Thai Chicken Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 quart chicken stock, homemade or canned
• 1 lemongrass stalk, white part, crushed slightly or 1 tsp. bottled sliced lemongrass
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• (I don't use them often, so I keep them in the freezer.)
• several slices ginger root
• 2 small fresh Thai chiles, halved lengthwise
• (I keep these in the freezer too.)
• 2 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) coconut milk
• (I used Thai Kitchen brand light coconut milk)
• 1 T Thai fish sauce (recipe called for 2 T)
• (Thai fish sauce is nam pla)
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar or Splenda
• 1 can mushrooms (recipe called for straw mushrooms)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (4 cooked chicken breasts)
• juice of 4 limes
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro to garnish if desired (or more)

Directions
In large soup pot, bring chicken stock to a simmer over medium heat. Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, ginger slices, Thai chiles, and smashed garlic cloves. Simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes, then strain stock to remove these inedible flavorings. Turn heat to low, then stir in coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar or Splenda, mushrooms, shredded chicken, lime juice, and cracked pepper. Simmer about 5 minutes without boiling to blend flavors and heat chicken through. Ladle soup into individual bowls and sprinkle with cilantro if desired.