Chicken Laksa with Coconut and Fresh Herbs

This chicken laksa balances a punchy homemade spice paste with mellow coconut milk for a broth that's spicy, savoury and deeply aromatic. Tender poached chicken, springy noodles and crunchy toppings turn one bowl into a full meal. It tastes like it simmered for hours, but comes together in about 45 minutes.

Laksa is Malaysia’s great one-bowl feast: a coconut curry broth built on a fresh spice paste, poured over noodles and loaded with toppings. This version keeps the depth but skips the fuss, using easy-to-find aromatics and supermarket curry paste as a shortcut you boost with your own. Expect warmth, richness and a squeeze of fresh lime to lift every mouthful.

Ingredients

• 4 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 lemongrass stalks — tough outer layers removed, tender core bashed and chopped
• 30 g fresh ginger or galangal — galangal is more authentic; ginger works
• 2 red chillies — deseed for less heat
• 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste) — the key laksa flavour; toast briefly to bloom it
• 1 tbsp dried shrimp — soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, optional but traditional
• 2 tbsp laksa or Thai red curry paste — laksa paste if you can find it
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 500 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs — sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 400 ml full-fat coconut milk
• 600 ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp fish sauce — plus more to taste
• 300 g rice vermicelli or medium egg noodles
• 150 g beansprouts, plus lime wedges and coriander to serve

Method

1. Make the paste: blitz the shallots, garlic, lemongrass, ginger or galangal, chillies, belacan, drained dried shrimp, curry paste, ground coriander and turmeric in a small processor with a splash of water until you have a rough, fragrant paste. Scrape down and blitz again if needed.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large deep pan or wok over a medium heat. Add the paste and fry gently for 5 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens slightly and smells rich and toasty rather than raw.
3. Spoon in the thicker cream from the top of the coconut milk and let it sizzle with the paste for 2 minutes until glossy and the oil begins to split out. This deepens the flavour.
4. Add the chicken and stir to coat in the paste, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes until sealed all over. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk, the stock and the fish sauce, then bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Simmer, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through with no pink in the middle and the broth has thickened a little. Taste and adjust with more fish sauce or a pinch of sugar.
6. Meanwhile, soak or cook the noodles according to the packet, then drain and divide between four warm bowls. Add a handful of beansprouts to each.
7. Stir the beansprouts through if you prefer them softened, then ladle the piping-hot broth and chicken over the noodles.
8. Finish with plenty of fresh coriander, a wedge of lime for squeezing, and extra sliced chilli for anyone who wants more heat.

Serve it with

• Halved soft-boiled eggs
• Fried tofu puffs
• Crispy fried shallots
• Prawn crackers
• A cold Tiger or Singha beer

Why this works

Frying the fresh paste and splitting the coconut cream builds a caramelised, layered base that store-bought paste alone can't give, so the broth tastes long-simmered in a fraction of the time.

Common swaps

• Use chicken breast for a leaner bowl, adding it a few minutes later so it doesn't dry out
• Swap chicken for peeled king prawns, poaching them for just 3 to 4 minutes until pink
• Make it vegetarian with chunky tofu and extra mushrooms, using veg stock and soy instead of fish sauce, belacan and dried shrimp
• Rice noodles keep it gluten-free; egg noodles give a chewier, heartier bowl

Common mistakes to avoid

• Not frying the paste long enough, so the broth tastes raw and harsh rather than mellow and toasty
• Boiling the coconut milk hard, which can make it split unpleasantly and turn grainy
• Overcooking the noodles in the broth so they go mushy; cook them separately and add at the end
• Forgetting the acid and salt balance, laksa needs both lime and enough fish sauce to sing

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Keep the broth and noodles separate. Store leftover broth and chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezing: The broth freezes well for up to 3 months; cool fully, then freeze without noodles or beansprouts and add those fresh when reheating.

Reheating: Reheat the broth gently in a pan until piping hot, adding a splash of stock or water if it has thickened, then pour over freshly cooked noodles.

Allergen notes: contains Fish, Crustaceans, Egg. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.