This Thai-Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup is one of those recipes that just makes you feel good. It's comforting and earthy, naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and is packed with immune-boosting ingredients. Make a double batch, because the leftovers are absolutely worth it. You'll love it for a cozy night in with my Healthier Millionaire Bars!
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Easy Thai chicken meatball soup
What is your favorite thing about Thai food? Most people might say Pad Thai. As much as I adore my Easy Chicken Pad Thai recipe, sometimes the cold outside makes me want to snuggle up with an earthy soup.
This Thai-inspired chicken meatball soup is full of my favorite Thai ingredients. Together, they help boost your immune system and make the soup super filling so you can eat it for lunch or dinner without anything else on the side!
Another thing you'll love about this soup is that it holds up perfectly in the fridge. Just like my Thai Chicken Curry Soup, you can make it today and enjoy it tomorrow or the next day. As it sits in the fridge, all the flavors will infuse together. I honestly think it tastes even better the next day!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Comforting, earthy flavor in every spoonful
- Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, so more people can enjoy it
- Packed with immune-boosting ingredients like ginger, garlic, and mushrooms
- Filling enough for lunch or dinner without needing anything on the side
- Tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for leftovers
Erin's Expert Tips (Before You Start)
- Don't skip the browning step! Cook the meatballs for 4 minutes on each side in the Dutch oven before transferring them to a plate to build deep flavor in both the meatballs and the broth.
- Don't overcrowd the pot. When browning the meatballs, work in batches to keep the heat high enough to brown them instead of steaming them, which makes a big difference in flavor.
- Rinse the rice noodles with cold water after cooking. This stops the cooking process and prevents them from clumping together or getting too mushy in the soup.
- Let the soup rest for a full 10 minutes before ladling it into bowls to let the flavors come together.
Thai-Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup Ingredients
Here’s a little bit about everything that goes into this Thai-inspired chicken meatball soup:
- Rice noodles: These soak up the broth and give the soup a classic pho-inspired base. Just cook them according to the package directions before adding them in.
- Ground chicken: I used ground chicken, but ground turkey works great here too if that's what you have!
- Fresh ginger: Brings warmth and brightness to the broth. I always recommend using fresh over ground ginger here for the best flavor.
- Cilantro: Adds a fresh, herby finish to the soup. If you don't like cilantro, either leave it out or replace it with fresh parsley.
- Scallions: This creates an incredible aroma in the soup!
- Soy sauce: Adds the umami that is essential for an Asian dish.
- Shiitake mushrooms: Brings a deep, earthy note to this tasty soup. You can use baby bella instead, but shiitake has an amazing taste!
- Chicken broth: This makes up the base of the soup, so it's where a lot of that rich flavor comes from.
- Coconut milk: This keeps the soup dairy-free while giving it a rich, creamy texture.
- Honey: Adds some natural sweetness to this soup without refined sugar.
- Lime juice: A good squeeze balances out the richness and makes the soup zestier and brighter.
- Fresh spinach: I love tossing this in for some extra greens, but feel free to add more or less depending on your preference.
How to make homemade chicken meatball soup
To start, cook your rice noodles according to the package directions. Then drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Mix together the ground chicken, ginger, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and soy sauce, then roll into meatballs and brown them in batches in a hot Dutch oven until cooked through.
Once the meatballs are browned and set aside, sauté the onion, mushrooms, and garlic in the same pot until softened. Then pour in the chicken broth, coconut milk, remaining soy sauce, and honey, and bring to a simmer. Next, add the noodles and meatballs back in. Let everything simmer together, then turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice and spinach. Let the soup sit for a few minutes, then serve topped with extra cilantro and scallions if you'd like. Enjoy!
- Step 1: Cook noodles & make the meatballs. Cook rice noodles according to package, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken with ginger, 5 cloves of minced garlic, cilantro, scallions, and soy sauce. Roll into 20 meatballs.
- Step 2: Brown the meatballs. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, brown the meatballs for 4 minutes per side. Repeat with all 20 meatballs and then transfer to a plate. Scrape any brown bits off the bottom. Then wipe down/wash the Dutch oven clean of any burnt bits.
- Step 3: Add and simmer ingredients. Next, heat the pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoon of oil. Then add onion, mushrooms, a pinch of salt, and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the mushrooms soften. Next, add the chicken broth, coconut milk, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and honey. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add noodles and meatballs to broth. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Step 4: Add lime juice, rest, and serve. Turn off the heat and stir in the juice of one lime and the spinach. Let your soup sit for 10 minutes before serving. Top with cilantro and scallions if desired!
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some common questions about this Thai-inspired chicken meatball soup. Don’t see the answer you’re looking for? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post!
Cook homemade chicken meatballs until they reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
Yes, you certainly can. Just be careful and read the ingredients, especially if you have health concerns. Make sure they are gluten-free and that you are happy with all of the ingredients in them.
I like to make my own frozen meatballs and store them in my freezer. That saves me lots of time when I'm making this soup!
Yes, you can! I sometimes the meatballs earlier in the week so all I have to do on soup day is brown them and build the broth. Just keep them covered in the fridge until you're ready to cook, and they'll be just as flavorful.
Yes, other noodles will work here too. I like rice noodles for that classic pho-inspired texture, but if you're using a thinner noodle, I recommend cooking it separately and adding it to individual bowls instead of the whole pot. This helps keep them from getting too soft or soaking up too much broth as the soup sits.
Storing leftovers
The best way to store leftover homemade Thai-inspired chicken meatball soup is to pour it into an airtight soup container and refrigerate it. It will last for up to 4 days in the fridge.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipes on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Follow @erinliveswhole on Instagram and tag me in any of the recipes you make so I can repost them!
Thai Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Cook rice noodles according to package, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together ground chicken, ginger, 5 cloves of minced garlic, cilantro, scallions, and soy sauce. Roll into 20 meatballs.
- Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoon oil. Once hot, brown meatballs for 4 minutes on each side. Use a spatula or tongs to flip. It's okay if some scraps stick to the bottom.
- Repeat with all 20 meatballs and then transfer to a plate. Scrape any brown bits off the bottom and add to the cooked meatball plate. Wipe down/wash Dutch oven clean of any burnt bits.
- Heat pan over medium-high heat and add remaining 2 tablespoon oil. Then add onion, mushrooms, pinch of salt, and garlic. Let cook 2-3 minutes until mushrooms have softened.
- Add in chicken broth, coconut milk, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and honey. Bring to simmer. Once simmering, add noodles and meatballs to broth. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat and stir in the juice of one lime and spinach. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. Top with cilantro and scallions if desired!
Nutrition
Notes
- Brown the Meatballs First: Don't skip the browning step! Cook the meatballs for 4 minutes on each side in the Dutch oven before transferring them to a plate to build deep flavor in both the meatballs and the broth.
- Rinse the Rice Noodles with Cold Water After Cooking: Once your rice noodles are cooked according to the package, drain them immediately and rinse with cold water before setting aside. This stops the cooking process and prevents them from clumping together or getting too mushy in the soup.
- Let the Soup Sit Before Serving: After turning off the heat and stirring in the lime juice and spinach, let the soup rest for a full 10 minutes before ladling it into bowls to allow the flavors time to come together.
Tried this recipe?
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Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by The Mindful Hapa
Mary says
Super delicious! Even better the second day!
I used a mixture of pork and chicken and added 1/2 panko to the meatball mixture. Then I baked them at 450 degrees for 15 minutes on a EVOO drizzled baking sheet.
I added 1 Tbs THAI Kitchen red curry paste to the broth and omitted the honey.
Next time I will add more shiitake mustard.
Erin says
Hi Mary, so happy you loved it and made it your own! 🙂
Ciara says
This ELW recipe was fun, flavorful and super easy. I prepped the meatballs earlier in the week and made the soup base day of and it came together so quickly.
Erin says
Hi Ciara, so happy you loved it and great idea!! 🙂
Maria Ballmer says
Love this! Next time I’ll double the mushrooms, add julienned red pepper and fresh basil with spinach.
Erin says
Hi Maria, so glad you loved it and yes, feel free to make it your own! 🙂
Paula says
I loved this soup, thank you! I made it with the mushrooms whole because I wasn't sure if I was to slice them. Next time, if I have some Thai basil and fish sauce, I will improvise a bit. All and all a very tasty soup that will be a "keeper" for me!
Erin says
Hi Paula, so happy you liked it and feel free to make it your own!
Kaitlin Wolfert says
This soup is amazing!!! I kept my rice noodles separate because I used the super thin type. I also added a little sriracha and fish sauce, but I loved this soup and will definitely be making it again!
Erin says
Hi Kaitlin, so happy you loved it and made it your own! 🙂
Erin N says
We LOVE this soup! It has so much delicious flavor. A staple for sure!
Erin says
Hi Erin, so happy you loved it! 🙂
Rimma says
So flavorful and easy to make! Next time, I will probably make the meatballs smaller just for ease of eating. Loved all the yummy ginger and coconut flavor.
Erin says
Hi Rimma, so happy you loved it! 🙂
Jennifer Emerson says
This soup is like a hug in a bowl. I had some leftover that I froze when I made it and it was exactly what I needed on this windy, challenging day.
Erin says
Hi Jennifer, so happy you loved it so much! 🙂
Jessica Hackler says
We added 3 tablespoons habanero sauce and a tidbit of ghost pepper to add some spice, more to our taste! Came out great otherwise ☺️
Erin says
Hi Jessica, so happy you loved it and made it your own! 🙂
Caroline says
So flavorful and easy! Makes great leftovers too!
Erin says
Hi Caroline, so glad you loved it!!
Emily says
So easy and so yummy. I baked the meatballs in the oven before assembling the soup! This is just a feel good soup 😊
Erin says
Hi Emily, so happy you loved it!!
Caitlin says
This was great for us! Tasty and delicious
Erin says
Hi Caitlin, so happy you loved it!!