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Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup

Chinese chicken noodle soup with a clear, amber broth and tender sliced chicken, simmered with garlic and ginger for a fragrant base. Thin wheat or rice noodles are cooked separately and topped with bok choy, mushrooms, and fresh green onions.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Chinese-American
Calories: 540
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 Cook separately per package directions.
Bok choy
  • 2 cup bok choy, chopped
Shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
Green onions
  • 3 green onions, sliced
Garlic
  • 6 clove 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
Cilantro and chili oil
  • 1 cilantro and chili oil for serving
Salt
  • 1 salt to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Build the broth base
  1. Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat, then stir in the minced garlic and grated ginger. Cook for 5 minutes, keeping it at a gentle simmer with occasional bubbles.
  2. Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. Simmer briefly until warmed through, then adjust the seasoning to taste.
Cook chicken and mushrooms
  1. Add the 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 bok choy
  1. Cook the thin Chinese noodles separately according to the package directions, then drain them. Divide the noodles into bowls.
  2. Add the chopped bok choy to the broth and cook for 3 minutes, until wilted. Keep the broth at a steady simmer so the greens soften but stay bright.
Serve
  1. Ladle the hot soup over the noodles. Season with white pepper and salt to taste.
  2. Top each bowl with sliced green onions, cilantro, and a drizzle of chili oil. Serve right away while the broth is hot.

Notes

Pro tip: cook the noodles separately so they don’t absorb broth and turn gummy—divide into bowls before ladling. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days; keep noodles separate if possible, and reheat the broth. Freezing is not recommended for best noodle texture. For a lighter option, use reduced-sodium chicken broth and reduce the soy sauce slightly to keep flavor balanced.