Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

I like this soup with a lot of toasted garlic on top and a small dish of fish sauce and crushed chili on the side. Asian Chicken Noodle Soup is a bowl of ground chicken and thin rice noodles in a garlicky chicken broth. I have it for a quick lunch or merienda, and I sometimes eat it with a small plate of rice.

I use ground chicken because it cooks straight in the pot, so I do not have to poach and shred anything first. It is close to chicken sotanghon soup, but that one uses glass noodles and this one uses rice noodles.

Thin rice noodles cook in just a few minutes, so I add them near the end and serve the soup soon after. Left in the pot too long, they turn soft and swell up.

What is Asian Chicken Noodle Soup?

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup is a broth-based noodle soup with chicken and thin rice noodles. I make mine Filipino-style: ground chicken sauteed with garlic and onion, simmered in chicken broth, then finished with scallions and toasted garlic. I serve fish sauce and crushed chili on the side for dipping.

I usually have this for merienda, the mid-afternoon snack. It uses thin rice noodles, sometimes labeled bihon or rice sticks, rather than the glass noodles in sotanghon or the egg noodles in mami. It also uses ground chicken instead of the shredded meat in the American classic chicken noodle soup with egg noodles.

Ingredients

• Thin rice noodles – The thin rice vermicelli labeled bihon or rice sticks. They cook in a few minutes. No rice noodles? See the substitutions below.
• Ground chicken – Regular ground chicken, not extra lean. A little fat keeps it from drying out in the broth.
• Yellow onion – Mince it small so it softens into the broth.
• Garlic – Fresh minced garlic for the saute.
• Scallions – Chopped and stirred in at the end.
• Chicken broth – A low-sodium broth so you can control the salt.
• Toasted garlic – The topping that goes on last.
• Cooking oil – A neutral oil for the saute.
• Salt and pepper – Season near the end, after the broth has simmered.

This Asian Chicken Noodle Soup takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.

1. Heat the cooking oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add the minced garlic and onion. Cook until the onion softens and turns translucent.
3. Add the ground chicken. Break it apart and cook for about 5 minutes, until it is no longer pink.
4. Season with a small pinch of salt and pepper.

1. Pour in the chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat.
2. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to let the aromatics flavor the broth.

1. Add the thin rice noodles. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender.
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stir in the scallions and turn off the heat.
4. Ladle into bowls and top with toasted garlic. Serve hot.

What to Serve with Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

• Steamed rice – A side of rice turns the soup into a full meal.
• Boiled egg – Sliced in for a little more protein.
• Calamansi – A squeeze over the top before eating.
• Pandesal – Soft rolls for dunking.

Storage

This Asian Chicken Noodle Soup keeps well for a few days.

• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For the best texture, try to keep the broth and noodles in separate containers, since the rice noodles keep soaking up liquid.
• Freezer: Freeze the broth and chicken without the noodles for up to 2 months. Cook fresh noodles when you are ready to serve.
• Reheating: Warm it on the stove. If the noodles were stored in the broth, add a splash of broth. Top with crisp toasted garlic.

• Thin rice noodles – Sotanghon, miswa, or thin wheat noodles all work. Each cooks at a different speed, so follow the package directions.
• Ground chicken – Shredded or rotisserie chicken works. Add it with the broth since it is already cooked, and shorten the simmer.
• Chicken broth – Water with a chicken bouillon cube in a pinch. Adjust the salt, since bouillon is saltier than low-sodium broth.
• Yellow onion – Shallots or red onion work in its place.
• Toasted garlic – Use jarred fried garlic if you have not made your own.

More Filipino Noodle Soup Recipes

• Chicken Mami – A Filipino noodle soup with fresh egg noodles, finished with fried garlic and scallions.
• Chicken Sopas – The creamy, milk-based macaroni soup for rainy days.
• Pinoy Chicken Noodle Soup – A heartier bowl with chicken liver and bacon.
• Sotanghon and Egg Noodle Soup – Glass noodles and egg noodles together, topped with boiled egg.
• Chicken and Corn Soup – A Chinese-Filipino egg drop soup made with ground chicken and sweet corn.