Thai-style Chicken Noodle Soup

It doesn't matter what time of year it is, sometimes a bowl of chicken noodle soup is called for to put everything to rights.

So when I saw this recipe from Honest Cooking that included some Thai-inspired ingredients, well, I just knew I needed to give it a try.

The first thing I did was to prep my chicken. The recipe says to slice it into thin strips. However, I thought it might make it easier to eat if it was cut into bite-sized chunks. So that's what I did.

With the chicken cut up, I put garlic that I minced earlier into my pot and cooked them up in some olive oil until the garlic was golden brown.

Then I added the chicken bits, turmeric, cayenne, and chili flakes. Everything was given a stir and allowed to fry away for a couple of minutes.

A quick side note about using turmeric. While it brings lovely color to a dish, be forewarned it may stain your fingers or other surfaces it might accidentally come in contact with. Don't ask me how I know this, but it's safe to presume it was a klutz move on my part.

Next up, I added the coconut milk, chicken stock, lime juice, fish sauce, and the pineapple juice, then whisked in the peanut butter.

*Note - the recipe calls for lemon grass paste, but that's not available here. 

I let the soup simmer for a bit, then added some noodles. When they were ready, it was time to plate.

The broth is so, so good! I would be happy just to have a bowl of it without any chicken or noodles. It's a wonderful combination and balance of spicy and sweet that will warm you body and soul.