Slow Cooker Thai Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

It's raining as I write this -- perfect chicken noodle soup weather. Except, this isn't an ordinary chicken noodle soup. It's extraordinary chicken noodle soup.

My mother-in-law reads a local food magazine called Relish, and recently emailed a Thai Curry recipe from Relish to her three daughters-in-law, commenting that it sounded like something us kids would enjoy. Boy howdy, was she ever right!

I decided to tweak the recipe slightly and utilize my crock pot. There’s just something about curried coconut milk that’s been simmering all day long that just makes my food-heart happy (also known as my savory-heart, but not to be confused with my sweetheart). Since the recipe calls for a generous garnish of fresh basil and green onions, I figured building depth of flavor in the broth would result in a delightful marriage of opposites, when combined with the bright, eye-dilating freshness of the basil. And boy howdy, was I ever right!

If you’re pressed for time, and want to whip this recipe up quickly without using your slow cooker, you can check out the original recipe here. However, if you have time to plan ahead, read on for my super easy crock pot version.  

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 4 skinless chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in, either works)
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3/4 lb egg noodles (preferably Asian-style)
• 3/4 cup loosely packed Thai basil leaves, chifonade-ed
• 2 green onions, sliced on the bias

Place chicken thighs in the bottom of your crock pot.

In a large sauce pan, add 1/2 cup of coconut milk, red curry paste and turmeric, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Don't walk away from your pan -- you're only heating 1/2 a cup of liquid here, and it happens in the blink of an eye. 

Cook until mixture is combined and starts to thicken, about 3 minutes. Keep stirring, because you don't want to burn your coconut milk. Pour this saucy mixture over the chicken thighs in crock pot. 

Add 2 1/2 cups coconut milk, chicken / vegetable stock, fish sauce, and soy sauce to crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Using tongs, remove chicken from crock pot. Remove bones and gently pull chicken apart into smaller pieces. Add chicken pieces back to crock pot, and set to the Warm setting while you prepare the pasta.

Taste the soup for seasoning...if you find it is too salty, start adding additional coconut milk until it is too your liking (about 1/2 cup or more as needed).

Cook your egg noodles according to package instructions (aiming for al dente), and drain. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles. Garnish with basil, green onions, and a drizzle of coconut milk. 

This soup will most definitely be invited back for a sequel. I can't even begin to describe how gloriously rich the broth tasted.

Cheers!!

P.S. I'm linking up here: