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!
This hagyma leves (more popularly known as French onion soup) looks amazing too.
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!
Happy cooking!
Did you make this chicken sopas recipe? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
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.
Elena
I used to have a coworker that was from the Philippines and she was the best cook I have ever met. I really miss her food, so I might give this recipe a try since it does not seem so difficult to prepare.
Jolina
I hope you like it Elena!
Anna
Oh I just love asian food and soups so this dish is an ultimate winner for me! The pictures are wonderful, you’ve really made a good job here. …I have to go now you made me hungry 😀
Holly
Oh my goodness this soup looks delicious! I’m not usually one for chicken noodle soup, but the creaminess of this broth totally makes me think I should try this!
Denni
I’m crazy about soups and chicken soup is among my favorites , and I must say I never tried Filipino style ! till now , now I think your recipe has become my family go to recipe for chicken soup ! I ill try more of your recipes
Carrie
This sounds perfect for a cold winter’s day. It is fairly cold here today as well -10C and tomorrow it is supposed to -20C. Yikes! I’m actually going to add this to my meal plan for next week.
Jolina
We are in the same cold boat Carrie! Hope this soup helps keep you guys warm!
Ali Rost
I just made chicken soup yesterday, so it’s funny you posted this today. My husband has been feeling under the weather and it felt like the only thing I could do. I use a spoonful of tomato paste (a tip from Cook’s Illustrated) some dried thyme in an old one from Gourmet, plus a few of my favorites: parsnips (my mother in law’s go-to addition) and leeks (which a friend’s houseguest had included in a recent chicken soup, to my delight). I also really like using the skinny dried egg noodles. x
Jolina
That sounds amazing Ali! And we love using egg noodles too. I think it will work really well here. PS: Hope hubby feels better!
christine
This looks absolutely perfect for the cold weather we’ve been having!
Matt Kearns
A tasty looking chicken soup recipe! Well done!
Laurie Beth
I am seriously trying this tomorrow. It has been -20C or something close to it for too many days in a row. We also have 3 days of snow in my forecast. This spoiled SoCal girl isn’t adjusting too well to Canadian weather. Ha! Thanks for the lovely recipe.
Jolina
I totally get that! I lived in Manila forever then moved to Toronto and now years later I still complain about how cold it gets haha. I don’t think I will ever get used to it. At least we have soup! 🙂 Keep warm!
Jhilmil Bhansali
What an amazing recipe this seems to be, tough I have never tried and I’m a vegetarian, I think I can replace chicken with tofu and make this noodle delicious soup.
Jolina
Tofu soup sounds delicious 🙂
Rose
I have made a lot of different soups but, never a chicken soup. I like all the different vegetables in this soup.
Deanna
Oh wow! I love the flavors in this soup! Chicken soup is needed here with flu that is going around
Ana De- Jesus
What I want to know is whether your weather app was correct and it started snowing within the 72 minutes it had predicted? But on another note if it is snowing or cold then there is definitely nothing better than a delicious soup to beat the winter blues. As I am a vegetarian I would substitute the chicken with quorn but your recipe has definitely got me craving some noodle soup. Especially since it is super cold and windy in the UK!
Jolina
Hi Ana! You know, that app is scary sometimes. It would say rain in 8 minutes and sure enough, it would rain in approximately 8 minutes! Eeep. Technology huh? Stay warm!
Neely Moldovan
Ive had this before but I would love to make it! Totally going to try it sometime!
Victoria
This looks like such a delicious soup! I’ve always loved the filipino style of cooking. The chicken noodle soup looks like something I can make myself too, so thank you for sharing! I’ve saved it for future reference!