Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

It’s one of those days where I had to drag myself out of bed.

I’m not feeling great, and snoozing my alarm four times didn’t help matters much at all. I’m trying to get this coffee to perk me up now so I can go on about my day with a clear mind. Here’s hoping that happens…

My lunch for the last several days has been reheated soup. Not a can of Campbell’s, no, no. I made a BIG batch of soup in my Dutch oven over the weekend. I ended up making so much soup, I had to give some to a dear friend! If you like big batches of food, or have a lot of mouths to feed, then this recipe is for you.

I have to admit something: I hate chicken noodle soup. I have never liked it. I don’t like the canned version, with its limp, tiny noodles. I don’t like the homemade kind with egg noodles. I just straight up don’t like chicken noodle soup.

I think my disdain for it comes from its boringness. Carrots, chicken, egg noodles, celery—all of those things scream BLAND to me. I like my soups hearty; I like stews with big chunks of meat and vegetables. Chicken noodle soup is not something I gravitate toward at all.

This recipe is different though, because it’s the furthest thing from boring. It’s exciting, packed full of flavor, and has so many ingredients you don’t know what you’re going to get in every bite. There’s also no celery to be found, so that’s a plus for me.

This is like a fancier version of ramen. I found a package of “Chinese noodles” at the grocery store but I’m pretty sure I just paid WAY more for fancy ramen. You can easily use 2-3 packages of ramen, seasoning mix discarded of course, and make this soup even cheaper.

I’ve got napa cabbage, tons of mushrooms and thick carrots in this soup. The broth is so flavorful and slurp-worthy. If you’re wearing makeup when you eat this, be warned! You’ll get soup all over your face.

Enjoy!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Heat one tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add carrots, green onions, ginger and garlic and saute until slightly tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove veggies to a plate.

Pound chicken breast thin. Season with salt, pepper, and Asian spice blend. Heat remaining tablespoon vegetable oil in the same pot. Sear chicken until browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Pour in chicken broth, tamari, mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, white pepper, cilantro and carrot mixture. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Let mixture simmer for 7-8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from pot to a plate.

Stir in cabbage, mushrooms, and noodles to pot. Bring to a boil and let boil for another 5-7 minutes, until noodles are tender.

Meanwhile, slice the chicken. Return chicken to pot near the end of noodles cooking time. Serve.