concentrated chicken stock as our base. It turned out fantastic - though I would imagine with real homemade stock it would make it that much better! 😊

[@pinoypacham3678]

Definitely gonna add this to our cooking list. Thanks for this video.

[@squam.riviera854]

ur literally sooo gorgeous like what😭i’m trying to focus on the recipe!!!🤭💕

[@Angrybahllz]

Your delivery/explanation is great!!!!

[@90sarcadefighter5]

Thanks for yet another fantastic video!! Keep'em coming :)

[@jalhance]

Was looking for a recipe to make for a friend. Best; in terms of technique, information, and the eat part. Thanks for posting!

[@elizabethbennet4791]

YAYAYAYAY!!! I just got back from the Asian market here in Florida having found ALL the ingredients I needed, for the firsst time!! I used to shop at asian markets in nyc but never looked for galangal before! Awesome! Im going to use your recipe to tom kha gai not the other ones I was watching.

[@SakuraiKunLikes]

I love Tom Ka Gai! I tried it first during my vacation at Phuket and I really have to try it at home, so I did it exactly like your recipe but with some additions of big wedges of onions for sweetness, prawn, squid and some clams for delicious umami flavour, and a bunch of cilantro because i love them :D

[@codeRebelBase]

Best Tom Kha ever, it was so tasty, will be making it again and again! Thank you!

[@RegionalFoodJapan]

Hi from Japan! Now, I’m learning to cook SE Asian cuisine and Thai food is on the top of my list. Your videos help me a lot and I also love the cute mistakes that you sometimes make lol!

[@jacquelineo.5867]

YOU ARE AMAZING!!! New fan, right here!

[@johnjesberger5676]

Made it tonight. It was very tasty. Didn't have lime leaves. My local Chinese and Indian grocers are having some supply issues. I got the only piece of galangal I saw over 3 stores but no luck on lime leaves. So I went with some peeled lime zest. The stock pre-simmer really made the chicken tender and juicy.

[@Lycheemaru]

Thank you krab! This is the best Tom Kha Gai recipe I've ever tried.

[@asiascott3950]

Absolutely love it when you taste your food. I need to have this now.

[@v00d00child187]

love your style of cooking.thank you, my gf will surely enjoy this. my father usually put in some kurkuma roots and chilli oil for some extra colour, gonna try this . khop kun kaaaap!

[@jayblackdogg]

Your tom yum goong recipe was super. I'll try this next on the weekend! :)

[@andrewsadler7210]

Thank you for that recipe AND the presentation! Tom Ka Gah IS my favorite soup of all time! I have been making a different recipe, but excited to try your version! PS What brand are your soup bowls? :) :) :)

[@dalewolver8739]

Timeless. Making this tonight. Made fresh chk stock this morning

[@jyfjgtyuh]

I've prepared it per your recipe and it turned out fantastic! Thank you

[@eViL1686]

Made it for the first time and it was so delicious! Can't wait to make it again!

[@TriniFietser]

Great job! I normally leave the salt out and just use the fish sauce....wonderful flavours :)

[@n0thersist3r]

looks good! Thai soups are my favourite 😊 I usually make Tom yum but I will try this too

[@bubblebeebartend]

love your channel and made your red curry paste last night. I will probably be make this tonight!

[@jonathanroberts4615]

Just made this tonight and it was KILLER! However I would put all the lemon grass, galangal, dried red chilies and all other things not edible and wrap them up in a spice bag for removal. The flavors though were amazing and you are such a good teacher! Thank you very much!

[@tnichlsn]

very informative and fun! thanks.

[@nittygrittykitchen]

Hello beautiful! I made this tonight for dinner. I used galangal powder but I thought it turned out great! I love your channel! Thx

[@user-ku3bx2sw3c]

I love this soup very much, thank you for the recipe!

[@BintyMcFrazzles]

This is my favourite Thai dish, I love it. I especially love it with prawns.

[@soyeesoyee]

thanks pai! i made this tonite it was good! I feel I didn't make the chicken stock right as I only used bones from chicken drum sticks to make the soup, but it was still delicious. thanks for the wonderful recipe! yr tom yum soup recipe is still my favorite thou. 😊

[@morganparry5867]

This was absolutely amazing! We like a lot of flavor in my house so we added the lime leaves, galanga, lemon grass, and Thai chilies while cooking the chicken and we were very happy. But seriously this is the best thing ever! We are obsessed!!!

[@alinehuntly]

I've seen other recipes that add the galangal, lemongrass and chilies while cooking the chicken but the lime leaves after. Makes sense to me!

[@jankohlstock8764]

Im so grateful for this channel. Authentic thai recipes are rarely in English or just not explained well. I have nightmares from jamies thai green Curry. „Yayah“😂

[@lotwizzard1748]

BLISSSS!!! thank you for this. you rock

[@paulking962]

This is one of my go to dishes 😋 that and chicken panang and Thai beef salad. This one restaurant owner doesn't like it when I mix my dishes, But who's eating it. ME. Thanks again. I appreciate it that I can understand everything that you say. Very pleasant presentation 👌

[@mannyechaluce3814]

Outstanding instructions, thanks. Sis asks me to make one and will I searched in youtube this is the first one I saw. seems simple enough now to hit the oriental store to get ingredients..............

[@sleepybrownbear]

I love this lady so much!

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

I just noticed the word play in her channel name. She is a hot Thai!

[@CamDiggy]

Hi Pailin, you have THE BEST Thai recipes on KZbin! :) Could you please show us a recipe for pineapple curry?

[@ketsaradesign]

อยากให้มีแกงเทโพด้วยค่ะ

[@so-far-away]

i did a simple variation like your simplified Tom Yum with water & chicken wings. it did the job without stock😋. Thanks a lot

[@preethisandra]

Just got all the ingredients for the soup.. All set to cook. Thank you so much.. amazing and inspiring video!!

[@PailinsKitchen]

Good luck!

[@90sarcadefighter5]

Same here colourful_canvas ...I've been making stock all day (onion,galangal,lime leaves,chilli) and it tastes amazing!, with a hint of chilli heat. And frozen 6 cups for future use Ready to cook it in 1 hour and CANNOT WAIT :-D

[@jumpaslot]

So entertaining watching you cook.

[@marcelbritsch5127]

Hello Pai, your recipes are fantastic, thanks for sharing. I'm trying to get a handle on Tom Yum and Tom Kha. What I find interesting is that some chefs start with a paste (usually chili, garlic, onions, lemon grass...) a bit like in green or red curry, while others add the ingredients whole to water or broth for soups. Do you have any strong opinions about this?

[@sasi8333]

I made and it came out so delicious ❤

[@tanusvlog4539]

🙏🏻 Hii Mam 😘😘 I am from India but i stay in Thailand last 5 yrs & i love ❤ Thai food & your channel also ☺ you are perfect 🌹

[@stampedetrail2003]

Love your recipes very much. I have tried making a Tom Yum with *lobster* with really good results. I think before I was getting in a hurry and not letting the aromatics boil down enough to infuse with the stock.

[@hilares-adventures2429]

yumm going to try this, thanks for sharing

[@grfghshfdg]

I made it! It was excellent! Thank you!

[@goldenpeninsula]

Hi Pailin, my mum always puts some shallots into it too, what is your take on that?

[@Daniel-xg3ul]

My favorite soup of all time.

[@thomasmotscha5315]

Hmmmmm...very good and tasty ,...the soup is very good for cold days in Germany ! i love the soup ....Thx

[@roseminah999]

Yumm,today i have to make this for resto

[@nafisakapasi3220]

I love your recipe 💕💕

[@VivadivaSarinya]

I love this soup too :) I also put tomatoes to make it sweet instead the palm sugar and it also gives a bit of the sour taste as well.

[@PailinsKitchen]

Sounds yummy!

[@mikemartin2020]

This looks so good, Pai. I'm just wondering. Do Thai people ever make this soup with duck? Seems like it could be a nice variation.

[@BarryFromEastenders]

Hey Pailin, Do you have a good recipe for a spicy chicken mango salad. Had it at an Asian restaurant and it was amazing

[@rb3166]

SO AWESOME!! I finally investigated my fave Thai soup. I think I would've quartered length-wise those stalks of green and cut the leaves more finely for flavor explosion..... THANKS FOR THE VIDEO YUM! Anyone know about a TKG recipe that calls for slices of wood chunk of some sort for flavor? I've had them served in the soup but you're meant to put them on your plate of course.

[@radziwill123]

Just made this (with small changes) and my husband is very, very happy :)

[@HiroKawazu]

Made this today :). Tho I had no non salty chicken stock, I didn't add any salt and used little less fish sauce. Also had no mushrooms, so the soup didn't get that filling. However with leftover soup tonight I cooked some noodles with it and it's great. (I left out lime juice so I can reheat it and add fresh lime juice to it). Another new awesome recipie to do now :)

[@annarowe8209]

Best recipe ever!

[@bannork]

คุณ Pailin, Whenever I eat tom kha kai in restaurants, there is the small tangy side dish to adda zing to the soup. It's not just prik nam pla, is it?

[@PailinsKitchen]

Hi Adam here! I think you're going to have to ask her that one directly as she doesn't see the comments on here once the post is more than a week old (as per her note above). You can check out options to get hold of her here hot-thai-kitchen.com/contact . Cheers!

[@minalee1006]

Love this soup and video! But is there a vegan version? I plan to substitute the chicken with tofu. What type of stock would you suggest to make it vegan? Thanks Pailin!

[@andolea22]

I loooove it! I just made it a little but spicier wow

[@randalalansmith9883]

Galangal is at my local asian grocery, but not every week. So I had the great idea to just freeze it when I got home. And then I couldn't "simply cut off one portion". Gotta chop it before freezing.

[@kraftykat1048]

Wonderful. Any storage and reheating tips?

[@gd.dordor]

Love it .... Love it .... Love it..... I made the old version of this soup during last winter! It was very... very... very..... delicious! I am sure that this one is more fantastic, thank you for sharing this information! :D

[@cliffordwright1844]

I just made this! I made for a friend and myself. It turned out great, I am by no means a chef but really enjoyed the product. I made my own chicken stock too! In the end it turned out a bit less creamy than I expected, and I am not sure if the soup is supposed to be a little thin or not, but with that said, I only followed approximate proportions as I think I had quite a bit more stock than what you started with, had much more chicken too. Also threw in some fresh red bell pepper after cooking it all and loved it. I really appreciate these videos, you're helping me find courage to explore my cooking at a deeper level! Thank You!

[@PailinsKitchen]

Clifford Wright The soup is not super rich, but next time you can adjust creaminess to your liking, if you want it creamier just add some more coconut milk :) Glad it turned out well!

[@mingsong]

Clifford Wright it should be thin, taste rich but fresh too.

[@brianduffy1779]

ben making this for years cann't find the kiffer leafs but always good

[@anis4music]

Pailin, thanks a lot for the recipe. I just adore Tom Kha! As it's nearly impossible to get galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass in my country, so I brought some from Thailand. How is it better to store these herbs for future use, frozen or dried? Thanks

[@Doughnutthanwarin]

You can freeze them. Pai mentioned in another video that she slices galangal and lay them flat in a freezer (don't lay them on each other) after they're frozen then you can lay them on each other, when you want to cook them just take them out from a freezer last minute before cooking, no need to wait for defrosting, cause they will get mushy. For kaffir lime leaves just freeze them whole, how to cook same as galangal.