Healthy and delicious, this is the best Asian chicken noodle soup you’ll ever eat. The chicken is marinated in Chinese five spice and sautéed with fresh ginger and garlic until tender and flavorful. Homemade chicken noodle soup with an Asian twist is comfort food at its finest.
✔️ Quick Recipe Overview
Why this recipe works: Marinating the chicken gives deep, tender flavor that sets this soup apart. Time: 12–24 hours marinating, 20 minutes prep, 40 minutes cook. Equipment: large pot, skillet, knife, tongs.
This Asian chicken noodle soup is savory and full of depth, developed by a chef friend and refined to serve as a restaurant-quality bowl you can make at home. Instead of the usual flavors in classic chicken noodle soup, this version uses soy sauce, ginger, garlic, mushrooms and bok choy to create a bright, aromatic broth that still feels comforting and familiar.
I eat soup year-round and prefer recipes with a clean, savory base. This Chinese-style noodle soup is one of my favorites: it’s easy to prepare, nutritious, and packs more flavor than most store-bought or basic homemade versions. The tender, marinated chicken combined with rice noodles and crisp greens makes for a crowd-pleasing bowl any time of year.
ℹ️ Why this recipe works
1) Simple to make. 2) Marinated thighs with Chinese five spice add flavor and tenderize. 3) Nutritious and satisfying while still light.
🛒 Ingredients You’ll Need
The flavor hinges on marinating boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a mixture featuring Chinese Five Spice, olive oil, salt, pepper and a touch of red pepper flakes for 12–24 hours. Do not skip the marination — it’s essential for the deep, tender flavor.
Other core ingredients are fresh ginger and garlic, which are sautéed in the pot after searing the chicken; mushrooms that soak up rich flavor from the pan drippings; chicken broth and soy sauce to form the broth; and bok choy and rice (Mai Fun) noodles to finish the bowl with texture and freshness.
🔪 Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
1. Marinate the chicken: In a large dish combine olive oil, Chinese Five Spice, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Toss the boneless skinless thighs in the marinade and refrigerate for 12–24 hours.
2. Sear the chicken: Heat a large stock pot with olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear thighs in batches about 3 minutes per side — the goal is a good sear, not to cook through. Remove and let cool.
3. Sauté aromatics: Lower heat to medium and add the chopped ginger and garlic to the pot. Use a spatula to scrape the browned bits (fond) from the bottom — this intensifies the flavor. Cook 1–2 minutes, then add mushrooms and cook another minute.
Expert tip: Scraping the caramelized bits left after searing (the fond) into the aromatics adds rich depth to the broth — don’t skip it.
4. Build the broth: Add soy sauce, chicken broth and water to the pot and stir. Dice the seared chicken into bite-size pieces and return to the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Prepare the bok choy and noodles: Remove the bok choy base, cut the remaining leaves into large chunks, and soak in cold water for about 20 minutes to remove grit. Drain, rinse, and add to the soup to cook during the last few minutes.
6. Prepare Mai Fun noodles: Place rice noodles in a heatproof dish and pour 4 cups boiling water over them, covering completely. Let soak 10 minutes until softened, drain and add to the pot. Stir to combine.
Serve hot, garnished with chopped green onions if desired. The result is a deeply flavored, balanced bowl with tender marinated chicken, silky rice noodles and bright greens.
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Ramen or thin angel hair pasta work well. Egg noodles provide a firmer, chewier bite. Avoid delicate brown rice or vegetable noodles that may fall apart during simmering.
Yes. Fresh kale, green cabbage or spinach are good swaps. You can also add julienned carrots, celery, or sliced water chestnuts for crunch.
💭 6 Major Success Tips
- Marinating the chicken is essential for flavor and tenderness—don’t skip it.
- Use boneless, skinless thighs so the marinade penetrates the meat well.
- Chicken broth creates the best base; chicken stock is an acceptable substitute.
- Rice noodles hold up nicely; angel hair or egg noodles are also good alternatives.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days; reheat gently and add broth if needed since rice noodles absorb liquid.
- To freeze, cool the soup and place in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge and reheat on the stove.
🍽️ More Asian Inspired Recipes You’ll Love
If you enjoy this style of cooking, try other Asian-inspired favorites that balance savory sauces, fresh aromatics and quick weeknight techniques. Simple stir-fries, sesame chicken, or garlic-ginger shrimp are great companion dishes to expand your home menu.
Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 ½ Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flake
- 2 ½ Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic
- 1 pound portobello mushrooms
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 pound bok choy
- 1 6oz package Mai Fun noodles
- Green onions, optional for garnish
Instructions
- In a large dish, marinate chicken thighs with 1 ½ Tablespoon olive oil, Chinese Five Spice, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes for 12–24 hours.
- After marinating, heat a large pot with 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Sear each thigh about 3 minutes per side. The goal is a sear, not to cook through.
- Remove the seared chicken and set aside to cool.
- Keep the oil and drippings in the pot, reduce heat to medium, add ginger and garlic and cook 1–2 minutes, scraping the fond to incorporate flavor.
- Add mushrooms and stir to combine.
- Pour in soy sauce, chicken broth and water; stir.
- Dice the seared chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- While simmering, cut bok choy into large chunks, soak in cold water 20 minutes, drain and rinse.
- After 30 minutes, add bok choy to the soup to cook through.
- Soak Mai Fun noodles in hot water for 10 minutes, drain and add to the soup.
- Stir well, garnish with green onions if desired, and serve hot.
Notes
- Marinating the chicken is crucial for flavor—do not skip it.
- Use boneless, skinless thighs so the marinade can penetrate the meat.
- Chicken broth makes a clean, flavorful base; stock is an acceptable substitute.
- Rice noodles perform best; avoid delicate vegetable-based noodles that may disintegrate.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat and add broth if noodles have absorbed too much liquid.
- Freeze cooled soup in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Update notes: This post was originally published in September 2017 and updated with clearer instructions, photos, and tips in September 2022.