Chicken Udon Noodle Soup
This isn't your ordinary Mom's or Campbell's over-salted Chicken Noodle Soup. Udon noodles, lemongrass, and mushrooms take the soup to the next level.
Yield
4 servingsPrep
12 minCook
15 minReady
30 minIngredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 ½ | tablespoons |
canola oil
|
|
| ¾ | pound |
chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
2 small, butterflied (cut horizontally almost all the way through and then opened like a book) |
|
|
kosher salt
to taste |
*
|
||
|
black pepper
freshly ground to taste |
*
|
||
| 4 | ounces |
shallots
3 medium size, peeled and thinly sliced into rings |
|
| 2 | stalks |
lemongrass
trimmed, outer layers discarded, halved lengthwise, and smashed with the side of a chef’s knife |
*
|
| 1 | tablespoon |
ginger
freshly minced |
|
| 2 | teaspoons |
brown sugar, light
packed |
|
| 5 ½ | cups |
chicken broth, low salt
|
|
| 3 ½ | ounces |
mushrooms, shiitake
stemmed and quartered (1-1/2 cups) |
|
| 9 | ounces |
udon noodles
fresh |
* |
| 1 | small |
serrano chiles
or Thai bird chile, sliced into thin rings |
*
|
| 8 | large |
basil
leaves, fresh and torn, plus sprigs for garnish |
*
|
| 1 | medium |
limes
half juice and half cut into wedges |
*
|
| 1 ¼ | tablespoons |
soy sauce, tamari
or to taste |
|
| ½ | cup |
cilantro
freshly chopped, for garnish |
|
| 2 | medium |
scallions, spring or green onions
trimmed and sliced, for garnish |
|
| 1 | medium |
carrots
cut into matchsticks, for garnish |
|
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | ml |
canola oil
|
|
| 340.2 | g |
chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
2 small, butterflied (cut horizontally almost all the way through and then opened like a book) |
|
| 1 | x |
kosher salt
to taste |
*
|
| 1 | x |
black pepper
freshly ground to taste |
*
|
| 115.6 | ml/g |
shallots
3 medium size, peeled and thinly sliced into rings |
|
| 2 | stalks |
lemongrass
trimmed, outer layers discarded, halved lengthwise, and smashed with the side of a chef’s knife |
*
|
| 15 | ml |
ginger
freshly minced |
|
| 1E+1 | ml |
brown sugar, light
packed |
|
| 1.3 | l |
chicken broth, low salt
|
|
| 101.2 | ml/g |
mushrooms, shiitake
stemmed and quartered (1-1/2 cups) |
|
| 260.1 | ml/g |
udon noodles
fresh |
* |
| 1 | small |
serrano chiles
or Thai bird chile, sliced into thin rings |
*
|
| 8 | large |
basil
leaves, fresh and torn, plus sprigs for garnish |
*
|
| 1 | medium |
limes
half juice and half cut into wedges |
*
|
| 19 | ml |
soy sauce, tamari
or to taste |
|
| 118 | ml |
cilantro
freshly chopped, for garnish |
|
| 2 | medium |
scallions, spring or green onions
trimmed and sliced, for garnish |
|
| 1 | medium |
carrots
cut into matchsticks, for garnish |
|
Directions
Heat 1 and ½ tablespoons of the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering hot.
Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook without disturbing until it’s browned and releases easily from the bottom of the pot, about 2 minutes.
Flip and cook until the second side is browned and almost firm to the touch (just short of cooked through), about 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the shallots to the pot. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the shallots start soften, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the lemongrass, ginger, and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the ginger and lemongrass sizzle and become fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and raise the heat to medium high. Bring the broth to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the noodles, stirring, until just tender, about 3 minutes.
Transfer to a colander and run under cold water to cool slightly. Drain well. Use your fingers or the tines of a fork to shred the chicken.
Add the chicken and noodles to the broth and cook until the noodles are completely tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Discard the lemongrass.
Stir in the chiles, torn basil, lime juice, and soy sauce; season with more soy to taste. Divide the noodles among 4 large, deep bowls.
Ladle the soup over the noodles, and garnish with the basil sprigs and scallions, carrot, and cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges for squeezing.
