Slow Cooker

Martha Stewart's Slow-Cooker Tom Kha Gai

by:
September 13, 2018
20 Ratings
Martha Stewart's Slow-Cooker Tom Kha Gai
Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson
Author Notes

Reprinted from Martha Stewart’s Slow Cooker. Copyright © 2017 by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Photographs copyright © 2017 by Stephen Kent Johnson. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

While this soup can be made on the stovetop in under an hour, it benefits from a longer spell in the slow cooker. The lemongrass and lime leaves infuse more flavor into the broth and the tender, moist chicken thighs. —Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: 17 Fall Slow-Cooker Recipes to Curl Up With. —The Editors

  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 6 hours
  • Serves 6
Ingredients
  • 3 lemongrass stalks, tough outer layers removed
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, store-bought or homemade
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 (2-inch) piece fresh galangal or ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 6 kaffir lime leaves, halved, or 6 strips lime zest with a vegetable peeler
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 3 Thai bird chiles
  • 1 1/2 pounds pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch strips
  • 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thinly sliced
  • 1 can (13.5 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 large carrot, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons chopped Thai basil, plus more leaves for garnish
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced
  • Chili oil sauce, for serving
In This Recipe
Directions
  1. Preheat a 4-quart slow cooker.
  2. On a cutting board, using the side of a chef’s knife, lightly smash lemongrass. Combine lemongrass, broth, fish sauce, sugar, galangal, lime leaves, shallot, chiles, chicken, and mushrooms in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until chicken is cooked through, about 2 1/2 hours (or on low for 5 hours).
  3. Add coconut milk and carrot, and cook on high 30 minutes longer (or on low for 1 hour). Stir in lime juice, cilantro, basil, and scallion. Top with cilantro and basil, and serve with chili oil sauce.
  4. Tip: Chili oil sauce—a mixture of ground dried chiles, soybean oil, garlic, and sesame oil—is sold in Asian markets and even many supermarkets. It can be used in any recipe that calls for red-pepper flakes.
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11 Reviews

Peanut52553
Peanut52553 October 3, 2021
Loved this. I only had one Red Thai chili so chopped it up fine and included the seeds. Make sure you temper the coconut milk or it will curdle. I also added chopped red pepper at the endangered any other vegetables would work.
 
JodyC
JodyC September 19, 2021
Okay, Martha. I still love you. You have 6 kaffir lime leaves in this!!! Excellent!
 
Sabine G.
Sabine G. March 7, 2020
This was excellent! I can't remember the last time I used a slow cooker and this has inspired me to keep going! Super easy preparations. Lots of flavor. Hubs and I loved it. If you are nursing a cold- this is the cure!
 
Tim T.
Tim T. September 7, 2019
Great flavours. Awesome and simple recipe. I wasn't able to get Shitake mushrooms but substitute them with a mix of mushrooms from the market. I had the soup over ramen noodles. I think next time I will stir through water chestnuts near the end for a about more texture and maybe some fried green onion.
 
lulieliv
lulieliv April 13, 2019
Do you slice the peppers or put them in whole?
 
Amy
Amy July 30, 2020
Put them in whole. They will flavor the dish but aren't meant to be eaten. Just set them aside if you find one in your bowl. Looking at the date of your post, I realize by now you know this (!) but maybe someone else has the same question when making this recipe.
 
Max E.
Max E. March 4, 2019
Loved this and so did our guests! Once you have the ingredients it comes together in a flash.
 
Sharon
Sharon February 28, 2019
Wow! I doubled the recipe and shared it with everyone at work. so flavorful and worth the effort to source all of the ingredients. The only change I made was to cook it on the stove (I didn't want to dig out my slow cooker). Next time, I will put the galangal and lemongrass in an herb/muslin bag for easy removal.
 
Kate
Kate April 12, 2019
Can you explain stovetop instructions - heat, timing etc. i don’t have a slow cooker and would like to make this !
 
FrugalCat
FrugalCat December 29, 2018
Extremely awesome flavor. I did make quite a few substitutions (all in the same flavor family)- turbinado sugar, scotch bonnet for the Thai bird chilies, parsley and more cilantro for the Thai Basil, garlic for the shallot. I get shittake mushrooms cheap at my local Asian grocery.
 
Linda D.
Linda D. October 4, 2018
Absolutely delicious! I used 6 strips of the lime zest, three hot peppers I had on hand from the Farmers' Market, 4 cups of Swanson's chicken stock, and dried basil. This is more flavorful than what I have had at Thai restaurants and since it was not much trouble, I am sure I will prepare this again.