Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
Quick and easy 30-minute healthy, flavourful Chinese chicken noodle soup that is perfect for a cosy weeknight dinner. For a vegetarian version, simply add noodles to my 20-minute bok choy soup recipe!
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Servings: 4 people
Calories: 544kcal
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) chicken thighs boneless, skinless, cut into strips
- 400 g (14 oz) fresh Chinese noodles 250g if using dry noodles (note 1)
- 1 bunch bok choy stems separated, washed, core halved lengthways
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or a neutral-tasting oil
- salt to taste
- sesame oil to serve
Chicken soup base
- 1½ litres (6 cups) chicken stock ideally Chinese stock powder or Chinese chicken soup (note 2)
- 4 dehydrated shitake mushrooms or fresh (note 3)
- 2 tomatoes large, cut into wedges
- 1 carrot thinly sliced, diagonally
- 5 slices fresh ginger thin
- 2 spring onions scallions, cut into 2 inch/5cm pieces
Instructions
Make chicken and vegetable soup
- Combine all chicken soup base ingredients into a large pot. Bring it up to a boil then gentlely boil over low heat for 10 minutes. Lid on.
- Whilst the soup is cooking, in a bowl, season chicken strips with ½ tablespoon of oil and 2 pinches of salt. Mix and set aside.
- Once the 10 minutes is up, remove the lid and increase the heat to high. Season soup with soy sauce, shaoxing wine and remaining olive oil. Mix with a ladle then add seasoned chicken. Bring up to a rolling boil then boil for 3 minutes.
- Add bok choy and push it down with a ladle to submerge it into the soup. Cook at boiling point for 1 minute then turn the heat off. Taste the soup and adjust for salt if required.
Cook noodles and serve
- Cook noodles according to packet instructions.
- Divide cooked noodles into 4 large serving bowls and pour chicken soup with meat and vegetables evenly across the bowls. Serve with a few drops of sesame oil and some finely sliced spring onions (optional).
Notes
1. Noodles to use - dry or fresh wheat noodles like yan chun mien and egg noodles, vermicelli noodles, glass noodles or even plain instant noodles (instant ramen). All of which you can get from Chinese supermarkets! I do not recommend using hokkien noodles for soups as it's more suitable for stir-fries like my chicken noodle stir fry or beef noodle stir fry.
2. Chicken stock powder - I recommend using a Chinese-style chicken stock powder for the most authentic and flavourful soup. You can find them in most Chinese grocers or major supermarkets (like Coles and Woolies if you're in Australia).
3. Dehydrated shiitake mushrooms - add a rich, fragrant umami flavour to this Chinese chicken noodle soup. Substitute: fresh shiitake mushrooms (although not as fragrant).
Have some fun and also add other different types of mushrooms! Such as enoki, oyster mushrooms, shimeji or brown mushrooms. Love mushrooms? Check out my healthy creamy mushroom pasta and creamy mushroom sauce (perfect for steaks!)
To make in advance (up to 3 days), don't cook the noodles. You can make the Chinese chicken and vegetables soup first but leave the noodles until you're ready to serve. Just like pasta, noodles never taste as good the next day or even after 12 hours (the texture is no longer satisfying). Plus, once cooked, Chinese noodles get stuck together and break apart easily even after 30 minutes of cooking! So only cook it just before eating.
Vegetarian version - simply add noodles to my 20-minute bok choy soup recipe!
Leftovers/storage - store the chicken and vegetable soup separately from the noodles, in airtight containers for up to 4 days in the fridge. Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!
Nutrition
Calories: 544kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 192mg | Potassium: 1269mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Iron: 6mg