When I eat out at a Thai restaurant, I usually like to try new things.  My hubby convinced me to try the soup recently and I wasn’t so sure I was going to be happy with that choice.  Well, I was wrong!  It was SOOOOO yummy!  I added some rice to my soup and it became a very filling meal in-and-of-itself!  It was awesome!

I recently ran across a Thai soup recipe that had raving reviews and most of the reviews claimed that it was similar to what they would find in a Thai restaurant.  That was all the convincing I needed to give the recipe a try.  Here is my little version of it and it’s awesome, people!  Beau and I ate this over baked brown rice and fell in love.  That coconut milk mixed with the chili, basil, and ginger flavors left us wanting more!  No worries – I made the whole recipe so we were able to eat leftovers for a couple of days.  Score!

I hope you like this as much (or more) than we did!

Thai Chicken & Coconut Soup
Adapted from sparkspeople.com

24 oz. chicken breast, boneless, skinless, fat removed
1 3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 1/2 cups chicken broth/stock, low sodium
8 slices ginger, fresh, peeled
1 3/4 cup white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
4 green onions, sliced (green part reserved for garnish)
1 lemon
2 tablespoons basil, shredded

Place the chicken breasts in a small saucepan.  Cover completely with cold water and place over moderate heat.  Bring water to 180 degrees (just before the water starts to bubble).  Poach chicken for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

While chicken is poaching, place coconut milk, stock, ginger, mushrooms, red pepper, and white part of green onion into a saucepan over moderate heat.  Bring to a simmer.  Add chili sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.  Once chicken is cooked and cooled slightly, cut into 1 inch cubes.  Add to soup.

Finish soup with basil, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with chopped green onion.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1 Heaping Cup)
Calories:  175
Protein:  24.6g
Carbs:  6.7g
Fat:  5.2g (4.1g = Sat.)
Fiber:  1.3g
Sugars:  3.6g