Chicken Sotanghon Soup

Chicken Sotanghon Soup is the ultimate cold-weather comfort food! Loaded with flavorful chicken, cellophane noodles, and veggies, this Filipino soup is a hearty and tasty way to warm up!

It's getting chilly here in my neck of the woods, and hearty soups have been my steady companions lately. I have a long list of soups I love to cozy up to during colder months, but no offense to chicken sopas or arroz caldo; chicken sotanghon is my all-time favorite.

Ingredient notes

In my book, nothing warms the body and nourishes the soul like a piping hot bowl of moist chicken, cellophane noodles, tender-crisp veggies, and flavorful broth.

Chicken to use

This Filipino-style noodle soup is typically made with chicken parts simmered in aromatics and then shredded into strips. However, I prefer to use bone-in chicken wings cut up into manageable pieces in mine. Not only do they keep moist and not stringy like the dry flaked meat, but the bone-rich chicken wings also bring an extra depth of flavor to the broth.

Although I encourage you to use bone-in chicken parts for maximum flavor, shredded leftover rotisserie chicken or lechon manok is also a quick and budget-friendly option when you want dinner in a hurry.

While chicken is the traditional choice, diced pork, meatballs, shrimp, or fried tofu are great for variety.

What is Sotanghon

Sotanghon, also known as cellophane, glass, or mung bean thread noodles, is a type of clear noodles made from potato, mung bean, sweet potato, or tapioca starch and water. They're usually packaged in dried form and then reconstituted to use in stir-fries and soups.

Noodles are a staple in my house. I love how they can easily be combined into a quick, delicious, and budget-friendly meal. Here are a few more of my favorite recipes.

• Sotanghon at Bola Bola Soup- delicious meatballs make this soup a substantial meal-in-itself dish.
• Sotanghon at Upo-delicious paired with steamed rice and crispy-fried fish!
• Ginisang Munggo at Sotanghon-added cellophane noodles deliciously extend this already economical dish.

Vegetables and toppings

Aromatics such as onions and garlic are sauteed first for a flavor boost. Good-for-you vegetables are added for extra color, texture, and nutrition. The recipe calls for Chinese celery, carrots, and napa cabbage, but feel free to add shitake or wood ear mushrooms, pechay, and Baguio beans.

Delectable toppings, including green onions, crisp fried garlic bits, and hard-boiled eggs, complete this hearty and delicious soup.

Seasonings and flavorings

Atsuete powder gives the broth an appetizing color, fish sauce adds umami, salt enhances flavor, and pepper adds zing.

Serving suggestions

• Chicken sotanghon makes a delicious and filling midday snack or light meal. Serve with steamed rice, pandesal, or puto.
• Ladle the soup in serving bowls and top with toasted garlic, chopped green onions, and hard-boiled egg.

How to store

• Allow leftovers to cool completely and store in a container with a tight-fitting lid without the toppings. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• As with pancit lomi or chicken mami, this soup does not freeze well, as the sotanghon tends to change texture when frozen and thawed.
• To reheat, transfer to a sauce pot and heat until completely warmed through. Add more broth or water as needed to loosen the consistency and adjust seasonings to taste.

More noodle recipes

Pancit Lomi

Miki Bihon

Singapore Noodles

Pancit Bihon Guisado

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @kawalingpinoy on Facebook and Instagram!

4.67 from 27 votes

Chicken Sotanghon Soup

Chicken Sotanghon Soup with cellophane noodles and tender-crisp veggies is a hearty and tasty soup perfect for cold weather. Delicious for midday snack or light meal!

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Author: Lalaine Manalo

Course: Soup

Print Pin It Email Recipe

6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 thumb-size ginger, peeled and julienned
• 2 pounds chicken wings, tips removed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup Chinese celery (kinchay), chopped
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 7 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons annatto powder
• 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 ounces (about 2 coils) sotanghon
• ½ head napa cabbage, shredded
• 3 hardboiled eggs, peeled and halved
• fried garlic bits
• green onions, chopped

For the Fried Garlic Bits

• ½ cup oil
• 1 head garlic, peeled and minced

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

• In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and cook until softened.
• Add chicken and cook, stirring regularly, until lightly browned and juices run clear.
• Add celery and cook, stirring regularly, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until softened.
• Add fish sauce and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, skimming any scum that floats on top. Lower heat, cover, and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through.
• In a bowl, combine about ½ cup of the hot broth and atsuete powder. Stir until atsuete is dissolved. Add atsuete water to pot.
• Add carrots and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until half-done. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add sotanghon noodles and push down into broth to soften, stirring gently to separate.
• When noodles have slightly softened, add cabbage and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until noodles are cooked and vegetables are tender yet crisp.
• Ladle soup into bowls and top with boiled eggs, fried garlic bits and green onions. Serve hot.

For the Fried Garlic Bits

• In a small pan over low heat, heat oil. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
• With a slotted spoon, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Garlic will crisp as it cools.

Video

Nutrition Information

Calories: 531kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Monounsaturated Fat: 20g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 162mg, Sodium: 1617mg, Potassium: 573mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 3968IU, Vitamin C: 26mg, Calcium: 128mg, Iron: 2mg

“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”