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    Home » Recipes » Soups

    Chicken Sotanghon Soup

    Published: Jan 20, 2023 by Neriz · This post contains some affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Excellent for colder days, Chicken Sotanghon Soup is a popular Filipino dish that you can easily make at home.  Bits of chicken with bean thread noodles — it’s an Asian twist to your usual chicken soup!

    A serving of sotanghon soup with chicken, with green onions and fried garlic on the side.

    We don’t have winter in the Philippines, but what we have is rainy season — and I’m talking, nonstop rain for days, and it’s not just drizzling either.

    Growing up, when classes were canceled and we were stuck at home, I always looked forward to chicken sotanghon soup. 🙂

    A delicious, warm bowl of soup that’s a bit salty, a bit sweet, and a bit bitter (with crunch) — depending on how you serve it.

    So, how do you serve sotanghon soup with chicken?

    You can add two kinds of garnish (or combine them like I usually do):

    • Chopped green onions
    • Crispy, fried garlic

    Try both, and let me know which one you like best!

    IF YOU WANT MORE CLASSIC FILIPINO RECIPES, YOU WILL LIKE THESE POSTS!

    • Filipino Picadillo
    • Pancit Bihon Recipe (Pancit Guisado)

    Ingredients

    All the ingredients you need to make sotanghon soup with chicken at home.
    • Chicken – I typically use chicken breast for preparing sotanghon soup — just the meat, though, get rid of the skin and bones.
    • Achiote (achuete) – same as annatto seeds.
    • Oil – canola, sunflower, or any other kind of vegetable oil would be great.
    • Garlic – minced or thinly chopped.
    • Carrot – peeled, rinsed, and julienned.
    • Onion, celery & cabbage – thinly chopped.
    • Sotanghon noodles – commonly known as bean thread noodles.
    • Fish sauce, bay leaf, ground black pepper & bouillon – for seasoning the chicken and sotanghon soup.
    A pot of chicken sotanghon soup ready for serving.

    Preparation

    Start making sotanghon soup by cooking the chicken.

    Combine the chicken breast, four to six cups of water, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan.

    Cooking the chicken for adding to the sotanghon soup later.

    Cover with a lid, boil, then simmer for about twenty-five minutes or until the meat is cooked.

    Remove the chicken from the pan and set the chicken stock for later.

    Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the bones and tear them into smaller bits.

    Combine the achiote seeds with three-quarters cup of warm water, then set aside.

    Cooked chicken and annatto with water prepared for making sotanghon soup.

    Place a medium to a large pan over medium-high heat, then pour oil.

    Once the oil is ready, add garlic and onion.

    Onion and garlic for sauteing the base for chicken sotanghon soup.

    Cook until the onion is soft.

    Add celery and bouillon cube, and sauté for a couple of minutes.

    Add carrots and cooked chicken.

    Chicken bits and carrots added to the rest of the vegetables for sotanghon soup.

    Mix to combine everything.

    Pour about five cups of the stock from cooking the chicken earlier.

    Strain the achiote seeds and add the reddish liquid as well.

    Stock and annatto water added to make sotanghon soup with chicken.

    Cover, boil, then simmer for ten minutes — taste and adjust the seasoning by adding fish sauce and pepper.

    Add the chopped cabbage and sotanghon noodles.

    Dried sotanghon noodles added to the chicken soup.

    Stir gently to submerge the cabbage and sotanghon in the soup fully.

    Cover for a couple of minutes or until the noodles are cooked.

    Transfer your chicken sotanghon soup into bowls and serve!

    An overhead shot of two bowls of sotanghon soup with chicken with chopped green onions on the side.

    Helpful tips

    • You can use the same pan for cooking the chicken and the soup.   Just remove the liquid once the chicken is done and pour the oil to start with the soup.
    • Use your fingers to rub the achiote seeds together and get as much color from them into the water.
    • Feel free to add more liquid to the soup if you want; remember to taste it and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
    • Do not hesitate to add another bouillon cube if you think it’s needed to balance the taste of your chicken sotanghon soup.
    A closer shot of a bowl of chicken sotanghon soup highlighting the texture of the noodles.

    Recipe variation

    • Chicken legs.  If you prefer to use chicken legs instead, that’s completely fine since the locals commonly do so.
    • Peppercorns.  To add more depth to the stock, you can add peppercorns when cooking the chicken.
    • Salt.  You can add salt to the stock or use it instead of fish sauce for seasoning the soup.

    Looks absolutely tempting, right?  So, give this chicken sotanghon soup recipe a try this week!

    OR GET IDEAS FROM THIS LIST OF SOUP RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD!

    IF YOU WANT TO SEE MORE INTERNATIONAL DISHES, YOU WILL LIKE THESE RECIPES BY COUNTRY!

    • Italian Recipes by Region
    • Authentic Swedish Recipes
    Feature image for chicken sotanghon soup showing a serving garnished with fried garlic.

    Chicken Sotanghon Soup Recipe

    Excellent for colder days, Chicken Sotanghon Soup is a popular Filipino dish that you can easily make at home.  Bits of chicken with bean thread noodles — it’s an Asian twist to your usual comfort soup!
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    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Filipino
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 55 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 304kcal
    Author: Neriz

    Equipment

    • Chopping Board
    • Kitchen Knife
    • Pyrex Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Medium-Sized Saucepan
    • Strainer for Sifting

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound chicken breast (about 500 grams)
    • 2 to 3 tablespoons oil
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
    • 1 medium onion, thinly chopped
    • 1 stalk celery, thinly chopped
    • 1 medium carrot, julienned
    • 1/2 to 3/4 cup cabbage, chopped
    • 3 1/2 ounces sotanghon noodles (100 grams)
    • 3 teaspoons achiote (achuete/annatto)
    • 1 piece bay leaf, dried
    • 1 cube chicken bouillon
    • fish sauce & ground black pepper, to season

    Instructions

    Cooking the chicken:

    • Combine the chicken breast, bay leaf, and 4 to 6 cups of water using a medium to large pan.
    • Cover, boil, then simmer for about 25 minutes or until the meat is cooked.
    • Remove the chicken from the pan and set the chicken stock for later.
    • Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the bones and tear them into smaller bits.

    Making sotanghon soup:

    • Combine the achiote seeds with 3/4 cup warm water, then set aside.
    • Place a medium to a large pan over medium-high heat, then pour oil.
    • Once the oil is ready, add garlic and onion and cook until it softens.
    • Add celery and bouillon cube, and sauté for a couple of minutes.
    • Add carrots and cooked chicken, then stir to combine.
    • Pour about 5 cups of the stock from cooking the chicken earlier.
    • Strain the achiote seeds and add the reddish liquid as well.
    • Cover, boil, then simmer for 10 minutes — taste and adjust the seasoning by adding fish sauce and pepper.
    • Add the chopped cabbage and sotanghon noodles.
    • Stir gently to submerge the cabbage and sotanghon in the soup fully.
    • Cover for a couple of minutes or until the noodles are cooked.
    • Transfer your chicken sotanghon soup into bowls and serve!

    Notes

    • Cook’s Tip #1:  Use your fingers to rub the achiote seeds together and to get as much color from them into the water.
    • Cook’s Tip #2:  Add more liquid to the soup if you want; remember to taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 564mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2638IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @foodandjourneys or tag #foodandjourneys!

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