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This spicy chicken noodle soup is bursting with Asian flavors! Made with leftover chicken or turkey—hello Thanksgiving—this one-pot meal is comforting and easy to make—perfect for everyday dinners. Korean gochugaru adds mild heat and a smoky flavor to the broth.
Ramen noodles add a nostalgic vibe from my childhood and college days, but my homemade version is healthier and way more delicious. See my tips on the best Asian spices to add to chicken soup for more depth and warmth in every bowl.
Table of Contents
Why this chicken noodle soup is so addictive
- Uses of shiitake and miso: Shiitake mushrooms and miso add deep, savory layers to the broth, making every sip incredibly flavorful.
- Korean red pepper flakes (Gochugaru): Gochugaru brings a unique smoky, roasted pepper aroma with a gentle heat that’s much milder than Italian pepper flakes.
- Ginger and scallion: Fresh ginger and scallion infuse the broth with a warm, aromatic flavor that takes it to the next level.
- Shredded chicken at the end: Using leftovers keeps this recipe simple! Adding the chicken at the end keeps it perfectly tender and juicy in every bite.
Ingredients
This is truly the best chicken soup if you’re a fan of Asian flavors and some spice. Umami boosters, spices for gentle heat, savory aromatics, and tangy mirin create a tasty, well-rounded broth.
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- Cooked chicken or turkey: Shredded or diced. I prefer dark or a mix of thighs and breasts for moisture and flavor.
- Ginger: Thinly sliced. Ginger adds aroma and depth of flavor to the broth.
- Fresh shitake mushroom caps: This is a must-have for adding depth and umami flavor to the broth.
- Additional mushrooms (optional): I use a combination of Shimeji mushrooms (beech mushrooms) and enoki mushrooms to bring a variety of textures to the soup.
- Scallion: Green onions add flavor and aroma.
- Yu choy: Added at the end of cooking to bulk up the soup with vegetables.
- Substitution: You can also use baby spinach or baby bok choy.
- Avocado oil
- Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes): For subtle heat and smokiness.
- Substitution: Ancho chili powder has a similar mild, sweet, and smokey flavor.
- Chicken stock: I use store-bought stock for ease, Pacific Foods chicken stock is my favorite.
- White miso paste: A classic Asian soup ingredient to add a deep umami flavor to the broth.
- Mirin: Adds a subtle sweetness and tangy Asian flavor to the broth.
- Ramen noodles: Regular or gluten-free as needed. See recipe notes for more Chinese noodles you can use.
- Fried egg: Used as a garnish.
- Garlic chili sauce: Optional garnish for added spice.
How to make Asian spicy chicken noodle soup
Using store-bought broth and leftover chicken keeps this recipe simple. We will build layers of Asian flavor and spice by sautéing the aromatics and chili, simmering the shitake in broth, and rounding out the broth with miso and mirin. Add greens and chicken last before garnishing and serving.
- Prep the Ingredients: Dice or shred chicken meat, slice the ginger, and prepare the mushrooms. Trim the scallions, separating the white and green parts. Lightly pound the white parts to release their aroma. Dice the yu choy, rinse, and drain.
- Start the Soup Base: Heat oil in a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the ginger and white scallion parts until fragrant. Sprinkle in the gochugaru and sauté for about a minute to infuse the oil with spice. Pour in stock, add mushrooms, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Season the Broth: Remove the scallion and ginger. Stir in the miso paste and mirin, tasting and adjusting the seasoning as needed.
- Add the Chicken: Stir in the cooked chicken to warm it through in the broth. We are adding it toward the end so we don’t overcook it and dry it out.
- Cook the Noodles: Depending on the noodle type, either boil them separately or add them directly to the broth, following package instructions. (For starchy noodles like rice noodles, boiling separately is recommended.)
- Blanch the Greens: Add the yu choy (or other greens) to the hot broth and blanch briefly, then turn off the heat.
- Assemble and Serve: Transfer noodles to serving bowls, ladle the broth over, and arrange mushrooms, greens, and chicken on the side. Top each bowl with a fried egg and drizzle with garlic chili sauce to taste.
Tip
Need homemade chicken broth?
For a flavorful homemade broth, try my Chinese chicken soup or this easy Instant Pot bone broth.
Common question
How to spice up chicken soup?
Add bold flavors with a touch of Asian-inspired ingredients! Try umami boosters like miso, soy sauce, or dashi powder. For heat, add gochugaru, Sriracha, or hot sauce. Aromatics like ginger, garlic, and scallions bring warmth, while a splash of mirin, rice vinegar, or citrus balances and brightens the broth.
ChihYu’s helpful notes
- Mushroom Choice: Shiitake is essential for flavoring the broth. Other mushrooms are optional to add texture and variety.
- Rice noodles tend to release a lot more starch and cloud the broth. Boil them in a separate pot, then add to the soup.
- Other noodle types: You can use any type of noodles you want – egg noodles and thin spaghetti noodles are all great choices. Personally I prefer thin wavy ramen noodles.
- Broth Amount: If you’re cooking noodles in the soup, use extra broth. If boiling noodles separately, use less broth.
- Spice Level: For gentle heat, use Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) early in cooking to infuse warmth. Drizzle with hot chili oil or chili garlic sauce for added spice.
More Asian Soup recipes you might like
Just in time for winter, keep your body healthy with these hot and aromatic homemade Asian soups!
- Asian chicken noodle soup is a non-spicy Asian-style soup with shitake, bok choy, loads of aromatics, and leftover chicken.
- Chiang mai chicken curry noodles is a Northern Thai dish featuring tender chicken simmered in a creamy and aromatic coconut milk broth.
- Sichuan dan dan noodle soup is a saucy soup made with shirataki noodles, crispy ground pork crumbles, creamy dan dan sauce, and Sichuan chili oil for some heat.
Recipe Card
Spicy chicken noodle soup recipe
Warm up with a bowl of spicy chicken noodle soup. With a touch of Korean chili flakes , shiitake, and miso – a bowl of pure comfort and flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey diced or shredded, 15 oz, or more if desired
- 0.4 oz ginger thinly sliced, 3-4 pieces
- 5.5 oz fresh shiitake mushroom caps 4 large, sliced
- 6 oz shimeji mushrooms 1 carton
- 2.5 oz snow white mushroom or enoki mushrooms
- 2 whole scallion
- 4 oz yu choy or baby spinach, large handful
- 1 to 1.5 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp gochugaru flakes Korean red pepper flakes
- 3.5 – 4.5 cup chicken stock see notes
- 2 tbsp white miso paste or more to taste
- 1 tbsp mirin optional
- 4.9 oz ramen noodles 2 small packets, see notes
- 2-4 fried eggs
- Drizzle Garlic chili sauce optional
Instructions
- Prep: Either dice or shred the cooked chicken. Thinly slice the ginger. Slice the shiitake and use your hands to separate the enoki and shimeji mushrooms.
- Trim away the roots of the green onions and separate the white and green parts. Lightly pound the white parts to flat to add to the soup and finely chop the green parts for garnish.
- Dice the yu choy to 3-inch sections. Rinse and set aside to drain.
- Make soup base: In a 4 quart soup pot, add the oil and preheat it over medium heat until it feels warm. Add the ginger and white scallion parts. Pan fry them until fragrant, 1 to 1.5 minutes.
- Add the Korean chili pepper flakes and use a wooden spoon to saute for 1 minute. Pour-in the stock and add the mushrooms.
- Cover the pan, turn heat up to medium-high to bring the broth to a gentle boil, about 8-10 minutes, then lower the heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Season: Discard the scallion and remove the ginger slices, if desired. Add-in the miso paste and stir to dissolve it completely. Season the broth with mirin. Taste the broth and adjust with more miso if needed. For reference, I added 2.5 tbsp miso for a 4 quart pot.
- Add chicken: Stir-in the chicken to keep it warm in the broth.
- Noodles: Depending on the type of noodles you use, either boil the noodles in a separate pot, following the packaging instructions, or add the noodles to the soup broth to boil.
- IMPORTANT: If the type of noodles you use releases a lot of starch, I recommend boiling them separately so as not to interfere with the broth.
- Add the yu choy and quickly blanch in the hot broth. Turn off the heat.
- Combine & serve: Transfer the noodles to serving bowls and ladle the broth over. Place the mushrooms, yu choy, and chicken on the side of the bowl and top each bowl with a fried egg. Drizzle with chili garlic sauce, if using. Serve hot and immediately.
Notes
- Types of mushroom: Shiitake is a must – it flavors the broth. Other types of mushrooms are optional as they don’t add much flavor to the soup.
- How much broth to add to the soup – if boiling the noodles in the soup, add more broth. If boiling the noodles separately, use less broth.
- Yu choy substitute: For this recipe, baby bok choy, Chinese broccoli, or spinach are all great choices.
- Gochugaru substitute: Use ancho chile powder. Start from a smaller quantity and taste and adjust.
- The mushroom and the chicken quantities are flexible.
- The seasoning and the broth quantity is based on a 4-quart soup pot. Taste and adjust if your pot is bigger or smaller than mine.
- Other noodle types: You can use any type of noodles you want – egg noodles, rice noodles, thin spaghetti noodles are all great choices. Personally I prefer thin wavy ramen noodles.
- Rice noodles tend to release a lot more starch and cloud the broth. If using them, I recommend boiling them in a separate pot then combining with the soup.
- Storage & Reheat: If possible, pack the noodles and the broth separately for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat them over the stovetop with a bit more chicken stock then season to taste.
- The soup pot I use is a Japanese style claypot, called Donnabe. A lot of people ask about it so I’m adding the info here. You can find it at Japanese grocery stores or Amazon.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 434kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 134mg, Sodium: 1259mg, Potassium: 835mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 2019IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 83mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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