The Briny Lemon: Chicken and Rice-Noodle Soup

This fresh, fast, and wholesome soup is loaded with rich East Asian flavors and a hint of hot and sour. Fresh vegetables, lean chicken breast, and tender rice noodles keep it light and nutritious, while ginger, garlic, and Thai chiles kick it up with bright, bold taste.

With already-cooked chicken, the soup is on the table in about 25 minutes.

Tip: I used rice noodle sticks instead of the thinner “coiled” noodles, but either is fine in this recipe. Whichever you use, let the noodles steep during the last minutes of the soup’s cooking (about 10 minutes if you’re using sticks, 3-4 if you’re using thin noodles).

Rice Noodle Sticks

Note: You don't see salt in the ingredients list because there's enough in the soy sauce and oyster sauce to season the soup just right. Give it a taste before adding any!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp peanut oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and dark green parts separated
2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 stalks baby bok choy, trimmed and chopped
5 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (thick stems trimmed or removed)
2 Thai chiles, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 lb cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded
cooked rice noodle sticks, for serving

Vegetables and Aromatics

Prepared Ingredients

Preparation

Heat a soup pot over medium heat and add the peanut oil, swirling to coat. Add the white parts of the scallions, carrots, and bok choy and cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, chiles, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes.
Add the broth, soy sauce, and oyster sauce and bring to a light simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook 10 minutes.
Add the cooked chicken breast and cook until hot throughout, 5 minutes.