Spring Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup (topped with Aunt Lily’s Chili Oil)
A soup that feels fresh enough for Spring? I didn’t believe it either until I perfected my Spring Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup. Vibrant greens, tender shredded chicken, and an invigorating, gingery broth are ladelled on top of your favorite long noodle (I used udon rice noodles). Top with this homemade chili oil (from my Aunt Lily) to bring a little bit of heat into this light, flavourful soup.
If you’re looking for more Soups that Don’t Suck you can check them out here!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Bright + balanced: The combination of tender chicken, noodles, and aromatic ginger make for a light, yet comforting broth. A squeeze of lemon and a touch of soy sauce bring brightness + umami to the soup.
- Fresh veggies: Get a full serving of veggies with the leeks, asparagus, peas, and green onions!
- Customizable heat: Spice lovers can load their bowl with chili oil, or it can be omitted if you don’t like too much spice or want to make the soup kid-friendly.
- Leftover friendly: This soup stores beautifully, so you can enjoy it throughout the week. Just keep the noodles and soup separate when storing to prevent sogginess. The chili oil can be added just before serving for an extra kick of flavor!
How to Prep for this Recipe:
To make this recipe as smooth as possible, here are some tips for prepping:
Gather your ingredients: Make sure you have everything on hand before starting, including Aunt Lily’s Chili Oil ingredients. The chili oil can be made ahead of time for convenience, or while the chicken is cooking.
Get your veggies ready: chop the leek, asparagus & green onion, mince/grate garlic & ginger, measure out the peas. Make sure to rinse your leek well as they are often grown in sandy soil.
Prepare the chicken: Have your chicken breasts ready to go into the broth once it’s simmering.
How to make Spring Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup:
Step One:
Begin Sautéeing: In a large pot over medium heat, add the coconut oil. Sautée the chopped leek and onion for a few minutes until softened and then add in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or two.
Step Two:
Add the Broth and Chicken: Add in the chicken broth and bring to a bubble. Place the chicken breasts directly into the broth and poach until cooked through (internal temp reaches 165) – this should take about 15 minutes.
Step Three:
Make the Chili Oil: While the chicken is cooking, combine chili flakes, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt, and a cinnamon stick in a heat-safe bowl. Heat the neutral oil in a small pan until hot (test by adding a small piece of garlic—if it sizzles, it’s ready). Carefully pour the hot oil over the chili mixture and stir. Set aside to infuse. Skip this step if you already have chili oil on hand!
Step Four:
Shred the Chicken: Take out the chicken, let cool slightly and then shred with a fork and transfer back to the soup pot.
Step Five:
Cook the Noodles: Meanwhile, boil a separate pot of water and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set to the side.
Step Six:
Finish the Soup: Add in green vegetables (asparagus and peas) to the hot broth and cook until vibrant green (just a few minutes). You still want them tender, not mushy.
Step Seven:
Assemble and Garnish: In a serving bowl, add your portion of noodles, then pour the ginger chicken soup over top. Finish with a splash of soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon. Garnish with your chopped green onions and finish with a drizzle of Aunt Lily’s Chili Oil!
How to Store the Soup:
- Refrigerator: Store the soup + leftover noodles in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Add the noodles and the soup to a pot and heat on the stove, or in the microwave using a microwave-safe container.
- Freezer: You can freeze this soup without the noodles for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw the soup and cook fresh noodles before serving to prevent them from becoming mushy.
Substitutions:
- Chicken: Feel free to substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for chicken breasts if you prefer a richer flavour. You can also use leftover rotisserie chicken to save time—just skip the step of cooking the chicken in the broth.
- Noodles: Feel free to sub in any type of noodle you like. I used udon rice noodles from Lotus Foods, but other great choices would be vermicelli, soba, or even ramen noodles.
- Vegetables: If you don’t have leeks, try adding celery for a similar vegetable that will cook down nicely in the coconut oil. Chopped snap peas or snow peas would also work great in this recipe.
- Chili Oil: If you’re not a fan of spice, you can reduce the amount of chili flakes in the recipe—or just omit when serving!
If you’re a soup lover, but you’re looking for a lighter, fresher soup as the weather warms up, this recipe is sure to become a favourite. Don’t forget to top it with plenty of that chili oil for a kick!
As always, please tag me on social if you try this recipe out (@britacooks)! I love nothing more than seeing you recreate these recipes <3
Spring Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup (topped with Aunt Lily's Chili Oil)
Ingredients
Spring Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 leek chopped (just white and light green parts)
- 3 green onions chopped (white parts sautéed with leeks, dark green parts used for garnish)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 inch ginger grated/minced
- 4-6 cups Chicken broth
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 oz thin noodles udon, vermicelli, soba, or rice noodles
- ½ bunch asparagus chopped
- ¾ cup frozen or fresh peas
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Aunt Lily's Chili Oil (1/2 recipe):
- 1/2 cup red chili flakes
- 1.5 cups neutral oil peanut, avocado, vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp salt + more to taste
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add the coconut oil. Sautée the chopped leek and onion for a few minutes until softened and then add in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or two.
- Add in the chicken broth and bring to a bubble. Place the chicken breasts directly into the broth and poach until cooked through (internal temp reaches 165) - this should take about 15 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, combine chili flakes, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt, and a cinnamon stick in a heat-safe bowl. Heat the neutral oil in a small pan until hot (test by adding a small piece of garlic—if it sizzles, it's ready). Carefully pour the hot oil over the chili mixture and stir. Set aside to infuse. Skip this step if you already have chili oil on hand!
- Take out the chicken, let cool slightly and then shred with a fork and transfer back to the soup pot.
- Meanwhile, boil a separate pot of water and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set to the side.
- Add in green vegetables (asparagus and snap peas) to the hot broth and cook until vibrant green (just a few minutes). You still want them tender, not mushy.
- Assemble: in a serving bowl, add your portion of noodles, then pour the ginger chicken soup over top. Finish with a splash of soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon. Garnish with your chopped green onions and finish with a drizzle of Aunt Lily’s Chili Oil!
Hi I’m Brita!
The recipes you’ll find here are designed to be approachable, yet elevated, and a whole lot of fun to make.
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