Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Several months ago, we went out to dinner with friends at a nearby Asian restaurant that not only had good sushi but was known for their noodle soups.   Usually we just stick to sushi because we're big fans but decided to split a chicken noodle bowl as well.  It ended up being a great choice because the soup was delicious!

Recently, I had been thinking about how good that meal was, so this Asian chicken noodle soup was my attempt to make something at home that came close to replicating those flavors.  I didn't want to do much grocery shopping, so I also wanted a recipe with easy to find ingredients (I'll attempt homemade pho another day). Luckily, I had all the ingredients below, so dinner came together incredibly quickly and easily!  I really liked this soup, too.  It was just the kind of thing that I had wanted.

While I'm not sick, I'll definitely keep this recipe in mind for the next time I come down with a cold. (Our previous go-to sick recipe was this chicken and chickpea soup, and while that's still my husband's favorite, I think this Asian chicken noodle soup beat it out!)

Oh, in my opinion, the sriracha really shouldn't be an optional topping. It was delicious and gave a great amount of heat!

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
Taken from: Eat Live Run
Serves 4-6

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 3/4 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 2 baby bok choy, chopped (I didn't have this so I added shredded Napa cabbage instead which worked very well)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Optional add-ins: sliced mushrooms, grated carrots, snow peas 
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (I removed the seeds and ribs for less heat)
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 5 oz chinese noodles, about half a package (I used fewer noodles, probably closer to 3-4 ounces)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (plus extra to taste)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• sriracha sauce for serving (optional)
• chopped cilantro for serving (optional)

1. Heat the sesame oil over medium high heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add the minced garlic and ginger and briefly saute for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and bok choy, cabbage, and mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Saute, stirring frequently, for another three minutes until chicken has turned white but not completely cooked all the way through.
2. Add the chicken broth, jalapeno and green onions to the pot and bring to a simmer (I also added the grated carrot and would add the snow peas at this time as well). Cook for 15 minutes until chicken is done.
3. While soup is simmering, in a separate pot, cook the noodles according to their package (often the directions are cooking the noodles in boiling salted water, draining and then rinsing with cold water). Set aside.
4. Add the rice vinegar and soy sauce and stir. You can add a little more salt or soy sauce if you like (taste first because soy sauce already contains a lot of salt). Stir the noodles into the pot and serve with chopped cilantro and sriracha sauce on the side.

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