Cantonese Noodle Soup
Updated Sept. 15, 2025
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 8ounces boneless, skinless chicken (dark or white meat), sliced
- 1¼teaspoons fine sea salt, more to taste
- Pinch of sugar
- 1pound rice noodles or Chinese egg noodles
- 4cups chicken broth
- 1pound leafy bok choy or choy sum, thinly sliced
- 2tablespoons chopped pickled mustard greens, rinsed very well (optional)
- ½teaspoon oyster sauce, more to taste (optional)
- 4scallions, thinly sliced
- ⅓cup cilantro, leaves and tender stems
- Chile oil or chile crisp (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
669 calories; 17 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 94 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 1181 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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Preparation
- Step 1
Season the chicken all over with ¼ teaspoon salt and the sugar. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
- Step 2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the noodles. Add noodles and cook, according to package instructions, until just done. Drain or use tongs to transfer to a colander.
- Step 3
Using the same pot, bring the chicken stock, 4 cups water and remaining 1 teaspoon salt to a simmer. Add the chicken and let simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the bok choy, pickles if using, and oyster sauce, stirring well, and cook until the bok choy is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and add more salt or oyster sauce, if needed.
- Step 4
Divide the noodles among bowls and ladle broth, chicken and vegetables over them. Top with scallions and cilantro. Serve with chile oil or crisp if you like.
Private Notes
Comments
This is a great recipe. I browned some fresh shiitakes at the beginning of Step 3 and added a sheet of kombu and a couple of dried shiitakes to the broth that I found when looking for my oyster sauce just for a little boost of umami. Also (and this may be a personal preference), if you are planning on having leftovers, I would only add the amount of bok choy you plan on eating that night. It's easy enough to add more when you are reheating and it doesn't break down as much.
All of the ingredients are readily available in any Asian food market. This is super-easy to make, and very delicious. I threw in a few chicken wontons (available at Costco) in addition to the Chinese egg noodles. This reminds me of the soup that I regularly ate at Great New York Noodletown in NYC.
i learned to make this from my old BF in my 20s, except he used char siu for the protein. i still make it occasionally for my daughter, telling her it's comfort food.
I didn’t have access to pickled mustard greens and the bok choy at my market was pricey and didn’t look good, so I split the difference and used fresh mustard greens. I used chicken thighs, which didn’t get tough, and vegetable bouillon, which I had on hand. I enjoyed the mild, comforting flavor but I admit I added a few drops of vinegar to perk up my serving.
I guess what confuses me is why wouldn’t you just cook the noodles in the broth with chicken and bok choy? I mean, you just add them when you know the amount of time, like with the bok choy. Then you don’t have to wait for the chicken stock to come to a boil after you waited for the noodles water already. Am I missing something?
@BarNotKitchen. The noodles are cooked separately because they release starch as they cook, which can make the broth cloudy.
Made without oyster sauce, subbed soy sauce and a bit of sugar, subbed sauerkraut for the pickled mustard greens. Added a bit of tobacco as needed some heat and I didn't have chili oil or chili crisp. It was comforting and pretty easy to make.