This Thai inspired Pressure Cooker Soul Soothing Chicken Coconut Cabbage Soup is the ultimate soul soothing soup to make all your troubles disappear
I tend to be a fast eater which likely came about from having twin boys and knowing there was impending damage happening every 3 seconds of the day. Â One of my goals when I took this Go Sugar Free course years ago was to learn how to slow down and actually taste and enjoy my food. Â My kids are a bit older now so slowing down has gotten more realistic, but you know what reeeeaaallly makes you slow down and enjoy your food? Â Thai food. Â I don't know what it is, but it's instantly calming and nourishing in a way I can hardly describe. Â This Instant Pot Soul Soothing Chicken, Coconut, Cabbage Soup is just that.
The second you open the pot and get a big whiff of lemon, ginger, and garlic, your heart rate will slow down, your muscles will relax, and you will smile from the inside out. Â That's Thai food my friends. Â And it is indeed medicine for my soul.
This soup comes together so simply and is jam-packed with good for you foods. Â It's also very customizable.
Want it vegetarian? Omit the fish sauce and chicken and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Don't like cilantro? Â Replace it with basil.
Want it mega spicy? Â Add some red pepper flakes or more chili garlic sauce
Add some ramen, switch up the veggies, put a poached egg on top . . . seriously, it's so versatile.
But this here is just how I like it.  Tender pieces of chicken, hearty chunks of tender cabbage, and deep flavorful broth topped with extra citrus, pickled jalapeños, and crunchy bits of peanuts.  Heavenly, soul-soothing, good for you, slow eating Thai food.  It's calling to you, right?
Any other Thai food lovers out there that relate with my over the top psalm? Â Let's travel the United States and hit every Thai food restaurant along the way. Â Now that would be a good trip!
For anyone new to my Thai food lovin' world, it's time to dive in! Â Lookin' at you sisters of mine.
Some of the ingredients below may not be familiar to you but I assure you they can easily be found in the oriental section of your grocery store. Â I promise to post more Thai inspired dishes for you to use them in like this amazing Egg Roll Bowl. Â If you have our cookbook Master the Electric Pressure Cooker you will find some goodies in there as well. Â But if you're impatient and want some recipes that I've tried from the blogosphere now, comment below and I will hook you up.
Enjoy!
Tools Used to Make Instant Pot Chicken, Coconut, Cabbage Soup
Don't miss these other Soups and Sides
Veggie Lovers Tomato Basil Soup
Whole Wheat Cranberry Pecan No Knead Crusty Bread
Whole Wheat Jalapeño Cheddar No Knead Crusty Bread
Pressure Cooker Soul Soothing Coconut Cabbage Soup
This soul soothing soup will bring you the ultimate flavorful comfort you've always wanted in a big, healthy bowl of soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)
- 1 (15 ounce) can lite coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons lemongrass paste (find it in the produce section in a tube)
- 1–3 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (depending on how spicy you want it. Â 1 has almost no spice, 3 has a nice punch)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons green curry paste
- 1 teaspoon ground curry
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (omit to make it vegetarian)
- small head of cabbage cut into large wedges (about 8 pieces)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- cooked quinoa or brown rice on the side if desired
- Optional toppings: pickled jalapeños, Sriracha, roasted peanuts or cashews-chopped, soy sauce, extra cilantro, lemon wedges, extra fish sauce
Instructions
- Add chicken broth, coconut milk, lemongrass paste, chili garlic sauce, green curry paste, curry, ginger, salt, fish sauce and lemon juice to the pressure cooker pot, lightly stir. Â Add chicken. Â Place wedges of cabbage on top.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Â Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- Remove chicken and place on a cutting board. Â Shred into bite size pieces and return it to the pot. Â Stir in cilantro. Â Taste broth and season with more salt if needed.
- To serve, ladle soup into a bowl. Â Add cooked quinoa or brown rice if desired. Â Top with desired toppings.
Freezer Meal Instructions:Â
- To a freezer safe gallon size ziplock, add lemongrass paste, chili garlic sauce, curry paste, curry, ginger, salt, fish sauce, lemon juice, and chicken thighs; seal the bag. Â Label the bag with the recipe, date, and contents. Â Freeze inside pressure cooker pot until solid, then remove the bag from the pot and place back in the freezer until ready to use.
- When ready to cook, add chicken broth and coconut milk to the pressure cooker pot. Â Cut down the sides of the ziplock and place the frozen ingredients into the pot.
- Cook at high pressure for 22 minutes then proceed with the rest of the directions above.
Notes
- Cabbage is cooked in large wedges so it won't overcook. Â Cut into smaller pieces after it is cooked or simply serve it in large wedges and let each person cut it down to their desired size.
- Look for the lemongrass paste in the refrigerated produce section. Â It is in a tube along side other pastes such as ginger, garlic, etc. Â Could also substitute with 2 stalks of fresh lemon grass, chopped.
- Chili Garlic Paste, green curry paste, and Fish Sauce can be found in the oriental section with the soy sauce.
- To make this a vegetarian soup, omit fish sauce and chicken thighs and replace chicken broth with vegetable broth.
- Can substitute the lemons with lime and the cilantro with basil
Keywords: comfort food, Thai soup, Instant pot meal

This sounds amazing! Thai food is a favorite of ours…we are fortunate to have one of the best Thai restaurants close by but it would be nice to be able to make some myself. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Cecilia, You’ll love it! Every date night my husband end up at the same thai restaurant. It’s like once you’ve experienced good Thai food, no other restaurant sounds good anymore, right?!
That looks amazing! I am still recovering from the sensory overload from that tomato basil soup and now you give me this? Guarantee that I will make it this week!!! Thank’s Marci!
whoops, no apostrophe after the k in Thanks! Some journalist I am!
I wish I had your journalist skills 🙂
Karen, Haha! I actually thought of you while I was editing this recipe. You will love it 🙂