Tom kha gai

Name: Tom kha gai
Prep time: 9 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 800ml Chicken Stock; 800g Coconut Milk; 2 tablespoons Galangal Paste; 2 Lemongrass Stalks; 8 Lime Leaves; 500g Chicken Thighs; 300g Oyster Mushrooms; 6 Birds-eye Chillies; 1 tablespoon Caster Sugar; 5 tablespoons Fish Sauce; Juice of 3 Lime; To serve Coriander Leaves; To serve Rice

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Chicken recipe with Thai flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 42 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 27 min total

800ml Chicken Stock
800g Coconut Milk
2 tablespoons Galangal Paste
2 Lemongrass Stalks
8 Lime Leaves
500g Chicken Thighs
300g Oyster Mushrooms
6 Birds-eye Chillies
1 tablespoon Caster Sugar
5 tablespoons Fish Sauce
Juice of 3 Lime
To serve Coriander Leaves
To serve Rice

Step-by-step instructions

Pour the chicken stock and coconut milk into a large saucepan set over a medium heat. Tip in the galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves, and bring to a gentle simmer, around 6-8 mins. Keeping at a gentle simmer, add the chicken. Cook for 8-10 mins until tender and cooked through.
Stir in the mushrooms and chillies, and simmer for a further 3-5 mins until everything is cooked through. Sprinkle in the sugar and 3 tbsp each of the fish sauce and lime juice. Taste and add the remaining if required.
Remove the galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves before serving using a slotted spoon. Ladle into bowls and serve with coriander leaves sprinkled over and steamed rice on the side. Will keep chilled for up to three days. Leave to cool first.

Why this works on a weeknight

Tom kha gai genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Tom kha gai actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Chicken Thai ⚡ 30-Min Dinner