This chicken and egg noodle soup recipe is an absolute winner. The soup has an amazing depth of flavour without the need for you to put in a significant amount of time or effort. You won’t believe how easy it is and I promise you will never bother getting Asian egg noodle soup from the shops again.
Chicken and Egg Noodle Soup
Normally when I think of noodle soups that have great depth of flavour I think of ones that have been brewed for many hours over a stovetop. This is one of those unicorn recipes where the amount of time and effort you put in is so minimal compared to the amazing flavours you get in the end. It is an adaptation from my mum’s duck egg noodle soup recipe which we will put on the blog at some point. I did want to start with this chicken version though as chicken is probably more accessible and cheap for most people.
Star Ingredients
This dish will not work without this golden trinity of ingredients. If you are unable them to get them all then I strongly suggest you reconsider making this particular noodle soup. I know that sounds harsh but I just don’t want you to be disappointed – plus I have a reputation to uphold!
- Dried Dates – These are just the normal dried dates you can purchase from any mainstream grocers.
- Sweet Preserved Radish – This is an Asian grocery item. It is a very common ingredient in Chinese cooking so it should not be too hard to get.
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms – This is usually available at any mainstream and Asian grocers.
Fresh or Dry Egg Noodles?
For the longest time I only ever used fresh egg noodles that are available from the Asian groceries. It was only recently that I tried the dry version. Long story short, the Asian grocers is an extra 5 minute walk which sometimes feels like Everest and the mainstream grocers only stocks the dried version. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The taste and texture of the dried noodles are close to the fresh stuff and also have the added bonus of a much longer shelf life. I will be using dried egg noodles much more now!
Preparing the Egg Noodles
The key to good egg noodles is not to over cook them. You want them to be firm and elastic. My mum has shown me her way of preparing the egg noodles and I have to say it really does wonders. Her secret is to put the cooked noodles into the microwave for a few minutes, which will release the moisture in the form of steam and firm up the noodles. Her method is as follows:
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
- Drain and rinse in hot water.
- Divide the noodles onto 2 plates, spacing the strands apart.
- Put the noodles into the microwave one plate at a time on high for two minutes.
- Take out and flip the noodles over a few times, allowing as much steam to escape as possible.
- Repeat with the next plate.
My Tips for Success
- You can use store bought roast chicken. Sounds strange but it works! My tip is to not add the skin and warm the chicken up a little first in the microwave before adding to the soup bowls.
- Don’t bother straining the soup. Takes too much time and effort. I just strain the soup as I ladle it into the bowls.
- If you want to keep the soup as hot as possible, add some boiling water into the bowls first to warm them up. Pour out the water then assemble the noodle soup.
Recipes Similar to Chicken and Egg Noodle Soup
- Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup
- Quick Chicken and Mushroom Glass Noodle Soup (Mien Ga)
- Quick Chicken Pho
- Vietnamese Chicken Pasta Soup (Sup Nui Ga)
Scruff
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The Best Chinese Chicken and Egg Noodle Soup
Equipment
- 4L stock pot
Ingredients
- 4 thigh fillets (or 2 breast fillets)
- 250 gm dried egg noodles
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
- Chinese red vinegar (optional but recommended)
Soup Ingredients
- 2 L chicken stock
- 500 ml water
- 3 ginger slices
- 1 onion, quartered
- 8 shiitake mushrooms
- 2 large carrots, cut into chunks
- 30 gm sweet preserved radish
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- pepper, to taste
Spices
- 1 cinnamon stick, (Do not use the powdered version. Omit if you can't find it)
- 2 dried dates
- 1 star anise
Garnishes
- 2 stalks spring onion
- 6 sprigs coriander (optional)
- 1 bunch choy sum or other Asian greens
- 2 chillies, chopped (optional)
- 1 packet bean sprouts (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the shiitake mushrooms in a bowl of just-boiled water for 2-3 minutes. Once done remove from water and cut in half.
- In a stock pot (at least 4 L) put in all the soup ingredients + spices and bring to boil.
- Add the chicken to the pot and cook for 12 -15 minutes or until done. Once done, remove and set aside to cool.
- Let the pot simmer with the lid mostly on (leave a 2-3 cm gap for the steam to escape) at medium-low for another 45-50 minutes (so total cook time is roughly one hour).
Prep Ingredients (once chicken thighs can be handled)
- Cut the chicken thighs into this slices. Keep them in a closed container and leave in the fridge.
- Prepare the garnishes / vegetables. Keep in containers and leave until needed.
Blanching the Vegetables (10 minutes left on soup)
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and leave aside until needed.
- In a small pot, boil water on medium-high.
- Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the stems of the Asian greens for 40 seconds or until cooked. Drop the stems in the bowl of cold water to stop it from cooking any further. Fish them out and leave them on a plate until needed.
- Add the leafy parts to the boiling water and cook for 10 – 20 seconds. Once cooked, cool them off in the cold water and then leave them on a plate until needed.
Slice the Shiitake Mushrooms (soup simmering for 1 hour)
- Take out the shiitake mushrooms from the soup pot and cut into thin slices. Leave aside until needed.
Preparing the Noodles
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
- Drain with a strainer and divide the noodles equally onto two plates.
- Space out the noodles even on the plate and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes on high.
- Once done, take out and flip the noodles with a pair of tongs until most of the steam has escaped. Repeat with the other plate.
Taste Check & Assembly
- Add the soy sauce to the soup. Taste check and adjust to your preferences. (It is preferable if the soup tastes a little salty since the noodles and toppings will dilute the flavour)
- Increase the heat to medium-high, put the lid on and allow the soup to come to a boil.
- Put the chicken in a strainer and dunk it in the soup pot to warm it up.
- Add the noodles, chicken, mushrooms and Asian greens to the soup bowls.
- Once the soup is boiling, ladle the soup through a strainer into the soup bowls.
- Add the garnishes and serve with red vinegar. (Adding red vinegar to your noodle soup is optional. I always add roughly 1/2 tsp to my noodle soup bowl.)
Delicious! I added quail eggs 🙂 I didn’t have enough egg noodles so I used the vermicelli rice noodles (springy type for bun bo hue) and it went pretty well with the flavourful soup. My dad gave me a thumbs up! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Nice Fei Fei! I really do love this soup and I am glad you liked it too! Thanks for letting us know how it went Fei Fei!
I made this for me and my flat mate and we both loved it! Thank you so much for sharing such a simple yet delicious recipe!
Hi Theresa! I am glad that it you guys loved it! Thank you for leaving such a nice comment!