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Chicken Miso Soup Recipe

Chicken Miso Soup

iamwinfred
This chicken miso soup is a cozy, complete meal in a bowl featuring tender chicken thighs, meaty shiitake mushrooms, soft tofu, and silky bok choy floating in a savory, gently sweet broth made from homemade dashi and white miso. Ready in just 40 minutes in a single pot, it delivers deep umami flavor with minimal effort—perfect for a comforting weeknight dinner that tastes like it simmered all day.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 4 servings
Calories 290 kcal

Equipment

  • Large Dutch oven or soup pot at least 4 quarts
  • Fine-mesh strainer for straining the dashi
  • Instant-read thermometer to confirm the chicken is done
  • Miso muddler or small whisk for dissolving the miso
  • Sharp chef's knife and cutting board
  • Ladle and small mixing bowls
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients
  

For the Dashi

  • 4 cups cold water for the dashi
  • 1 piece kombu about 4 inches square
  • 1 cup bonito flakes packed; katsuobushi

For the Soup

  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as avocado or vegetable oil
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into ¾-inch pieces
  • 4 scallions thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely grated
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms stems removed and caps thinly sliced
  • 2 medium carrots cut into thin half-moons
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 2 heads baby bok choy stems and leaves chopped separately
  • 7 ounces silken or firm tofu cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons dried wakame
  • 4 tablespoons white miso paste
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions
 

  • Wipe the kombu gently with a damp paper towel, add it to the pot with 4 cups cold water, and soak for 15 to 30 minutes. Heat over medium until tiny bubbles form around the edges, about 5 to 7 minutes, then remove the kombu just before boiling.
  • Add the bonito flakes, turn off the heat, and steep for 3 to 5 minutes until the flakes sink. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, discard the flakes, and rinse out the pot; you should have about 3½ cups of golden dashi.
  • Pat the chicken dry and cut into ¾-inch pieces. Remove shiitake stems and slice caps ¼ inch thick, cut carrots into thin half-moons, and separate bok choy stems from leaves. Drain and cube the tofu, rehydrate the wakame in cool water for 5 minutes then drain and squeeze, and slice scallions keeping whites and greens separate.
  • Heat the neutral oil in the clean pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the scallion whites, ginger, and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to brown the garlic.
  • Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and carrots and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to soften.
  • Pour in the strained dashi and chicken broth, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom. Stir in the soy sauce and mirin, raise the heat, and bring to a gentle boil.
  • Add the chicken pieces, lower the heat so the broth simmers softly with small bubbles, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the chicken is white throughout and reaches 165°F. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
  • Stir in the chopped bok choy stems and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the bok choy leaves and cubed tofu and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes more, then turn the heat to low so the soup is steaming but no longer bubbling.
  • Ladle about 1 cup of hot broth into a small bowl, add the white miso paste, and whisk or muddle until completely smooth with no lumps. Turn off the heat under the pot, pour the miso mixture back in, and stir gently to combine.
  • Stir in the rehydrated wakame and toasted sesame oil. Ladle into four bowls, dividing the chicken, vegetables, and tofu evenly, and sprinkle the scallion greens over the top. Serve right away while hot and fragrant.

Notes

  • Keep the miso off the boil: Always add miso at the end with the heat off or very low, so the flavor stays bright and the soup does not turn gritty.
  • Dissolve the miso first: Whisking it into a ladle of hot broth prevents lumps and spreads the flavor evenly.
  • Choose chicken thighs: They stay juicy and tender in the broth, while breast meat can turn dry if overcooked.
  • Cut the chicken evenly: Pieces of the same size finish cooking at the same time.
  • Shortcut dashi: If short on time, instant dashi granules prepared according to package directions can replace the homemade dashi.
  • Taste before adding more salt: Miso, soy sauce, and broth already bring plenty of salt, so adjust slowly at the end.
  • Add delicate items last: Tofu, wakame, and scallion greens only need a brief warm-through to keep their texture and color.
  • Storage: Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; freeze the broth and chicken for up to 2 months but leave out the tofu, since its texture changes when frozen.
  • Reheating: Warm in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring often, until steaming—do not let it boil—and add fresh tofu, wakame, and scallions after reheating for the best texture.
  • Variations: Add cooked udon or soba noodles, stir in chili garlic sauce for heat, swap bok choy for baby spinach or napa cabbage, or make a vegetarian version with extra tofu and mushrooms using vegetable broth and kombu dashi.

Nutrition

Serving: 1BowlCalories: 290kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 29gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 1000mgPotassium: 600mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 60IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 15mg
Keyword chicken miso soup, easy miso soup, homemade dashi, Japanese chicken soup, miso soup recipe
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