Sesame-Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (2024)

By Sue Li

Sesame-Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Rating
4(1,520)
Notes
Read community notes

This noodle soup is a grown-up riff on an old college favorite: Taiwanese instant ramen. The scent of the simmering, chicken-and-ginger broth conjures vivid memories of late-night instant-noodle snacks. This version has all of the good qualities of the store-bought kind, but it’s richer in flavor thanks to the bone-in chicken breast (bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs would work too). It hits all the comforting notes of a typical chicken noodle soup, brightened by a hint of sesame oil, fresh scallions and a heavy dose of ginger used in the broth and as a garnish.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2tablespoons toasted sesame oil, plus more for serving
  • 2bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds)
  • Kosher salt
  • 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced, plus extra julienned ginger, for garnish
  • ¼cup rice cooking wine or any type of white wine
  • 12ounces fresh ramen noodles or 8 ounces dried ramen noodles
  • 2scallions, thinly sliced
  • Ground white or black pepper, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

691 calories; 34 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 1671 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Sesame-Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a medium pot over medium. Season chicken with salt and add to pot, skin-side down, along with sliced ginger. Cook, turning, until the chicken skin and ginger slices are golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

  2. Step

    2

    Add rice cooking wine and boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add 6 cups water and bring to a boil over high. Once boiling, partially cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is tender and the broth is flavorful, about 40 minutes.

  3. Remove chicken from the pot and transfer to a bowl until cool enough to handle. Strain the broth, discarding the ginger, then season with salt, cover and set aside. When the chicken has cooled, discard the skin and bones and shred the meat then return it to the broth.

  4. Step

    4

    Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to boil and cook ramen noodles according to package instructions.

  5. Step

    5

    Divide cooked noodles among bowls and top with the chicken and its broth. Garnish with scallions, julienned ginger, a sprinkle of pepper and more sesame oil.

Ratings

4

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1,520

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Cooking Notes

txmama

Made this with 4 bone-in chicken thighs (first removing the skin). I also added 3 smashed garlic cloves. I've made a lot of ramen recipes and this is one of the easiest and best. Will not disappoint! One note: I ended up with not quite enough broth for 4 bowls so next time I will up the water/ginger quantities a bit.

Joseph Wu

This is great. I added a couple of cloves of garlic at the start along with white pepper to flavor the broth, which ended up being really flavorful. Used a good dried ramen (Lotus Foods Millet and Brown Rice Ramen). Kids loved it.

Josh

This soup is clean and gorgeous. Definitely add a few cloves of garlic with the ginger, a healthy dollop of soy to the bowl before adding the broth, and instead of discarding the chicken skin throw it under the broiler to crisp it up, slice it, and add it to the ginger and scallion as a garnish.

Jennifer

I added the whole smashed garlic cloves and fresh sliced chiles with the ginger slices as others recommended, and I also stirred in some miso paste and a splash of soy sauce, along with a drizzle of chile oil at the end.

caitie

- microplane the ginger- cook chicken breast 4 minutes each side- add ginger + 2 cloves minced garlic last 2 minutes of cooking chicken- add sliced carrot and celery

Jane

Delicious! I used 3 drumsticks and 3 thighs as I find them more flavorful than breasts. I took the advice of the other reviewer and added sliced garlic and then added a sliced jalapeno to give it some kick.

Heath

This is a great under the radar recipe (for now)! Super calming soup with great natural flavors.I found the broth to be a bit lacking in body when it finished after the 40 minutes. Perhaps let the bones release their flavor a bit longer? I tossed in a cup of some super rich bone broth I made earlier in the week which did the trick! I also tossed in a little cilantro to garnish the soup which works great with all the other flavors. I really enjoyed this overall!

Kim K

Agreed that the broth did not yield enough for each serving. And I also added smashed garlic for a little more flavor. Also added a bit of chili paste at the end for a kick

Aaron

There is a great book, JapanEasy, by an American who won the British TV series MasterChef, by the name of Tim Anderson. He lists 8 must have ingredients to cook almost anything in the book, once you have those, you're sorted.

mhassett

Made some adaptations for great flavor that's onion free (food sensitivity in the household) made this with frozen ginger, red pepper flakes , lemongrass, five spice, black cardamom. Duck fat base, better than bouillon chicken, angel hair pasta, rotisserie chicken, coconut milk at the end. Garnished with cilantro, fennel fronds and half-steamed fennel bulb for some crunch.

SB of SH in NY

Followed suggestions and doubled the amount of ginger, added four large smashed garlic cloves, and topped with fresh slivered scallions, paper thin carrots from using my oft forgotten mandolin, and red bell peppers cut into matchsticks. Also used the yummy organic millet and brown rice ramen from Costco. Visually, it was stunning. Taste wise, we needed more of a kick and added crushed red pepper and coconut amino acids. Will add to our soup rotation (W/the additions.)

Math

Wow, this was tasty. I had to sub buckwheat soba noodles for ramen, but the broth came out delicious and full of flavor with minimal fuss.I will try the garlic next time, but I would happily make this again as written.

Josh

Does sauteeing or heating sesame oil in any way seem weird to anyone else?The Korean and Chinese recipes I use most always deploy it as a finishing ingredient - to be added at the end of the cooking process, when you turn off the stove, be it to a soup or sauteed whatever. So here you'd fry/sautee the chicken and ginger in a neutral oil and finish with sesame. I'd be interested in hearing other people's thoughts on this? Just curious.

Kim B

This is the first time I had made anything like this. I am confused about amount of ginger to use. Two inches of how fat a piece of ginger? Do recipes ever identify grams of ginger? Also, next time I would microplane ginger. I also added chopped baby bok choy and thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms.

Victoria W

What a nostalgic dish! Really reminded me of my childhood. Like other reviewers, I added a few garlic flavors for additional flavor and also added a little white pepper powder in the beginning. I definitely had to simmer for longer than 40 for a strong flavor ( I used 4 chicken thighs ) - and it tasted better overnight. For garnish, I recommend making a easy ginger scallion sauce (ginger scallion hot oil pint of salt) and dolloping a spoonful on top.

AJ

This was delish. Added thinly sliced garlic with the ginger and made with 4 chicken thighs instead of breasts. To serve I added fresh squeezed lime, jalapeños and scallions. To those saying it’s bland, mine was bland too until I added the right amount of salt! Keep adding it needs more than you think ;)

dan

So if I was choosing between real shaoshang, real michu, and real sake to put in this which one would recommend? Yes my pantry is out of control.

Zach

- Slivered ginger and minced garlic last 2 min of cooking chicken- Add a bit of soy sauce before the 40 min boil- Add carrots and celery before the 40 min boil- Sauce from ginger miso salmon in the soup, topped with

cameron

With the adjustments mentioned by others ( garlic and chile, threw some lemongrass, miso, and soy in as well, longer cook time) I found this broth flavorful and delicious but also very fatty. With skin on chicken, the frying oil is not really necessary - I skimmed 1/4in of solidified fat once cooled! To beef up the veg content: chiffonade some bok choy to top, marinate some cucumber in mirin while you cook

Alex

This was so delicious! Only had skinless chicken breast and udon noodles but it turned out amazing and feels like a dish that’s hard to mess up!

sunbutter

Used 2 lbs of chicken drumsticks instead (not a fan of breasts), added 5 cloves of garlic as other readers suggested and seasoned with fish sauce at the end instead of salt. This was impressively good! The broth was thick and soothing. Did not use ginger to garnish at the end bc I’m not a big fan of ginger but would make this again!

Florida Jess

Made this staying nearly true to the recipe with a few modifications! It was amazing!- used sesame oil infused w/Thai red chili peppers- used one bone-in, split chicken breast and two boneless, skinless chicken thighs- added three good size garlic cloves along with the slices of ginger- used 8 cups of water and threw in two chicken bouillon cubes at the same time to add flavor - added shiitake, baby bok choy, and carrots at end- added drop of soy sauce to my soup bowl- makes 4 servings

Florida Jess continued...

Also forgot to add that I used basic white cooking wine (Holland House), and I used others' suggestion of crisping up the chicken skin under the broiler for a few minutes, which I added as a topping at the end. It was super! :-)

Kerstin

Add even more carrot/mushroom next time

EK

1.5 packages Kame Chinese noodlesMore salt and pepper in the pot

Rose

Very tasty - I followed others' notes and added a couple cloves of garlic. Similar to others, I thought this needed WAY more broth. I used boneless/skinless breasts because that's what Aldi had and chicken thighs give me the ick sometimes.

maria

i did it with boneless skinless breasts and added garlic, tai chile pepper and white pepper per other comments. Went a little overboard with the spices I guess because yowww luckily had white rice on hand along with the ramen. Will make again.

Susan B

This was amazing! I followed suggestions from other people. I doubled the wine and the water. Smashed four very large cloves of garlic and added it in with the ginger at the beginning. I also added in a good splash of fish sauce and a shake of hot pepper flakes. I also added a couple good spoons full of Better Than Bullion chicken flavor. I let it cook for about an hour and a quarter to really infuse the flavors. And wow!

Cheryl

This was delightful, with emphasis on 'riffability' . Very satisfying and pleasant. Made two nice servings.

OK

Flavorless broth as-is.

750ml

Added a teaspoon of chili-garlic sauce & the juice of one lime to brighten & give a bit of heat. The whole family loved it.

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Sesame-Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why does Grandma's chicken soup work when you are sick? ›

The famous chicken soup study from 2000 focused on its impact on inflammation. “The 2000 study basically found that chicken soup inhibited neutrophil chemotaxis, which is a fancy way of saying it helped temporarily decrease inflammation so those who were sick could temporarily breathe easier,” Pike said.

How to make can chicken noodle soup taste better? ›

Adding cooked chicken to your soup isn't the only way to bulk it up and improve the flavor. You can also try stirring in some other additions. A similar option is to mix in some extra vegetables. Remember, heating up canned soup means you don't cook the broth as long as you would if you were making it from scratch.

How to make Campbell's soup taste better? ›

Garlic and onions make everything tastier! While the soup is cooking on the stove, sautee onions and garlic, adding them into the soup towards the end of cooking. Or for an aromatic that'll give a refreshing flavor, add chopped ginger into the soup while it's still cooking, stirring it in to blend the flavors together.

Can I crack an egg in my chicken noodle soup? ›

Stir an egg into soup.

When you remove the broth from the heat, crack an egg into the hot broth and stir slowly. The yolk and white will poach slowly in the liquid and absorb the flavor of the soup and ingredients, adding heartiness and rich texture to your broth.

What is the best broth to drink when sick? ›

Bone broth serves as a great way to replenish the fluids that you're losing, while also providing your body with valuable electrolytes from the sodium in the broth. These electrolytes will also help you absorb the water more easily.

What is in chicken soup that makes you feel better when you re sick? ›

Chicken is especially rich in a compound called carnosine, and it's this that studies suggest helps reduce that stuffy, congested feeling in your nose and throat. It's thought that carnosine minimises inflammation in the upper respiratory tract by stopping the migration of white blood cells.

How can I deepen my soup flavor? ›

"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso. These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says. The choice of ingredient depends on the recipe, though.

How do you add depth of flavor to chicken soup? ›

A splash of vinegar or wine can add depth and complexity to the flavors of your chicken noodle soup. Try adding a small amount of apple cider vinegar or a dry white wine for a delightful tangy note. Just remember to add it gradually, tasting as you go, to avoid overpowering the soup.

Why does Campbell's chicken noodle soup make you feel better? ›

A hot, steamy, soothing bowl of chicken noodle soup is just what the doctor ordered when you're under the weather. Although the ingredients in chicken noodle soup are there for flavor, they also provide important health benefits. The broth provides hydrating fluid and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

What spices can I add to canned chicken noodle soup? ›

Start by melting a little butter in a pan and add some fresh herbs like ground pepper, oregano, thyme, and basil. Mix the sauteed herbs into the broth to add flavor to a boring canned soup. You can also toss a sprig of rosemary or fresh sage into the pot while you heat up the soup.

What gives soup more flavor? ›

I'd use a base of onions, celery, and garlic. Then I would use spices and herbs to give the soup a specific flavor: an Italian spice mix, or a Mexican mix, or even a curry mix. I'd put in fresh seasonal vegetables and plenty of fresh-ground pepper. I might add a small can of salt-free tomato sauce or some coconut milk.

Why do people put lemon juice in chicken noodle soup? ›

Not only does acid brighten your soup, but also balance the flavor including the saltiness that comes from the broth (store-bought chicken broth and stock, or bouillon, are typically high in sodium).

Can I put uncooked noodles in my chicken soup? ›

Bring broth to a boil. Add noodles (either uncooked homemade egg noodles, or dry store-bought pasta) and cook just until noodles are al dente. If using store-bought noodles, be cautious not to overcook them! Remove pot from heat as soon as they are just barely tender.

What happens when adding an egg to the soup? ›

The egg cooks as it comes into contact with the simmering soup and the result, egg threads or egg drops, add a touch of texture and flavor to the soup, creating an attractive marbelized pattern on the surface at the same time. It's quicker than making noodles.

Why is chicken noodle soup so good when you're sick? ›

Compared with hot water alone, studies show chicken soup is more effective at loosening mucus. The herbs and spices sometimes used in chicken soup, such as pepper and garlic, also loosen mucus. The broth, which contains water and electrolytes, helps with rehydration.

Why is chicken soup immune boosting? ›

Chicken Soup

The protein in chicken also helps bolster your immunities. Add plenty of extra veggies for vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, all of which are an additional ally in your fight against cold and flu. Eat it: Load up on soup when you're sniffly, but avoid high-sodium canned soups—homemade is best.

Why does chicken soup make me feel better? ›

According to the study, undertaken by Nebraska Medical Center, chicken soup achieves these results by inhibiting something known as neutrophil chemotaxis. Basically, white blood cells behave differently after chicken soup, resulting in added anti-inflammatory activity.

Is chicken soup antiviral? ›

Modern research has actually shown that chicken soup, more than other hot liquid, increases mucus flow and helps the body rid itself of the cold virus. Chicken is rich in an amino acid called cysteine which helps loosen secretions. This effect is increased by adding spices such as pepper and garlic.

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