There's nothing like a tasty bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup at the end of a long day. Enjoy tender chicken in a spicy chicken broth with just 30 minutes of cooking and prep time with this easy chicken soup recipe.
Whether you need to put some leftover rotisserie chicken to good use, are looking to soothe a sore throat or simply craving some healthy and hearty comfort food at the end of a long day, this soup is sure to hit the spot.
Looking for more chicken soups to nourish your body and soul? You should try my Italian Tomato and Chicken Orzo Soup and Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup.
Or for another delicious way to enjoy leftover chicken or turkey, try my Leftover Turkey Fricassee.
The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!
✅ 5 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
- It's just so tasty - every bowl is brimming with rich umami flavor. Fresh red chilli and sweet chilli sauce bring a moderate spiciness to the broth while bok choi and a topping of finely chopped scallions/spring onions add a satisfying crunch.
- Quick and easy - cooking up a batch of this yummy noodle soup could not be simpler, making it an ideal choice for a weeknight dinner.
- Uses everyday ingredients - there's no need to shop around for obscure ingredients, you'll be able to grab everything you need to make this tasty soup at your local grocery store.
- Puts leftover chicken to good use - if you've roasted a whole chicken and got some bits leftover, this soup is a great way to re-purpose them. You can even make your own broth from the chicken bones.
- A great soup when you're not feeling great - always hits the spot if you have a cold coming on or are looking to soothe a sore throat.
🛒 Ingredients and substitutions:
This delicious and simple recipe uses 10 everyday ingredients.
- Chicken broth or stock - a high-quality chicken broth or stock will add to the depth of flavor in the soup. Use fresh store-bought or homemade stock, but avoid using powdered stock. Check out my Instant Pot Chicken Stock recipe, for an easy and simple homemade chicken stock that is perfect for noodle soups.
- Shredded Cooked Chicken - this soup is an excellent way to use up leftover chicken. You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken. If you don't have cooked chicken to hand, boil or oven-roast a couple of chicken legs and shred them with a fork. Chicken thighs, boneless chicken breasts and chicken legs will all do nicely, but leg wins out for me because it's easily to shred.
- Chicken alternatives - this soup will also work well with leftover roast pork or beef. You can also add tofu instead of meat.
- Bok Choy (Pak choi) - tends to be my veg of choice because it is good at absorbing the flavour of the broth. Spinach or red bell peppers are good alternatives.
- Sake, Chinese wine or dry sherry - brings richness and depth of flavor to the soup. You can substitute it for ⅓ of the quantity of rice wine vinegar for an alcohol-free alternative.
🧑🍳 Recipe Steps
1. In a large pot or Dutch Oven, fry the garlic, red chilli and ginger in sesame oil for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
2. Pour the chicken stock into the pan, add soy sauce, sake (dry sherry, Chinese cooking wine or rice vinegar), sweet chilli sauce and bring to simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the noodles in hot water according to package directions. Run them under cold water after you drain them to prevent them from sticking together.
4. Add the pak choi to the broth for a couple of minutes until just tender. Remove it from the broth and set it aside when done. You don't want it to overcook.
5. Add the cooked noodles to each bowl. Then pour on the broth. Add the chicken pieces, pak choi, scatter on some sesame seeds and chopped scallions or spring onions and serve immediately.
👍 Top Tips
- Run the cooked noodles under the tap - this stops them from cooking further and prevents them from sticking together.
- Cook the bok choi until it is just tender - wait until the end of the cooking time and add it to the broth a couple of minutes before you plan to serve. Cook it for 2-3 minutes until it is just tender and remove and set aside to prevent it from cooking any further.
- Try not to over- reduce the broth - avoid simmering it for longer than 10 minutes. You don't want to reduce it and not have enough
- Adjust the spice level to suit your taste - the chili and sweet chili sauce give the soup a moderate level of heat. If you enjoy spicy foods you might want to add more fresh red chili to increase the heat. Use less chili or omit it altogether if you are sensitive to spice.
🙋 FAQs
Fresh chillies, red pepper flakes and hot sauce will all bring heat to the broth. If you are catering for people with different levels of spice tolerance, hot sauce and red pepper flakes are a good choice because they can be added in at the end.
Rice noodles, udon and egg noodles are all solid choices. Both curly egg noodles and wide egg noodles will work. Ensure you follow the cooking instructions for the type of noodles that you choose and run them under cold water after you drain them to prevent them from overcooking and sticking together.
📦 Storage
This soup tastes best when served immediately, but you can also enjoy the leftovers the next day. Leftover soup can be stored in the fridge for 2 days in an airtight container and reheated on the stove or in the microwave. It's best to remove the noodles and pak choi as these will be very soggy the next time you eat the soup if they are left in the broth.
Spicy chicken noodle soup can be an excellent make-ahead meal if you separate the broth you want to save and store it in the refrigerator on its own. Simply reheat it on the stove and cook up fresh noodles and pak choi.
😋 More chicken soup recipes
A hearty bowl of soup can be just what you need on a cold winter day (or at any other time of year). If you enjoyed this spicy chicken noodle soup check out my other soup recipes.
Did you try this recipe? It would be really great if you could leave a comment and a star rating ⭐️. I would love to receive your feedback and know that other readers find it helpful too.
Don't forget to tag #knifeandsoulrecipes on Instagram or @knifeandsoul on Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 tbsp sesame oil
- 1-2 red chilies cut into rounds
- 2.5 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 6 ⅓ cups (1.5 literes) chicken stock
- ⅓ cup (100 ml) soy sauce
- 4 tbsp sake dry sherry or Chinese cooking wine (Note 1)
- 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 4 portions egg noodles Note 2
- 4 bok choi (pak choi) trimmed and stems separated (Note 3)
- 2 cups (250 g) cooked shredded chicken
To serve:
- Sesame seeds optional
- 2 scallions/spring onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Place a pan on a medium heat, add the sesame oil and fry the chilli, garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken stock and add the soy sauce, sake or wine and sweet chilli sauce and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet directions. Run them under cold water after you drain them to prevent them from sticking together and set aside.
- Add the pak choi to the noodle soup and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it is just tender. Remove it from the broth and set it aside when done.
- Assemble the soup by adding the noodles to each bowl and then pouring on the broth.
- Then add the toppings - chicken pieces, pak choi and optional sesame seeds and scallions/spring onion to garnish.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- For an alcohol free alternative substitute sake rice vinegar. You will need ⅓ of the quantity of sake as it is more potent. You might also want to add a little more sugar to the broth to taste.
- Approx 2 ounces (50-60g) per person (dry weight)
- You can swap bok choy (pak choi) for 1 large handful or spinach per person.
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