When the weather turned cold, I developed a full-blown obsession with tom kha gai from my favorite little Thai spot around the corner. After ordering it three nights in a row, I decided it was time to try making it at home. I asked the sweet Thai woman who cooks everything how she makes her soup so creamy and rich. She smiled and said, “It’s a long process,” and “I use coconut cream.” I took that tip and ran with it!
Tom kha gai is a Thai coconut chicken soup flavored with lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves. Here, to skip the “long process”, we use the Instant Pot to build a rich, collagen-filled broth using bone-in chicken and aromatics. It’s a true dump-and-go soup—hands-off, cozy, and incredibly nourishing.
Ingredient highlight
Lemongrass! This southeast Asian stalk is a part of the grass family. It has a very distinct citrusy flavor thanks to plant compound “citral”, which also gives it it’s anti-inflammatory effects. It’s traditionally be used remedy for digestive issues, pain relief, and fever.
You can find lemongrass in the herb section or near the ginger at most grocery stores or at any Asian grocery store. When buying lemongrass, look for firm stalks with a pale yellow lower stalk and green upper stalk. For cooking, it’s best to remove the tough outer stalks (use it them for tea!) and only use the tender white inner stalk.
Servings 4 – 6
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 45 minutes Ingredients
- 2 lbs bone-in chicken pieces (thighs, legs, and/or breasts(I like to use a mix), skin removed (see video)
- 12 strips galangal (or use ginger, see note)*
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bottom half only, smashed open**
- 5 kaffir lime leaves**
- 2-3 thai chiles, slit lengthwise (or other small spicy chili pepper or use ½-1 tsp red pepper flakes)(optional, for spice)
- 3 cups water
- 1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut cream***
- 8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)****
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- Cooked rice or rice noodles, for serving (optional)
- Lime wedges, for topping
- Cilantro and/or scallions, for topping
- *You can find galangal at most Asian grocery stores, often in the pre-sliced in the frozen section. If you don’t have access to this, use a 3-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced into slabs.
- **If you can’t find lemongrass, often they have this at grocery stores near the herbs or at any Asian grocery store, use zest strips from 1 lime instead (use a Y-peeler to peel thick strips of zest).
- **You can find kaffir (makrut) lime leaves at most Asian grocery stores in the frozen section. If you don’t have access to this, use another lime (zested as described above).
- ***You can use canned coconut milk, but the soup will not be as creamy.
- ****Add more veg! You can replace some or all of the mushrooms with broccoli, bell pepper, cabbage, or any other quick cooking veg. I used shiitake mushrooms.
Instructions
- In a 6-quart Instant Pot, add the chicken, galangal (or ginger), lemongrass, kaffir lime (or lime zest), chiles (if using), and water. Arrange everything so that the aromatics and chicken are mostly submerged. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, then let it naturally release for 10 minutes before manually releasing the rest of the pressure.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest for a few minutes, then shred it up (it should fall right off the bone).
- Meanwhile, press the “sautee” button on the Instant Pot to medium. Stir in the coconut cream, mushrooms, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring to a simmer for 3-5 minutes, then press cancel.
- Stir the chicken back into the pot along with the lime juice. Taste the broth and add more lime or fish sauce (or salt), to taste.
- Serve as is or over rice or noodles topped with cilantro and/or scallions and a squeeze of lime.
Stovetop instructions:
- Simmer the chicken, lemongrass, galangal, and lime leaves gently in the water (covered) for 45-60 minutes. Follow the recipe as is (remove chicken, stir in coconut, etc…).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Remove the skin from the chicken
- Thinly slice 8 oz mushrooms
- Make the soup!
- Cook rice or noodles, to serve (optional)
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, you can skip the chicken all together and stir in tofu or use ½ cup green lentils in place of the chicken (reduce pressure cook time to 10 minutes with 10 min natural release). Replace fish sauce with soy sauce.
- Fish sauce is a key ingredient, but if you don’t like it you can replace half or all of it with soy sauce.
- See recipe notes for other sub options.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm the soup up on the stove or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Top with a generous squeeze of lime and lots of herbs. Serve with warm rice or noodles.
- Stir some extra greens into the soup as it heats up.
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