Coconut Thai Chicken Soup

Coconut Thai Chicken Soup via Rachael Ray

In theory, I really enjoyed the "10 Ways" articles that came out in Rachael Ray's magazine.  She would take a basic favorite and have different chefs list different variations on say, fried chicken or grilled cheese.  I say I liked it in theory because it was interesting to think about all the different ways you could make a dish, but when it comes down to it, I'm personally always searching for the best version of a dish instead of just 10,000 different ways to make it.  

{That is, unless the dish is Tortilla Soup.  I have literally about 5 different recipes in a regular rotation, and I am open to adding more!}

This Coconut Thai Chicken Soup is from one of those "10 Ways" articles.  It is a little vague, and I therefore I took some liberties with my interpretation of the recipe.  In my version, I cut a stalk of lemongrass in 4 different (medium-sized) sections, smashed 2 garlic cloves, and boiled/simmered these items in a quart of (good quality) chicken stock for 5 minutes.  I then discarded the garlic & lemongrass and added half a package of sliced baby bella mushrooms and half the shredded chicken from a whole rotisserie chicken--I simmered those items (with the lid on the pot) for 5 more minutes.  Then, I lowered the heat and added a can of light coconut milk, a couple spoonfuls of Thai red chili paste, the juice of 4 limes, some salt, and a teaspoon and half of sugar.  I sprinkled chopped scallions over the top of each bowl of soup.

I loved the lime-coconut flavor of this soup that reminds me of my favorite Thai soup, but next time I'll add something else...maybe noodles?  I normally don't add shredded chicken to my soups, but I felt I needed to just to have something besides mushrooms & broth.  Once I figure out the right ingredients, I have a feeling I'll have something close to my best version of Coconut Thai Chicken Soup.