This soba noodle chicken soup is so good, and so easy, you won’t hesitate to make it again and again. In this recipe, shredded cabbage, soba noodles and sliced chicken breasts are covered in a flavorful beef broth.
The broth for this soba noodle soup doesn’t take hours to make; we start with store bought broth, then add a ton of flavor with sautéed onions, garlic and mushrooms. The liquid used to poach the chicken is added in too. The result is a rich, dark, delicious broth you’ll really enjoy!
Tips to make the best soba noodle chicken soup
- Don’t slice the mushrooms too thin, so they hold up to cooking and don’t break apart.
- Use a good beef broth. We add flavor with mushrooms, onions, garlic and soy sauce, but you want to start with a strong, good-quality broth.
- If you use a low sodium beef broth, you may need to add salt to taste.
- If the noodles start to get sticky, rinse them with cold water and they’ll get slippery again.
Soba noodle chicken soup ingredients
- Chicken – Skinless, boneless chicken breasts trimmed of any fat
- Broth – Use a good quality, strong beef broth
- Flavor – This soup gets extra flavor from onions (yellow or white work well), garlic, soy sauce and salt
- Noodles – Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and water – they’re a Japanese noodle find them in the International section of larger supermarkets
- Produce – Mushrooms and cabbage, we used green cabbage (if you have cabbage leftover use it to make this cabbage sausage soup or pork stir fry)
- Oil – use a neutral oil (we used canola oil)
- Garnish – Green onions and sesame seeds add a little punch of flavor at the end
Poach the chicken breast
- Poached chicken is boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs that are simmered gently in liquid until the chicken is cooked through. The liquid used is usually water or broth and it’s flavored with aromatics, herbs and spices.
- Place the chicken in a medium saucepan that’s large enough so that they fit side by side without overlapping. Cover the chicken with 1 cup of beef broth and 1 cup of water; add a pinch of salt.
- Start the chicken on medium-high heat, and bring the broth to a simmer. As soon as the liquid starts simmering, lower the heat to medium-low and cover.
- Simmer the chicken gently for 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the thickest piece is at least 165°F. Remove the chicken breast from the poaching liquid and set it on a cutting board to cool a bit.
- Do not discard the cooking liquid. Strain the broth using a fine, mesh sieve and reserve it for the soup. When the chicken is cool enough to handle slice it to thin strips.
How to make soba noodle soup
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and the mushrooms. Cook them gently for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add the soy sauce, reserved poaching liquid and the remaining 5 cups of beef broth to the pot. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a simmer.
Then, lower the heat to medium to medium low, cover and cook 15 minutes. Keep the broth at a simmer, if it’s boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit.
Cook the soba noodles
The noodles only take a few minutes so start them once the soup is started. Follow the package instructions. The instructions for our noodles were as follows: Place the noodles in boiling water and stir. When the water returns to a boil, lower the heat to low and cook for 3 minutes. Drain the soba noodles using a colander and rinse with cold water.
How to serve the soba noodle soup
Build the soup in each individual bowl. To each bowl add:
- ½ cup of shredded cabbage
- 1 ounce of noodles
- 2 ounces of the sliced chicken
- Cover the ingredients with approximately 1 cup of broth. Make sure the broth is still steaming hot, preferably still simmering. The hot broth will heat up the rest of the ingredients.
- Garnish the soup with the green onions and sesame seeds.
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Soba Noodle Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts skinless, boneless, trim any fat (about 1 pound)
- 6 cups Beef Broth divided
- 1 cup Water
- Pinch of Salt
- 6 ounces Soba Noodles cooked to package directions
- 1 tablespoon Canola or Vegetable Oil
- 8 ounces Mushrooms sliced
- ¼ cup Onion finely diced (about ½ a small onion)
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce low sodium
- 1 Garlic Clove minced
- 3 cups Shredded Cabbage Mix
- 2-3 tablespoons Green Onions for garnish
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds for garnish
Instructions
Poach the Chicken Breast
- Place the chicken in a medium saucepan that’s large enough so that they fit side by side without overlapping. Cover the chicken with 1 cup of beef broth and 1 cup of water; add a pinch of salt.
- Bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken breast is at least 165°F.
- Remove the chicken breast from the poaching liquid. Strain the liquid using a fine mesh sieve and reserve it for the soup. Set the chicken aside to cool. Slice it into thin strips.
Start the soup
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and the mushrooms. Cook gently for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the soy sauce, reserved poaching liquid and the remaining 5 cups of broth to the pot. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium to medium low, cover and cook 15 minutes. Keep the broth at a simmer, if it’s boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit.
Cook the soba noodles to package directions
- The noodles only take a few minutes so start them once the soup is started.
Serve the soup
- To each individual bowl add ½ cup of shredded cabbage, about 1 ounce of noodles and 2 ounces of the sliced chicken. Cover the ingredients with about 1 cup of broth. Make sure the broth is still steaming hot, preferably still simmering. The hot broth will heat up the rest of the ingredients. Garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds.
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