Chinese Noodle Soup is incredibly quick and easy – if you know the secret seasonings! You’d swear the Asian soup broth is from a Chinese restaurant, it’s that good. 10 minutes and just 352 calories for a big bowl. Use any noodles, any vegetables, any protein – or not! It’s terrific fridge-forage food.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Fast Chinese Noodle Soup!
This Chinese Noodle Soup is one of my classic “back pocket” recipes because it’s so versatile and incredibly quick. Because people who cook all day for a living need quick dinners for real life – ask any chef!!
Here’s a run down of how it goes:
Broth: Plonk and simmer 6 ingredients for 10 minutes (no trip to the Asian store required!);
Noodles: Prepare fresh OR dried noodles according to packet directions;
Toppings: Rummage in fridge and locate vegetables & proteins of choice. Chop roughly and cook with the noodles or in the soup. broth; and
Serve: Place noodles in bowls. Pour over soup and toppings.
See? 10 minutes!
Seasonings for Chinese soup broths
If you’ve ever been disappointed by a recipe for an Asian soup broth before, it’s probably because it was missing basic but essential flavourings. It takes more than just chicken broth and soy sauce to make a Chinese soup broth!
Here’s what all you need:
Chinese cooking wine – the key ingredient. Just 1.5 tablespoons adds complexity and depth of flavour to the store bought chicken stock. Without it, the broth will taste “flat” ie missing something. Substitute with: dry sherry, mirin or cooking sake. Best non alcoholic sub for this recipe: substituting some of the soy sauce with oyster sauce (which adds extra “umami” into the broth to compensate);
Garlic and ginger – smash the garlic and slice the ginger to allow the fresh flavours to infuse into the broth. Keeping them whole makes it easy to pick out later – you could very well grate them straight into the broth using a fine grater, but you will get little bits in the soup (rather than being a clear broth);
Sesame oil – for the flavour!
Chicken broth/stock – use low sodium otherwise the broth may be a touch too salty for your taste. Use a decent one, because it’s the foundation of the soup broth (🇦🇺 I use Campbells. Better than Continental). Best option if you have it: homemade chicken stock!;
Soy sauce – either all purpose or light soy sauce will work here. Don’t use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce – the flavour of these are too intense; and
Sugar – just a touch, to balance out the flavours.
What goes in the noodle soup
And here’s what I put in the soup:
Noodles – Chinese noodle soups are traditionally made with thin egg noodles (pictured above, and below in the soup). Fresh ones (sold in the fridge section) have a better texture than dried. But any noodles will be fine here – fresh or dried, rice noodles, white or yellow noodles, Hokkien, Singapore noodles, wide, thin, vermicelli, ramen noodles (yup!), diet noodles (like konyaku – been there, done that), zoodles (been there too). Really. ANY noodles will be great in this broth!
Bok Choy (also known as buk choi, buk choi, pak choi, or pok choi – crazy right??!) – or any vegetables. I like bok choy because you just split them in half down the middle and bam! You’re done! (Recipe notes includes an extensive list of chopping and cook directions for common vegetables)
Cooked Chicken (poach it using this method that guarantees juiciness)- or any other protein, as desired. Everybody keeps little containers of cooked shredded chicken in the freezer, right?!
Green onion or coriander/cilantro, or chives, or even finely sliced onion (red, white, yellow brown) – something for a little hit of freshness.
How to make Chinese Noodle Soup
And here’s how it happens in 10 minutes. (And to all those cheeky buggers who will point out that if you have to simmer for 10 minutes, then it takes longer than 10 minutes – fine! You can take a 2 minutes off the simmer time!😉)
PRO TIP: Never cook noodles in the soup broth unless a recipe specifically calls for it. Noodles suck up loads of liquid when they cook, so if you do that you’ll end up with way less broth than you expect. Learnt this the hard way. 😖
Make it even HEALTHIER!!
Being that this is a noodle soup recipe and all, noodles are a key ingredient here. Even so, it clocks in at just 352 calories for a bowl.
But if you want to cut down on the carbs and calories even further, just skip the noodles and load it up with tons more vegetables to make a Chinese vegetable soup. In fact, it’s one of my “go-to” diet dinners (which should happen more frequently than it does…).
Do I miss the noodles? Of course I do. But I console myself with a healthy dose of chilli paste and lots of fresh herbs, Chicken Pho style.
But before you make it diet, try it the way it’s intended. THEN healthify it!!! – Nagi x
Watch How To Make It
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Chinese Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Broth
- 3 cups chicken stock/broth, low sodium (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , smashed (Note 2)
- 1.5 cm / 1/2" ginger piece, cut into 3 slices (optional, but highly recommended)
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce , or normal all purpose soy sauce (Note 3)
- 2 tsp sugar (any)
- 1 1/2 tbsp chinese cooking wine (Note 4)
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp sesame oil , toasted (optional) (Note 5)
Toppings & Noodles
- 180g / 6oz fresh egg noodles (Note 6)
- 2 large bok choy or other vegetables of choice (use any blanchable veg – Note 7)
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken (or other protein of choice)
- 1 scallion / shallot , green part only finely sliced (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Place Broth ingredients in a saucepan over high heat. Place lid on, bring to simmer then reduce to medium and simmer for 8 – 10 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.
- Meanwhile, cook noodles according to packet directions.
- Cut bok choys in half (for small / medium) or quarter (for large). Wash thoroughly.
- Either cook the bok choi in the broth in the soup broth OR noodle cooking water for 1 min (if noodles required boiling).
- Pick garlic and ginger out of soup.
- Place noodles in bowls. Top with chicken and bok choy. Ladle over soup, garnish with green onions. Great served with chilli paste or fresh chillis.
Recipe Notes:
- Reduce soy sauce to 1 tbsp
- Add 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce (this has umami and will add complexity into the broth flavour to compensate for leaving out cooking wine).
- Fresh noodles, thin (ie from fridge section, this is what I use) – 90g / 3 oz per serving
- Fresh noodles, wide and flat (like thick Thai rice noodles) – 150g/ 5 oz per serving (much denser, so you need more)
- Dried noodles, pasta (yes, really!) – 60g / 2 oz per serving
- Ramen – 1 pack / “cake” per person
- Any Chinese veggies (bok choy/buk choi/pak choi, gai lan/Chinese broccoli, choy sum). Cut Bok Choy into half or quarters lengthwise (pictured / video), for other veg, cut into batons about 5cm / 2″ long
- Carrots – sliced on the diagonal
- Bean sprouts
- Green beans
- zucchini (sliced)
- green beans cabbage (thick slice)
- asparagus, broccoli / broccolini and cauliflower,
- any other vegetable that can be boiled.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published June 2016. Long overdue for a video to be added with brand new photos and process steps!
MORE ASIAN SOUPS YOU’LL LOVE!
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Baby Hands and Giant Paws. Evidence for anyone who has wondered how small my hands really are. 😉
I thought it’s be a good dish to prepare as I was sick. And I wasn’t wrong! Plus it tasted great and I felt so accomplished. Thank you for this recipe :’)
I hope you’re feeling better! (And if you are, let’s put it down to THIS SOUP! 😂)
I made the noodle soup as per your help and it was amazingly satisfying! And with all the variations in ingredient possibilities, one can have a different mid-week soup any old time. Thank you Nagi. I really appreciate your no-nonsense and organized approach to preparing dishes. You have a wonderful spirit!
That’s so great to hear Demetrios! Thanks for letting me know – N x ❤️
Wow. I just made this dish, and the while family loved it. My only variation was adding 1 tsp of fennel seeds when simmering the broth, but otherwise followed it exactly. Very impressed! Only gripe is that the broth to meat-veggie proportion seemed off, but that could be user error.
That’s so terrific to hear Jonathan ! Thank you for letting me know! N xx ❤️ PS Re: meat to broth ratio, that’s the way it is served in Chinese restaurants ie light on meat. It’s actually the way most Asian dishes are ie light on meat 🙂 Very different to western foods!
I just made this soup and it’s one of the best soups I’ve ever had. The flavor is amazing. I don’t think I can ever eat plain old chicken noodle soup again. I used Mirin because it’s something I always have on hand and the flavor was so rich and wonderful. Thank you so much for posting this recipe 🙂
Love hearing that Teri! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
I haven’t try this soup, but I’m getting all my ingredients.Love my soups.Thanks for Sharing.Teresa
Hope you love it Teresa! 🙂 N x
Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. I am addicted to Chinese noodle soup and this simple recipe is what I have been looking for. I always wondered what makes the broth taste so zingy and rich. It turned out cooking wine, or in my case apple vinegar.
Love hearing that Inna! So glad you enjoyed this – N x ❤️
One of the only good things about having the flu was having this soup to feast on! Once again, thanks for a fail-safe, delicious (bowl-licking) recipe Nagi!
Hope you’re all better now Shanta! N x
Hi, Nagi.
What’s fun with soup like this is to have a bunch of garnishes and condiments on the table. I put out chopped Thai chiles, lime wedges, white pepper, pickle ginger, scallions, nira, fish sauce, sprouts, fermented black beans, sesame oil, sansho, brown rice vinegar, etc. This way, everyone can customize their bowl. I never buy stock when it’s so easy to make from scratch. The chicken has to be cooked anyway. Next time, I’m thinking about offering 3 different noodles…rice, buckwheat, and bean threads (maybe shirataki for the low-carbers). I was born near Tokyo and my mother, Kazuko) grew up in Osaka. I still have family there! She never used a cookbook unless she was baking. Food seemed to magically appear on the table. I got a lot of inspiration from her. Thanks so much for your blog! I recently was a guest poster on a blog featuring Asian food. I was asked to make ika no shiokara! The article came out great and I’m a pro photographer so the pics were fab. A lot of fun considering I’ve been documenting my own recipes and photos for 3 years so I can start my own blog. Guess it’s time. Once again, thanks! ありがとうございました
edit Kazuko…no parentheses
I love hearing that!!! We have a lot of DIY type meals like that 🙂 Maybe it’s a japanese thing. And YES to starting a blog! SO MUCH FUN!
I’ve made this soup probably 30 times since I ran across it. This has easily become my favorite meal. This soup honestly has magical healing powers when you are feeling under the weather. My family loves it! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Almost forgot, I add carrots and top with chow mein noodles and a dash of sriracha. Thanks again!
I LOVE HEARING THAT!! N xx
Thank you so much for posting this soup! So healthy, light and nutritious. (For those wondering- tofu works, but put it in earlier on so it has time to get soft. )
That’s great to hear C, thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
Hi,
Just discovered your blog. Was looking for a noodle recipe. I usually make one up but this sounds so fantastic I’m going to make it. I’ve already got all the ingredients.
Thank you so much
Nichola
Hope you love it Nichola – and so glad you found me too! 🙂
I’ve been craving chicken noodle, and craving veggies. This has been perfect for that, and adding chili paste cleared me right out!
I’m not getting sick now, haha!
It’s Chinese Flu Fighter Soup!! 😂
This sound so amazing I can’t wait to try. Can you make the chicken from a raw state in the broth or will the ingredients get overcooked?
Hi Kisha! Sure, just pop it in the broth while it’s simmering!
Love this, Thank you for sharing 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Julie! Thank you for letting me know – N x ❤️
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Julia! Thank you for letting me know – N x ❤️
SO glad I found this recipe and your site. I am getting ready for my first trip to Japan next month, and my plans include lots of experimenting with Japanese food. I am going to try some of your recipes ahead of time. Thanks so much. I will be a regular follower.
So glad ou found me too Cheryl. 🙂 Enjoy Japan! N x
Hello , when using your frozen chicken is it cooked or raw? Do you add frozen or defrosted to broth?
Thanks
Hi Morag! I’m sorry I’m confused! I use cooked chicken, if it was frozen I thaw it beforehand 🙂 N x
Just wondering how long you cooked /simmered/ the stock for with the star anise and garlic before serving with vegetables, chicken etc? Can’t wait to try it – sounds amazing 🙂
Hi Leonie! Step 1 🙂
Nagi,
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I have searched all over the internet for a broth just like this and am glad to say my search has come to an end. It is really delicious. Today I didn’t have any rice noodles so sadly I had to use whole wheat spaghetti. It was still amazing. I had some fish balls I picked up from my neighborhood Asian market that I have been wanting to try and this soup base was perfect for them. I also added mushrooms and kale since it was what I had on hand. So good!
I’m so pleased to hear that Sina, thanks for letting me know! N x
I tried this a few hours ago. I used apple cider instead of the Chinese cooking wine. It tastes really, really good! My family and I loved it! 🙂 This tastes just like that soup that I liked in a Chinese restaurant (except they used beef instead of chicken). Thank you so much for your post! I really appreciate the notes and alternative ingredients! I will also experiment with toppings and noodles next time. 🙂 Again, thank you!
Oh wow! I’m so happy that you tried and enjoyed this Arlene, thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi,
I was looking for a simple broth or base to create a noodle soup but I also wanted this to be a vegetarian version of the stock/base/broth. I am not vegetarian but I fancy a bit of a challange and play with spices and vegs.
So reading through through the recipe and the comments….I found inspiration. And here I am, making a bit of broth on Sunday morning. 🙂
I like your suggestions for substitutes as I might not have the exact ingredients. As long as I can get a close substitute I am happy. So far, smells pretty good!
Thank you
I hope you love it Elizabeth! 🙂
Make a stock with dried mushrooms and seaweed. That will produce a stock with lots of umami!