Thai Chicken-Coconut Soup

For a spicier soup, add 2 seeded and minced Thai or serrano chilies. Use kitchen gloves to protect your hands while mincing and seeding chilies, as they have volatile oils that can irritate your skin.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small orange
  • 3 cups coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tsp. Asian fish sauce
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 6 oz. button mushrooms, quartered
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, preferably Thai

Directions:

Make the soup base
Grate 1 Tbs. zest and extract 1/2 cup juice from the orange. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the orange zest, orange juice, coconut milk, broth and fish sauce. Stir well and bring to a boil.

Cook the chicken and mushrooms
Reduce the heat to low, add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout and the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes more. Add the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, garnish with the basil and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Soup, by Georgeanne Brennan (Oxmoor House, 2006).