Description
A comforting and flavorful Miso Soup made with tender chicken thighs, shiitake mushrooms, fresh vegetables, and delicate rice noodles, all enriched with savory white miso paste for an authentic Japanese taste.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein and Base
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 8 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 6 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced into ¼” strips
- 2 medium carrots, sliced (approx. 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 heads baby bok choy, cut into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups)
Seasonings and Condiments
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Japanese rice wine or pale dry sherry
- ½ – 1 tablespoon red chili paste (like sambal oelek)
- ¼ cup white miso paste
Noodles
- 3 oz thin rice noodles (vermicelli/rice sticks)
Instructions
- Brown the Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and brown them on both sides for about 2 minutes, making sure not to cook through. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté Vegetables and Aromatics: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the empty pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and sliced carrots and sauté for 3 minutes. Then add the sliced shiitake mushrooms, grated ginger, and minced garlic; sauté everything for 1 minute to release the flavors.
- Simmer the Soup Base: Return the browned chicken to the pot. Pour in the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine or dry sherry, and red chili paste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken is tender enough to shred. Remove the chicken and shred it when cool enough to handle. If you prefer more tender mushrooms, continue simmering the soup after removing the chicken.
- Dissolve Miso Paste: In a medium bowl, place the ¼ cup of white miso paste. Add a ladleful of the hot broth from the pot and whisk until the miso is completely dissolved and smooth. Set this mixture aside.
- Add Noodles and Vegetables: Add the rice noodles and chopped red bell pepper to the pot. Let it simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add the bok choy, shredded chicken, and the dissolved miso mixture. Cover the pot just until the noodles are al dente and the bok choy is wilted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Final Note on Miso Paste: Do not simmer or boil the soup after adding the miso paste, as boiling miso can make it gritty and affect the texture and flavor.
Notes
- You may substitute shiitake mushrooms with cremini mushrooms; add cremini mushrooms with the bell peppers, as they cook faster and are less meaty.
- The rice noodles are very long and can be cut up before adding to the soup, but using kitchen shears to cut them after cooking is an easier alternative. Alternatively, you can use your favorite Japanese noodles, cooked separately according to package directions, then added to the soup.
- White miso paste is often found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores or Asian markets; it is also readily available online.
- If baby bok choy is unavailable, spinach or kale can be used as suitable substitutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
