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Warm yourself up with a bowl of lemongrass turmeric chicken noodle soup. This delicious noodle soup is incredibly flavorful and swimming with tender chicken and sweet cabbage. Top the bowl with perfectly poached eggs for a cozy meal!
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What makes this dish special
I'm one of those people who will gladly have soups year-round. It can be 95 degrees outside, but if I'm in the mood for some noodles and soup, I will have it. How can you resist a bowl of delicious mala cream jjampong or green pork chile stew with all the toppings? I know I never can.
So, even though the temperatures are starting to climb, I'm digging into this lemongrass turmeric chicken noodle soup. With ingredients like lemongrass, lime leaves, and fried shallots, this chicken broth is aromatic and flavorful. Top the soup with a poached egg and fresh herbs, and have one comforting dish!
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs: I chose chicken thighs for the soup to ensure that the chicken will be juicy after cooking. Bone-in chicken adds more flavor to the broth, but you can use boneless chicken. Adjust the cooking time since boneless chicken will be ready sooner.
- Fried shallots: Fried shallots help form the base flavor of the soup, adding a sweet, aromatic flavor. If you can't find fried shallots, you can make them yourself or use fresh shallots instead.
- Lemongrass: Adds a citrusy, refreshing flavor while adding depth and aroma to the broth.
- Lime leaves: Contribute a unique citrus flavor to the soup, different from lemon or lime juice. You can find them in most Asian markets; however, you can also omit them.
- Chili de arbol: The dried chilies add a subtle heat to the soup.
- Coconut milk: Adds richness and creaminess to the soup and gives the soup a luxurious texture.
Substitutions and variations
- Noodles: You can swap out the flour noodles for egg noodles, rice noodles, or even udon noodles. You can even serve the soup with rice instead of noodles for a different pace.
- Vegetables: Feel free to substitute napa cabbage with other vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, or the classic option of carrots and celery.
Recipe
Lemongrass Turmeric Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ cup fried shallots
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch knob ginger, minced
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 pound chicken thighs, skinless, bone-in (about 4 thighs)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 3 lime leaves
- 3 chili de arbol
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 4 cups napa cabbage, chopped
Remaining ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 pound flour noodles
- 4 large poached eggs
- ¼ cup scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Make the chicken broth. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the fried shallots, garlic, ginger, cumin, and turmeric, and saute for 1 minute or until aromatic.
- Add the chicken thighs, chicken broth, lime leaves, chili de arbol, lemongrass, and black pepper to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Discard the lime leaves, lemongrass, and chili de arbol. Remove the chicken and shred the meat.
- Meanwhile, make the garlic chips. Heat ¼ cup in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until lightly golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool completely. The garlic will continue to cook in the hot oil. Once browned, remove garlic with a slotted spoon and drain excess oil on paper towels. Set aside.
- Add shredded chicken back to the soup and season with fish sauce, coconut milk, and salt. Add the shredded cabbage to the soup and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.
- Cook the noodles and portion them into 4 bowls. Ladle the soup on top along with the poached eggs, fresh scallions, and cilantro. Garnish the bowls with the fried garlic chips, drizzling the garlic oil on top. Serve with lime wedges on the side if desired.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Prepare broth
As much as I love classic chicken noodle soup, sometimes I want something different. I just so happened to have extra lemongrass and lime leaves on hand, so I decided to go an Asian route with this lemongrass turmeric chicken noodle soup.
To make the broth, start by sauteing the aromatics, including the fried shallots, garlic, ginger, cumin, and turmeric. Some ingredients might be foreign to you, but you should be able to find everything in an Asian market.
If you can't find fried shallots, use fresh, thinly sliced shallots instead.
Add the chicken thighs on the bone into the pot along with chicken broth, lime leaves, lemongrass, black pepper, and chili de Arbol. If you can't find lime leaves, simply omit them. You can also throw a bay leaf into the pot instead.
I like to remove the skin from the chicken to keep the broth clear and less fatty, but that's a personal preference. You can keep the skin on if you prefer.
Cover the pot and continue to simmer until the chicken is tender.
Step 2: Prepare toppings
While the broth is simmering, prepare the remaining ingredients, including the garlic chips. Heat oil over medium heat and add thinly sliced garlic. Keep an eye on the flames as the garlic cooks, stirring frequently to avoid them from burning.
If some of the garlic is sliced thinner, it will brown quickly. Simply remove them when they're ready and continue frying the remaining garlic until golden brown.
Drain the excess oil on paper towels and let the garlic cool completely. As they cool, they will crisp up. And don't throw away that oil! We're going to drizzle that delicious garlic-infused oil back into the noodle soup.
Step 3: Assemble
Once the chicken is tender, remove it from the pot and shred the meat, discarding the bones. Season the lemongrass turmeric chicken noodle soup with fish sauce, a touch of coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Finish the soup by adding chopped napa cabbage or use any other greens such as bok choy, spinach, or kale.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles, poach some eggs, and you're ready to assemble the bowls.
Portion the noodles into bowls and ladle the soup on top. Top the bowls with the shredded chicken, poached eggs, fried garlic chips, fresh scallions, and cilantro. Serve the lemongrass turmeric chicken noodle soup with lime wedges on the side for a bit of acidity and dig in!
This may be the fanciest lemongrass turmeric chicken noodle soup I've ever made, but by golly, is it delicious! It actually reminded me a bit of laksa with the hint of coconut milk in the broth. This will definitely be added to my regular menu rotation, it's so delicious!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: You can make the broth ahead of time and reheat it when ready to serve, adding the noodles and garnishes fresh.
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Frequently asked questions
If you can't find lime leaves, you can use lime zest or simply omit them.
Yes, you can use vegetable broth and replace the chicken with tofu or additional vegetables.
Yes, but it's best to freeze the broth without the noodles and garnishes. Add fresh noodles and toppings when reheating.
More chicken soup recipes
Looking for more chicken soup ideas? Try these:
Alice says
Hi, you refer to chicken brother but nowhere do you state how much broth or liquid to use so in a little lost. I love all your other recipes and use loads. This one looks great and I don’t want to mess it up, can you help please?
Cherry on My Sundae says
I'm so sorry about that! I edited the recipe to state how much chicken broth to use (8 cups). Let me know if you have any other questions!