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Chicken Udon Soup Recipe

Chicken Udon Soup

iamwinfred
This chicken udon soup is the bowl to make when the weather turns chilly and you want something warm, savory, and deeply satisfying. Thick, chewy udon noodles float in a light dashi broth with tender seared chicken, sliced shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, and fresh scallions, finished with a jammy soft-boiled egg. It tastes like something you would order at a little Japanese noodle shop, yet it comes together in about 40 minutes with ingredients from a well-stocked grocery store.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 4 bowls
Calories 480 kcal

Equipment

  • Large soup pot 4 quarts or larger
  • Large nonstick skillet
  • Medium saucepan for the eggs and noodles
  • Sharp chef's knife and cutting board
  • Instant-read thermometer to check chicken reaches 165°F (74°C)
  • Ladle and slotted spoon
  • Four deep soup bowls

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs 455g; sliced into bite-size pieces, about 1 inch wide
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as vegetable or canola
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
  • 6 cups water 1.4 liters
  • 1 tablespoon dashi granules plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and finely grated
  • 3 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 1 tablespoon sake
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms 170g; stems removed and caps thinly sliced
  • 2 heads baby bok choy halved lengthwise and rinsed well
  • 4 packages frozen or fresh udon noodles about 7 ounces / 200g each
  • 4 large eggs for soft-boiling
  • 4 scallions thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish
  • shichimi togarashi for serving

Instructions
 

  • Slice the chicken thighs into 1-inch pieces and pat dry. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stem and thinly slice the shiitake caps, peel and grate the ginger, halve and rinse the bok choy, and slice the scallions for garnish.
  • Bring a medium saucepan of water to a gentle boil. Lower in the eggs and cook for 6 and a half minutes, then transfer to cold water for 5 minutes. Peel under the water and set aside; keep the saucepan for the noodles.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook 2 minutes without moving, then flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes more until golden. Transfer to a plate, leaving browned bits in the pan.
  • Bring the water to a simmer in a large soup pot and stir in the dashi granules until dissolved. Add the ginger, soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, then taste and adjust with more dashi or a splash of water.
  • Add the shiitake mushrooms and simmer 5 minutes until softened. Return the seared chicken and any juices to the pot and simmer gently 4 to 5 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C). Skim off any foam so the broth stays clear.
  • Bring the saucepan of water back to a boil and cook the udon according to package directions, usually 1 to 3 minutes for frozen and 8 to 10 minutes for dried. Drain, rinse briefly under warm water, and divide among four deep bowls.
  • Add the bok choy to the pot and simmer 2 minutes until bright green and just tender. Ladle the broth, chicken, mushrooms, and bok choy over the noodles, top each bowl with two soft-boiled egg halves, and finish with scallions and a pinch of shichimi togarashi. Serve steaming hot.

Notes

  • Cook the udon in a separate pot so the starch stays out of the broth and it remains clear and light.
  • Use chicken thighs for juicy meat; breast meat can turn dry and stringy in the hot broth.
  • Brown the chicken in two batches if the skillet looks crowded so it sears instead of steaming.
  • Soy sauce brands vary in saltiness, so taste the broth before adding more.
  • Undercook the noodles slightly, as they continue to soften once they meet the hot broth.
  • Use an instant-read thermometer to confirm the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) without overcooking.
  • Variations: stir in Japanese curry roux for curry udon, whisk in white miso for a spicy miso version, or add carrots, napa cabbage, or spinach with the mushrooms.
  • For a gluten-free version, use tamari and gluten-free noodles such as rice or buckwheat noodles.
  • Storage: keep broth, chicken, and vegetables in an airtight container up to 3 days and cooked udon separately with a drizzle of oil for up to 1 day. Freeze the broth, chicken, and mushrooms up to 3 months; do not freeze the eggs or bok choy.
  • Reheat the broth gently on the stove until steaming, then add the noodles for 30 seconds to heat through; or microwave covered in 1-minute bursts, stirring between.
  • No dashi on hand? Use low-sodium chicken broth in place of the water and dashi granules for a less traditional but still delicious soup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1BowlCalories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 34gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 230mgSodium: 1500mgPotassium: 600mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 15mg
Keyword chicken udon soup, dashi broth, easy weeknight soup, Japanese chicken soup, udon noodle soup
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