Whenever my boyfriend has had a long day at work or I just feel like making an easy hearty meal, 9 times out of 10 this dish is my go to. It’s relatively simple to make, doesn’t require a lot of time or ingredients, and has a really complex savory flavor that neither of us can seem to get enough of.
I’ve augmented my recipe over the years, adding and subtracting some ingredients to match our personal taste preferences, and this is my most recent version. Some of the items like lemongrass and galangal you may need to go to a specialty market to procure, but trust me. This soup is well worth the extra trip.
Helpful hint: If you want to make this bad boy vegan, simply remove the chicken and replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. Done and done.
Serves 6.
Ingredient List:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 handfuls of oyster mushrooms
- 2 limes
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 32 oz boxes chicken stock
- 1 1″ piece of ginger
- 1 1″ piece galangal
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 sprigs cilantro
- salt to taste
- sriracha to taste
Kitchen Tools: stock pot, microplane
Prep Work:
Mince garlic. Peel ginger and galangal and grate them with the microplane. Smash the lemongrass stalks with the side of your knife and remove the soft inner layer. Finely mince the inner section and cut the outer stalks into about 4″ pieces.
Cut chicken breasts into 1″ cubes or whatever bite-sized portion you like best. Zest one of the limes and then slice it in half.
Cooking:
Heat olive oil in your stock pot. Add lemongrass (including large outer stalks), ginger, and galangal and cook on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and chicken. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until chicken is nearly cooked through.
Add stock. Bring to a boil then add coconut milk, the juice from your halved lime, lime zest, brown sugar and fish sauce. Stir and lower to a simmer and add in mushrooms. Simmer covered for 5 more minutes until mushrooms soften. Salt to taste and add as much sriracha as your little heart desires. Serve with freshly chopped cilantro and slices of the remaining lime.
Tips + Tricks:
*if you can’t get your hands on oyster mushrooms you can replace them with maitake, cremini, or shiitake mushrooms.
