Khao Soi (ข้าวซอย) is one of Northern Thailand’s most iconic dishes and is particularly associated with Chiang Mai. It combines egg noodles and chicken simmered in a coconut curry broth, topped with crispy fried noodles.
This chicken Khao Soi recipe includes a homemade curry paste, the traditional accompaniments and practical alternatives for ingredients that may be harder to find outside Thailand.
At the table with Portail Asie
Traditional Khao Soi
Make Khao Soi with chicken, egg noodles, coconut curry broth and crispy noodles, a classic dish from Northern Thailand.
- Prep time
- 40 min
- Cooking time
- 60 min
- Total time
- 100 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice level
- 2/5
- Cuisine
- Thailand
- Region
- Northern Thailand
- Dish type
- Soup
Last checked: September 1, 2026
About this recipe
Version: Close to traditional
Khao Soi is characterised by a coconut curry broth, soft egg noodles and a topping of fried noodles, served with pickled mustard greens, shallot and lime.
Do not substitute: Egg noodles are characteristic of Khao Soi. Replacing them with rice noodles significantly changes the dish’s texture and identity.
Ingredients
Adjust servings to suit your needs.
For the Khao Soi curry paste
- 2 pods Black cardamomseeds only
- 1½ tbsp Coriander seeds
- 20 g Fresh gingerthinly sliced
- 5 g Fresh turmericor 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 80 g Shallotssliced
- 20 g Mild dried red chiliesguajillo or puya type, most seeds removed
- 1 tsp Coarse salt
For the Khao Soi
- 400 ml Coconut milkfull-fat
- 8 Small chicken drumsticks
- 700 ml Wateradjust slightly if the broth reduces too much
- 3 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy saucefor colour and depth
- 1 tbsp Palm sugaror brown sugar
- 2 tsp Fish sauceadjust at the end
- 400 g Fresh egg noodleswonton-style, reserve about 85 g for frying
- Neutral vegetable oilfor frying part of the noodles
To serve
- 100 g Pickled mustard greenschopped
- 1 Shallotfinely sliced
- 1 Limecut into wedges
- Chili oil or fried chili flakesto taste
- Fresh coriander or spring onionoptional
Preparation steps
Open the black cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Dry-toast them with the coriander seeds until fragrant. In the same pan, lightly brown the ginger, turmeric and shallots to develop their aromas.
Remove the stems from the dried chilies and discard most of the seeds. Grind the chilies, cardamom and coriander into a powder. Pound the ginger, turmeric, shallots and salt in a mortar until a paste forms, then incorporate the ground spices.
Pour about 120 ml of the coconut milk into a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add the curry paste and cook for a few minutes, stirring, until very fragrant and the mixture has thickened.
Add the remaining coconut milk, water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and palm sugar. Add the chicken drumsticks, bring to a gentle simmer and cook gently for about 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Taste and adjust with fish sauce.
While the chicken cooks, reserve about 85 g of noodles for the topping. Heat the oil to about 175°C and fry these noodles in small batches until golden and crisp. Drain thoroughly.
Cook the remaining egg noodles in boiling water according to the package instructions, keeping them tender but not mushy. Drain and divide between four bowls.
Place two small chicken drumsticks in each bowl and pour over the hot curry broth. Top with the crispy noodles. Serve immediately with pickled mustard greens, shallot, lime, chili oil and, if desired, fresh coriander or spring onion.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The broth becomes too thick or salty
Probable cause: The curry simmered too strongly and reduced too much.
Solution: Add a little hot water and continue cooking at a very gentle simmer, then adjust the seasoning.
The crispy noodles soften too quickly
Probable cause: They were fried too early or added to the broth before serving.
Solution: Fry them close to serving time and place them on top of the bowl at the last moment.
The curry lacks depth
Probable cause: The curry paste was not cooked long enough in the coconut milk.
Solution: Cook the paste for several minutes until very fragrant and the mixture thickens before adding the water.
Portail Asie tips
Keep the chicken at a gentle simmer: a strong boil will reduce the broth too quickly and concentrate the salt. Cook the curry paste in the coconut milk before adding the remaining liquids to develop its aromas. Add the fried noodles only when serving so they stay crisp, and serve the condiments separately.
Substitutions and alternatives
- Black cardamom
- Black cardamom provides a distinctive smoky note. Green cardamom tastes different; if you use it, use only a very small amount. If unavailable, it is better to omit cardamom than to add too much green cardamom.
- Fresh turmeric
- Replace 5 g of fresh turmeric with about 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric.
- Fresh egg noodles
- Use Chinese wonton-style egg noodles. Dried egg noodles can also work, but adjust the cooking time and thoroughly drain the portion that will be fried.
- Pickled mustard greens
- Look for Thai pickled mustard greens (ผักกาดดอง) in an Asian grocery store. Their acidity and crunch help balance the richness of the broth.
- Mild dried chilies
- Guajillo or puya chilies provide colour and flavour without making the dish excessively spicy. If using hotter chilies, carefully remove the seeds and membranes and reduce the amount.
Watch the preparation
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Order this dish in Thailand
Thai name:ข้าวซอยไก่
Say it simply:Khao Soi Gai
Show this:ข้าวซอยไก่ 1 ที่
Meaning:One chicken Khao Soi.
Where to find the ingredients
Black cardamom, fresh egg noodles and pickled mustard greens are mainly available in Asian grocery stores. Look for fresh noodles in the refrigerated section and Thai pickled mustard greens labelled “pickled mustard greens”. Guajillo chilies are common in Latin American grocery stores. In Thailand, Khao Soi ingredients are especially easy to find in the north of the country and in Chiang Mai markets.
