Chicken Rice-Noodle Soup
The other night, I was at a loss as to what to eat for dinner. This was exasperated by the fact that I had very little in the fridge to work with besides fresh carrots, celery, onions, and some frozen veggies. I could have stuck to my normal “for lack of a better option” dinner ideas, such as simple poached eggs (thanks to Jenna’s great tutorial), some sort of pasta, or heck, even Trader Joe’s frozen Tikka Masala (it’s quite delicious), but I had been there, done that quite recently.
Easy solution? Homemade soup. If you don’t have many ingredients on hand, but have some carrots, onions, canned beans, and broth, this is another favorite go-to meal of mine. Of course you could always open up a can of pre-bought soup, but I promise you, it really is simple to make at home. Most of the work can be left to the pot and the stove.
So that is exactly what I made. My favorite soups are on the bulkier side with loads of veggies, lentils, or beans. If I’m missing carbs (as I often do), I try to pair it with some fresh bread and cheese or homemade whole-wheat biscuits (will share that recipe sometime in the future!). But tonight I decided to do something different.
Why? Because I saw a box of thin rice noodles sitting in the top of my pantry, which I had bought months and months ago (read: while I was still a college student). I had an ah-ha moment and suddenly knew what to make:
Faux Chicken Rice-Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
- 3 cups organic, free-range chicken broth (or vegetable)
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 ounces Asian rice noodles (Vercimelli style)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red hot pepper flakes
Directions:
- Heat oil over medium heat in large saucepan.
- Add chopped celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add seasoning. Pour half the chicken broth and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes.
- Add rest of broth. Before serving, add frozen peas and stir until defrosted.
- Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in another large saucepan. Remove from heat, add rice noodles and let sit for 8-10 minutes. Drain.
- Ladle broth into serving bowls and add desired amount of cooked rice noodles. Serve hot.
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The finished product…(the light was working perfectly for me at this point):
I really just made this on a step-by-step basis, I didn’t really have a set idea in mind when I started cooking, besides the general “I’ll make chicken rice noodle soup” concept. If I’m unsure of a spice or seasoning, I add a small amount of it or go by smell. Usually that’s a safe way to see whether your flavor combinations will work.
It was quite good, but was missing some sort of pizazz, even after I added the red hot pepper flakes. It definitely needs a bit of tweaking to perfect, but was still quite tasty. I definitely think adding some bok choy or frozen shrimp (or tofu) would have definitely bulked this up and added much needed flavor.
On a different note, thank you all for your kind words about my grandfather passing away. You guys are awesome! ♥ More recipes to come later in the week, trust me, you won’t wanna miss this one.
that looks so good! I’ve only cooked with rice noodles once. I forget about them!
I forget about them too!! I need to figure out more ways to use them, maybe those rice paper wraps? I need to find a good recipe 😉
I’m so glad you commented! Thank you so much, that means a lot. It seems like we all have rice noodles sitting around in our pantries, haha. You might want to add some bok choy or shrimp, something to spice it up a bit. Let me know what you think! Love your blog.
<3 Laura
What gorgeous photos girl! I’ve just started visiting your site recently and I love it.
I have a pack of those rice noodles in my cabinet now. Apparently, they’ve been waiting for your recipe for like, months now;)
The noodles look amazing! I bet they add to the soup. My go to meal is a frittata. So easy, cheap, & healthy!
Thanks Kate! I always forget about frittata, that is one of my favorite too! I love using leeks and asparagus in mine, with a bit of goat cheese or parmesan. Yum!
<3 Laura
That looks really good!!! I can’t wait to eat more soup once the weather gets colder!!! (Not that I don’t eat soup when its 90 degrees out… but you know…)
I’m definitely going to have to try this!
Add tofu and bok choy! I love eating soup too, and it definitely was like 90 degrees the other day when I made this, hehe. But it is for sure better when it’s a cold and dreary day! Thanks for stopping by!
<3 Laura
Thanks! 🙂
I love homemade soup! That looks delicious 🙂
That sounds great! I definitely would have considered adding cooked chicken, but didn’t have any on hand. The addition of cilantro and scallions sounds great! I, unfortunately, didn’t have those on hand either 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
~Laura
We do something similar, but easier. We take chicken broth, simmer it with garlic and ginger and then add cooked chicken, cilantro, scallions and this rice noodles or bean threads. Great meal when we feel we are coming down with something- a twist on the old chicken soup cure.
I think I might make this today. I seem to have everything I need and with me suffering from a soar throat, this sounds like it would be perfect! I just wanted to let you know, that if you ever did want to make a truly vegan chicken soup for yourself or someone you know..better than bouillon sells a vegetarian chicken stock that tastes exactly like the real thing but is made from vegetables. Just wanted to share that with you : ]
Let me know how it is or if you made any tweaks! I’m sorry to hear that you’re sick, but soup is always a great remedy. Thanks for the advice, that sounds great!
<3 Laura
The noodles look amazing! I bet they add to the soup. My go to meal is a frittata. So easy, cheap, & healthy!
My family loves a soup very similar to this one. It is so quick and easy. The kids really like it when I add rice!
Great idea! Thanks for visiting and saying hi 🙂
<3 Laura
Probably needed some acid- like lemon juice. I’ll try it today and let you know.
Ooh, good idea!
I did add lemon juice and it was better. Overall, the soup lacks something still.
How much olive oil do you need to put in the saucepan???
LauraV — Probably about 1-2 tablespoons! Add a bit more if its getting too dry… Thanks for visiting!
I added a dash of sesame oil and a hint of ginger…nice!
What a delicious and easy dinner. My husband and made this for dinner. We wanted something “clean and healthy” after a weekend of holiday parties. We added a parsnip and celery root that we had in the refrigerator. Sharing with my mom in law too!
Do you have the nutritional facts handy?
I had to subtract some of the recipe such as oil and substitute soy sauce with tamari low sodium soy sauce. Substituting chicken broth with low sodium vegetable broth . Instead of dicing vegetables I used stir fry vegetables from a can. onions and garlic and mushrooms sauteed with water not oil. for added flavor Valentino sauce a a Mexican version of Tabasco. This makes a great vegan rice noodle soup. Thank you.