Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

I'm bringing this back up to the top, with a few changes (nothing major).  It was one of our soups from my original post, when there were about 12 recipes per post. We made it again for lunch after both having had some extremely stressful days and nights at work. It hit the spot in a nourishing, comforting, and palate-entertaining way. If you're feeling sick, consider this instead of the usual homemade chicken soup.  So easy to make, and it makes the kitchen wonderfully fragrant.  My husband declared it restaurant quality. 

This is adapted from Arthur Schwartz' Soup Suppers.   

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
1 can straw mushrooms (or one cup fresh mushrooms cut into chunks)
1/2 sweet red pepper, sliced thinly
2 stalks lemongrass, cut on the diagonal into 2 inch pieces
1/2 inch piece of ginger root, sliced
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
2-3 squirts of Sriracha (rooster) sauce or red pepper flakes to taste
3 T Thai fish sauce
3 T lime juice
1 14 oz. can light unsweetened coconut milk
2 green onions, chopped
4-5 sprigs of cilantro, chopped

Put about 2 1/2 quarts of water in a soup pan.  (This is an estimate.) Add the chicken, lemongrass, ginger root, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and mushrooms. Let it simmer until the chicken is tender. Add the sweet red peppers and basil leaves. Stir in the coconut milk, and let it simmer about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce. Stir in the green onions and cilantro just before serving.

  

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