Last Updated on 17 March 2026 by cooksimply
Sometimes there’s nothing better than a hot bowl of steaming Chinese chicken noodle soup. It’s filling, nutritious and full of aromatic flavours, and it’s also really easy to make. So you can have a comforting bowl at home any time you fancy.
And it’s not just for when you’re feeling under the weather (although it’s brilliant for that too). This Chinese chicken noodle soup is perfect for a midweek dinner, and a great way to use up leftover chicken and vegetables. It really is a recipe you can tailor to your tastes, or to whatever you’ve got in the fridge.
What’s in this chicken noodle soup Chinese style
The beauty of this noodle soup is the simplicity of the ingredients. It brings together all my favourite things: pak choi, cooked chicken, noodles and mushrooms. The chicken stock is infused with fragrant garlic and fresh ginger, plus oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. And of course, plenty of noodles.
What noodles are best?
For this recipe, I use medium egg noodles, but you can use any type you like. Fine egg noodles, white rice noodles, ramen noodles or even udon all work well. As long as they can be slurped, they’ll be fine.
How to make this recipe for Chinese chicken noodle soup
Firstly, gather all your ingredients. Then get a big, deep pot. Fill it with chicken stock, then add the ginger and garlic, along with the Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce and both light and dark soy sauces. Let it simmer for at least 10–15 minutes so the umami flavours can infuse into the stock. If you have time, let it simmer for longer. It will only taste better.
Then add the rest of the ingredients: the cooked chicken, spring onions, mushrooms and pak choi, plus the noodles. Let it all cook for another five minutes. Give it a few stirs so everything is immersed in the stock.
Can I make my own stock?
While homemade stock is the best base for any soup broth, it’s not always possible or it can be too time-consuming. So shop-bought chicken stock is absolutely fine for this quick and easy recipe. I’d suggest getting the best quality chicken stock you can, rather than using a stock pot or cube.
If you have your own stock to use, even better. Whenever I roast a chicken, I save the carcass so I can make my own stock. Throw the carcass in with any vegetables, plus carrots, onions and a few herbs (whatever you have), then fill the pot with water and simmer for several hours. The resulting stock is so fragrant and tasty, and wonderful as a base for this noodle soup. Plus you’ll have leftover chicken to throw in too.
What other vegetables can I use?
The choice is endless. You could add baby sweetcorn, Chinese cabbage, mange tout or beansprouts. You could even leave out the chicken and make this a vegetarian or vegan noodle soup: use vegetable stock instead of chicken, throw in some silky tofu, and swap the egg noodles for rice noodles.
How to serve this chicken noodle soup
Ladle it into large bowls with plenty of noodles and plenty of soup. Top with some extra spring onions, and I like to drizzle chilli sauce over the top for a spicy hit.
Other noodle recipes to try
Quick & easy Chinese chicken noodle soup
Ingredients
- 900 ml of chicken stock You can add more if you need to
- 1 cm piece of fresh ginger grated
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tbsps of oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine [or mirin]
- 300 g of cooked chicken sliced
- 200 g of pak choi leaves sliced
- 150 g of mushrooms sliced
- 3 spring onions finely sliced
- 350 g of fine egg noodles
Instructions
- Cook your noodles according to the packet instructions and put them to one side. Or see note below.
- In a large saucepan, add the chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, ginger and garlic - and simmer gently for around 15 minutes to let the ginger and garlic infuse.
- Then add the chicken, noodles, spring onions, pak choi and mushrooms and make sure the ingredients are well combined. Continue to simmer for another 5-8 minutes.
- Serve in bowls, with plenty of soup ladled over the noodles, chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle over some spring onions before serving.
- You can also drizzle over some chilli sauce to give the noodles an extra fiery hit.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you follow this recipe?
If you made this Chinese chicken and noodle soup, please leave me some star ratings and a comment below or tag @cooksimplyathome on Instagram. You can find other Chinese meal ideas here.
Really enjoyed this quick, easy soup. Only thing for me was that I’d use less noodles and a bit more liquid next time. The flavours were delicious though.
Glad you enjoyed them – and definitely adapt the recipe to your tastes and preferences.
Simple, healthy and tasty. I used rice noodles and it was delicious, I’ll be making this again
Really pleased you enjoyed it.