Go Back

Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup

Chinese chicken noodle soup with a clear, amber broth simmered with garlic, ginger, and aromatics. Tender sliced chicken and shiitake mushrooms simmer just long enough, then bok choy wilts while thin wheat noodles are cooked separately for springy texture.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Chinese-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breast
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced
Thin Chinese wheat noodles or rice noodles
  • 6 oz thin Chinese wheat noodles or rice noodles
Bok choy
  • 2 cup bok choy, chopped
Shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
Green onions
  • 3 green onions, sliced
Garlic
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh ginger
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
Chicken broth
  • 8 cup chicken broth
Soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
Sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
Rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
White pepper
  • 0.25 tsp white pepper
Salt
  • 1 salt to taste
Cilantro
  • 1 cilantro for serving
Chili oil
  • 1 chili oil for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the broth base
  1. Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the aromatics bloom.
  2. Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference, letting the broth return to a gentle simmer.
Cook chicken and mushrooms
  1. Add the thinly sliced chicken and sliced shiitake mushrooms to the simmering broth. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms are tender.
Cook noodles and wilt greens
  1. Cook the noodles separately according to the package directions, then drain them well. Divide noodles into serving bowls so they stay springy.
  2. Add the chopped bok choy to the broth. Cook for 3 minutes until wilted but still bright green.
Assemble and serve
  1. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles in each bowl. Season with white pepper and salt to taste.
  2. Garnish with sliced green onions, cilantro, and a drizzle of chili oil right before serving. Serve immediately while the broth is steaming.

Notes

For best texture, cook and drain the noodles separately and assemble bowls just before serving so the noodles don’t over-soften in the broth. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; store noodles and broth together only if you plan to reheat and eat soon. Freezing is not recommended for noodles, since they can become mushy when thawed. If you want a lighter option, use reduced-sodium chicken broth and reduce the soy sauce slightly to keep the flavor balanced.