Try this creamy chicken sopas recipe to make chicken macaroni soup, Filipino-style! Packed with vegetables, chicken and macaroni, it fills you up and keeps you warm on a cold winter day.
(Looking for another comfort food to keep the winter blues away? Try this Champorado Recipe or Filipino Chocolate Rice Porridge. It’s a great excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast too!)
It’s sunny at the moment; it actually looks like a nice warm day. But it’s not. It’s currently -19C/-2F and my trusty weather app says to expect heavy snow for another 109 minutes (how are they predicting that?!).
Winter is in full swing and I’ve accepted that (finally). My winter boots are always at the ready and my space heater and I have developed a very co-dependent relationship – it goes where I go lol.
So today I have a very special soup recipe for you. It’s not just any soup (or sopas, the Tagalog word for soup). It’s chicken sopas, chicken macaroni soup Filipino style.
It’s hot and humid in the Philippines (ahhh humidex) but we love our sopas. Creamy, filling and made with simple ingredients, it’s comfort food at its best.
Filipino sopas variations
When Red and I are recreating dishes from home, we always argue about ingredients and the right way to cook it. Different families have different versions and that’s true for our families too.
For example, I remember my mom’s chicken sopas having corn kernels in it. Red thinks it’s weird. They put hotdogs instead. Which I think is just bizarre (though admittedly, Filipinos love putting hotdogs in things, like in our beloved Filipino spaghetti!).
(Looking for another unique take on chicken soup? Try this instant pot Mexican street corn chicken soup!)
Ingredients
So this is our very own version – not exactly the same as the ones our moms make but just as delicious. You can add your favourite ingredients too and make it your own.
The ingredients for our chicken sopas recipe are simple and you probably already have them in your pantry, like:
- Boneless chicken breast
- Onions and garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Dried oregano
- Chicken broth
- Carrots, bell pepper, celery and cabbage
You may need to buy evaporated milk
and elbow macaroni
but you can find them in just about any grocery store or supermarket.
Cooking tools
You don’t need any special tools to make this sopas recipe either. Just your favourite knife
and chopping board
to prep the veggies and your favourite (large) pot to cook the chicken macaroni soup in.
Of course, plus points if you have a food processor
or a mandolin
as they make food prep quicker and that much more convenient.
Tips for cooking Filipino chicken macaroni soup
One thing you might notice while cooking sopas is how the macaroni somehow always manages to suck up almost all the liquid.
No matter how much broth you put in, in a matter of hours, your sopas would end up looking like mushy macaroni salad with massive pieces of macaroni.
I frankly I have no nice, scientific explanation but fear not – once you heat it up the macaroni releases some of that liquid and you get nice, lovely soup again.
Chicken sopas is perfect for winter or any season
So if it’s winter where you are, why not shake things up and try chicken sopas? It’s great for lunch or dinner, for when you’re nursing a cold, or simply when you’re craving something warm to drive those winter blues away.
Not winter? Hope you try it anyway. It’s delicious!
More delicious Filipino recipes
If you’re looking for more delicious Filipino recipes to try, you can start with this easy and refreshing young coconut (buko) salad with apples.
Pancit canton is a hit at every party so this delicious recipe is definitely a keeper.
Just looking for something quick, simple and easy? Cannot get any simpler than Filipino hot chocolate.
Also try this easy chicken tocino recipe from The Cooking Frog. It’s delicious and so simple to make!
Chicken Sopas Recipe (Chicken Macaroni Soup Filipino Style)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.4 lbs boneless chicken breast
- 1 pc sweet onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 2 pcs carrots diced
- 1 pc bell pepper seeded and diced
- ½ pc cabbage shredded
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- boiled egg to serve
- sliced green onions to serve
Instructions
- Using a large pot on medium high heat, add chicken breast in about 4 cups of boiling water. Season with salt. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from heat and allow to cool before shredding (we use 2 forks) and set aside. Keep the chicken stock for use later.
- In another large pot on medium high heat, sauté 1 onion and 6 cloves of garlic in oil until soft (about 2 minutes). Add your shredded chicken, stir, and cook for another 3 minutes or so (you want the chicken to brown a little).
- Add 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp dried oregano and ½ tsp black pepper. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Pour 6 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil (about 10 minutes).
- Then add the rest of the ingredients (except the cabbage and the milk). Stir to combine and bring to a boil again until the macaroni is close to al dente (about 8 minutes).
- Stir in the cabbage and the milk. Bring down to a simmer until cabbage is cooked (10-12 minutes). Serve immediately. Top with boiled egg and green onions (optional).
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Happy cooking!
Did you make this chicken sopas recipe? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Annie
This recipe is a hit!
Jolina
Hi Annie, glad you like it! We made some sopas too this week, perfect for the cold weather 🙂
Lionel
I don’t often leave comments on websites but I had to let you know I made this soup for my ma whose a filipina and she LOVED it (and she did mention hotdogs which I didnt put ha ha) She hasn’t been back to the RP in 20 years and this brought her back. THANK YOU for a delicious recipe and for making my ma happy. Keep sharing the phillipine recipes.
Jolina
You made my day Lionel! I’m so happy your ma loved it. I totally get the effect of food bringing us back home, it has the same effect on me. And yes to Filipino cuisine! It’s amazing and I really hope more and more people appreciate it. PS: Hotdogs is a point of contention in our house all the time LOL!!
Dada
Yes it’s bizarre but we put hotdogs in our sopas too. It’s our lola’s way of adding meat and flavor to the soup. I haven’t made sopas in a very long time since we migrated. Seeing this reminds me of the Philippines and I will make your recipe very soon.
Jolina
LOL Red will be very pleased to know this 🙂 Food has a way of transporting us home. Hope you enjoy our version of sopas.
Chastity
I LOVE Soup and this looks amazing!
Alexandra Nicole
I love that the chicken is shredded in this recipe!!! Looks yummy.
Sarah
I have to admit, I have never heard of hot dogs in soup. It sounds a little strange to me. I also had corn in mine as a child.
Cathleen
OMG!! This looks almost exactly like the soups my mom made me as a kid. I would LOVE to try this!
Candice
Oh man this looks good <3 And I bet I can make it veggie friendly for the boyfriend who loves noodle soup minus the chicken haha 😀
Cynthia
I love a good soup! Haven’t had any in a while because you won’t believe how hot is Cape Town during summer! It looks delicious and it reminds me of the soups my mom and my grandma used to make when we were kids, definitely a comforting meal for winter or when you have a cold!
April
This looks so warm and hearty! Can’t wait to try this for myself.
Heather McMechan
I love creamy soups. This Filipino chicken noodle soup is perfect for the cold I’ve been fighting.
Maria
I love how hearty this soup looks. It is definitely the perfect comfort food for these cold New York City nights that we have been experiencing lately.
Chinedu
This chicken sopas looks delicious. It’s winter in England so I will happily make this so thank you for sharing. Yummy!
Deb Savage
This chicken soup looks like it is so good. I have never seen the Filipino version before but need to try it!