Tom Kha Gai ต้มข่าไก่
Chicken soup in coconut milk scented with galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf — creamy, sour and gentle.
- Spice:
- 🌶 Mild
- Also spelled:
- tom kha kai, thai coconut soup
What is Tom Kha Gai?
Tom kha gai is “galangal boiled chicken”: coconut milk simmered with plenty of galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, plus chicken and mushrooms, finished with lime juice and fish sauce.
It shares aromatics with tom yum but is creamy, milder and more about galangal’s piney fragrance — a good first soup for people wary of spice.
As with tom yum, leave the galangal and lemongrass in the bowl.
Regional versions
Tom kha talay (seafood) and tom kha het (mushroom, vegetarian) are common.
How to order it
“Tom kha gai”. Ask “phet noi” for little spice.
Watch: Tom Kha Gai on YouTube
Embedded from the creators’ own channels (Mark Wiens, Pailin's Kitchen). View counts as of 14 Oct 2026.
Where to eat Tom Kha Gai
Tom Kha Gai is on the menu at almost every Thai restaurant, but we haven’t yet found a well-sourced shortlist of places famous for it, so we haven’t made one up. Browse the Bangkok food map in the meantime.