Description
A flavorful and comforting Miso Soup with tender chicken, shiitake mushrooms, rice noodles, and fresh baby bok choy, enhanced with aromatic ginger, garlic, and a touch of chili paste. Perfect for a nourishing meal that comes together quickly.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein and Vegetables
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 6 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced into ¼” strips
- 2 medium carrots, sliced (approx. 1 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 heads baby bok choy, cut into bite-size pieces, about 3 cups
Liquids and Seasonings
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Japanese rice wine or pale dry sherry
- ½ - 1 tablespoon red chili paste (like sambal oelek)
- ¼ cup white miso paste
Noodles
- 3 oz thin rice noodles (vermicelli/rice sticks)
Instructions
- Brown Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and brown on both sides, approximately 2 minutes total, but do not cook through. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Sauté Vegetables: Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and sliced carrots, sauté for 3 minutes until slightly softened. Then add sliced shiitake mushrooms, grated ginger, and minced garlic, and sauté for another 1 minute to release flavors.
- Simmer Soup: Return the browned chicken to the pot. Pour in the reduced sodium chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Japanese rice wine (or dry sherry), and red chili paste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let it gently simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is tender enough to shred. Remove the chicken from the pot once cool enough to handle and shred it with forks. Continue simmering the soup if you want the mushrooms to soften more.
- Dissolve Miso: Place ¼ cup of white miso paste in a medium bowl. Ladle some hot broth from the pot into the bowl and whisk until the miso is fully dissolved. Set this miso mixture aside. Avoid adding miso directly to boiling soup to prevent gritty texture.
- Add Noodles and Veggies: Put the rice noodles and chopped red bell pepper into the pot. Simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Stir in the baby bok choy, shredded chicken, and the miso mixture. Cover the pot and let it sit for 1-2 minutes until the noodles are al dente and the bok choy is wilted.
Notes
- You may substitute cremini mushrooms for shiitake, but add them with the bell peppers as they cook faster.
- Cutting the long rice noodles before adding can be messy; alternatively, use kitchen shears to cut noodles after cooking in soup.
- White miso paste is often found in the refrigerated section or Asian markets; it can also be ordered online.
- Baby bok choy can be replaced with spinach or kale according to preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
