Spicy Udon Noodle Soup with Chicken & Mushrooms

In Australia, Chinese food culture has imparted flavour, dimension and excitement to the way we eat.

Melissa Leong

So, I went out for a run this morning with one of my more enthusiastic running friends and we accidentally ran a half marathon, I say accidentally because we’d actually decided to do a ten miles however, at one point we took a wrong turn and by the time we’d realised, we’d run an extra mile, then there was another mile to get to where we were supposed to be so, ten becomes twelve and my friend says, we might as well do the extra and do a half – the fact I was almost dead at that point didn’t seem to bother her!

It rained on us as well so, standing in my kitchen shivering with a real chill I thought, ideal time to cook one of my fav hot, spicy soups. It’s one I’ve been making for a while ever since I saw the recipe on a food blog and it’s a real fav.

If I do say so myself, this Spicy Udon Noodle Soup with Chicken & Mushrooms is delicious. It’s got all sorts of magical elements that when simmered and put together, make for a tasty, comforting, and satisfying meal with a lovely spice kick!

It’s great if you’re fighting off a cold or just need to warm up your insides on a cold or rainy day, (after your bestie has punished you with an additional three miles in the rain!). Best of all, it’s very simple and straightforward to make thanks to using store-bought broth to start with and just jazzing it up a little with a few fresh aromatics, sauces and seasonings. No need for hours of simmering to give you the best flavours.

Why I love it;

It’s easy and fairly quick to make. You can have it on the table in about 45 minutes (inclusive of prep time) on any given weeknight.
It’s flexible. Use any type of Asian mushrooms, or in a pinch, brown button, cremini, or champignon mushrooms would taste fantastic too!
It’s a real winter warmer. It’s guaranteed to warm up your bones on a chilly day, and is super comforting, filling, and satisfying.
It includes noodles and my fav, wontons!! I think you’ll enjoy a bowl of this spicy udon noodle soup even more if you crown it with some delicious, juicy wontons!

Ingredient Notes;

Chicken: I like to use boneless and skinless chicken thighs and marinate the pieces with low sodium light soy sauce, fish sauce, corn starch (to help give the chicken a crispy crust when seared), white pepper, and sesame oil.

Garlic, Ginger and Chilies: We’ll need to smash garlic, ginger, and fresh chilies in a pestle and mortar for our fragrant aromatics paste. I’ve used fresh Thai Bird’s Eye chilies and fiery hot Prik Kee Nu green chilies to really spice up the broth. Feel free to use any other type of small hot chilies you can get in your neck of the woods. Also, adjust the quantity to taste based on your heat level preference, as a guide, I like it hot.

Asian Red Shallots: I’m lucky living in London, I have access to several really good Asian supermarkets, if you’re not so lucky either, try online – I find Amazon really good for niche ingredients or simply substitute with 1/3 of a thinly sliced medium red onion or use 2-3 French eschalots if you can get hold of them.

Assorted Asian Mushrooms: I used an assortment of fresh shitake and shimeji/enoki, mushrooms. But you’re welcome to use any type of Asian mushrooms you love, either one type or a combination of several varieties. You can also use a combination of dried mushrooms and fresh mushrooms. Rejuvenate the dried mushrooms by soaking in a bowl of hot water first before slicing the cap.

Canola Oil: Or any other neutral flavoured cooking oil.

Star Anise: These star shaped pods are a Chinese spice that have a sweet peppery flavour with a liquorice aroma. In my experience most supermarkets stock them now

Dried Shrimp: To add some background salty and savoury umami notes. They’ll become tender enough to eat once simmered. While you can leave them out, you’ll notice the difference if you do. Find them in dried seafood shops or in packages at Asian supermarkets or online.

Pork Bone Broth: Or use chicken broth. If using low sodium chicken broth, you may need to add more salt to taste.

Seasoning Spices: We’ll be using both ground white and black pepper to enrich the broth with wonderful peppery notes, ground cinnamon for some warming tones, and a pinch of salt.

Seasoning Sauces: Low sodium light soy sauce and fish sauce for savoury umami notes, and rice wine for a fragrant floral aroma. Look for Shao Xing rice wine in an Asian supermarket or online, or substitute with dry sherry in a pinch.

Udon noodles: I used the vacuum sealed packages of udon noodles, which are readily available in Asian supermarkets and some large supermarkets. But you can use dried or frozen udon noodles too.

Asian Greens: Some blanched Bok choy and spring onion for garnish. You can use other Asian greens like choy sum, Chinese broccoli (‘gai lan’), etc. if you can get hold of them.

Wontons: Wontons in noodle soups always taste amazing! I use store-bought pork and shrimp wontons. You’re welcome to use any type of homemade or store-bought wontons you like.

The How!

Cook the chicken. In a bit of oil in a medium-sized skillet. Sear the marinated chicken pieces until they’re nicely browned and cooked through. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside while you make the broth.

Sauté the aromatics. In a large wok, heat oil and sauté the shallots for a minute. Then add the smashed garlic, ginger and chilies paste, star anise, and dried shrimp. Sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.

Add the mushrooms. Stir to combine until slightly tender.

Build the broth. Stir in the pork bone broth and water and add all of the sauces and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes.

You can add the cooked chicken to the soup during the last few minutes of simmering until it’s heated through, or wait until you assemble the noodle bowls and top them with the cooked chicken. Either way works as the broth will be hot enough to heat the chicken through in the bowls, however, the latter method will help to preserve the crispy texture of the chicken!

Give the broth a taste and adjust seasonings if needed, then switch off the heat. Fish out and discard the star anise.

Assembling the Soup

Cook noodles, Asian greens, and wontons. Cook the udon noodles according to package instructions in a separate pot of boiling water. During the last 30 seconds, blanch the Asian greens in the same pot. Drain and divide the noodles and greens evenly into bowls. Add water to pot again and bring to a boil. Add the wontons and cook according to package instructions. Transfer the wontons using a slotted spoon to the noodle bowls.

Serve! Ladle the spicy chicken and mushroom soup evenly over the noodle bowls and garnish with chopped spring onion. Serve immediately, with some Chinese chili oil for drizzling if desired. Enjoy!

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