Thai Glass Noodle Soup Recipe with Chicken
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This Thai glass noodle soup recipe with chicken is ready in about 30 minutes and makes a comforting bowl of soup with tender chicken thighs, soft glass noodles, fresh herbs, and a spicy, savory broth. It’s an authentic Isan-style recipe from my grandmother, comes together in one pot, and is deliciously filling without feeling heavy.
Gaeng gai sai woon sen
In Thailand, this dish is called แกงไก่ใส่วุ้นเส้น (gaeng gai sai woon sen), which means chicken curry with glass noodles. Yes, “gaeng” translates to “curry,” but it can also mean soup, which can be a little confusing!
I know “my grandmother’s recipe” is something you see on a lot of food blogs, but this really is one of the soups my grandmother makes best. Her Thai bamboo soup is another family favorite.
Her recipe starts with pounded chilies and lots of aromatics, which are cooked first before the chicken and broth go in. Then it’s seasoned with fish sauce and fermented fish sauce, which gives the soup that deeper, umami flavor typical of Isan cooking.
The flavor is spicy and savory, and the soup is very fragrant, with the glass noodles soaking up the flavorful broth. The fresh herbs go in at the end, so you still get their aroma when the soup hits the table.
Don’t skip the fermented fish sauce if you want it to taste like my grandmother’s version. It has a strong flavor, but it’s the ingredient that gives this soup its Isan character and sets it apart from other Thai glass noodle soups you may have tried.
What are glass noodles?
Glass noodles, also called mung bean noodles, bean thread noodles, or cellophane noodles, are thin noodles made from starch. They become soft and slightly chewy when soaked and cooked, and they work especially well in soups because they take on the flavor of the broth.
In Thailand, we call them woon sen (วุ้นเส้น). You’ll find them in many dishes, including yum woon sen and goong ob woon sen.
Don’t confuse them with rice vermicelli. They may look similar when dry, but the texture is quite different once cooked.
Learn Thai cooking step by step
My cookbook is a combination of authentic Thai recipes and Western dishes cooked with Thai flavors and ingredients. It’s a great starting point if you’re new to Thai cooking or want to cook it more often.
Ingredient notes & substitutes
You can find most of these ingredients at an Asian grocery store or fresh market. For the exact amounts, head to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Chicken: I use chopped chicken thighs because they stay juicy in the broth and don’t dry out as easily as breast meat. You can use another cut of chicken, pork, or beef, but adjust the cooking time depending on what you use.
- Glass noodles: Use mung bean or cellophane noodles. Soak them before cooking according to the package instructions.
- Fermented fish sauce: This is called pla ra, and it’s a classic Isan ingredient. It has a much stronger, deeper flavor than regular fish sauce.
- Fish sauce: Adds saltiness and umami to the broth. My go-to brand is Megachef.
- Lemongrass: Adds a fresh citrus aroma.
- Makrut lime leaves: These give the soup another layer of citrusy aroma. Tear them slightly before adding so they release more flavor.
- Lemon basil: I like adding this right at the end. It has a fresh herbal aroma that works especially well with the spicy broth.
- Dried chilies: These give the soup a deeper chili flavor. Toasted or dried Thai chilies work well.
- Fresh chilies: Add these for extra heat and a fresher chili flavor. Use fewer if you’re not used to spicy food.
- Shallots: These add sweetness and depth to the pounded paste.
- MSG: My grandmother used a little MSG in this recipe, and I still add it here. You can leave it out if you prefer.
- Salt: Add only as needed because the fish sauce and fermented fish sauce already bring quite a bit of salt.
- Water: This is the base of the broth.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil for frying the spices.
How to make glass noodle chicken soup
1: Soak the glass noodles. Soak the glass noodles in water according to the package instructions until softened. Drain and set aside.
2. Pound the aromatics. Add the dried chilies, fresh chilies, shallots, and lemongrass to a mortar and pestle. Pound until roughly crushed.
3. Fry the pounded mixture. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the pounded chili and herb mixture and stir-fry for about 20 seconds, until fragrant.
4. Add the chicken. Add the chopped chicken thighs and cook, stirring occasionally, until the outside is cooked and the chicken is about halfway done.
5. Make the broth. Pour in the water, then add the fermented fish sauce, fish sauce, salt, and MSG. Stir well and simmer until the chicken is completely cooked through.
6. Add the glass noodles. Stir in the soaked glass noodles and cook for about 1 minute, just until tender.
7. Finish with fresh herbs. Turn off the heat and add the lemon basil and green onions. Stir everything together and serve hot.
How to store & reheat
- Refrigerate: Let the soup cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this soup. The glass noodles tend to become very soft and mushy after thawing.
- Reheat: Reheat gently in a saucepan over low to medium heat until hot. If the noodles have absorbed too much broth, add a little water to loosen the soup.
Thai Glass Noodle Soup Recipe with Chicken
Equipment
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- Large wok or pot
- ladle
Ingredients
- 2.5 oz dried glass noodles
- 4 dried chilies, adjust to taste
- 3 fresh chilies, adjust to taste
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 1 stalk lemongrass, cut one part into thin slices and the other half into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1.3 lb chicken thighs, chopped in bite-sized pieces
- 3 cups water
- 2 tbsp fermented fish sauce, optional
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tbsp MSG
- 5 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 cup lemon basil
- ½ cup green onions, 2-inch sized pieces
Instructions
- Soak the glass noodles in water as indicated on the package.
- Crush dried chilies, fresh chilies, shallots, and lemongrass with a mortar and pestle.
- In a medium-heated wok, heat oil and fry the pounded paste for 20 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add chopped chicken thighs and cook until they’re half done.
- Pour in water and stir in all seasonings including fermented fish sauce, fish sauce, salt, and MSG, cooking until the chicken is done.
- Stir in the glass noodles and cook for one more minute.
- Turn off the heat, add lemongrass, lemon basil, and green onions, and mix well with the noodles and chicken.
Video
@hungryinthailand.com An authentic Isan meal, spicy glass noodles with chicken. #thaifood #isan #foodrecipes #thairecipe #foodblog
♬ ใส่ใจได้แต่มองChallenge – ARII Takahashi
Notes
- Use the nutrition card in this recipe as a guideline.
- Fermented fish sauce: If you don’t have fermented fish sauce or simply don’t want to use it, you can omit it.
- Serve with sticky rice or other Thai side dishes.
Is this Soup by any chance called “Geang Woon Sen” ? We had this last week in a Thai restaurant in Germany and i am trying to figure out where this dish comes from.
Hey Jens! This exact dish is called ‘gaeng kai sai woon sen’. This is an Isan curry chicken, but I named it soup since it looks more like a soup in the eyes of a Westerner and I don’t want to confuse people! Gaeng woon sen is a general name for a curry (or sometimes soup) made with glass noodles, but not the familiar coconut milk curry kind.