Try this creamy chicken sopas recipe to make chicken macaroni soup, Filipino-style! Packed with vegetables, chicken and elbow macaroni, it fills you up and keeps you warm on a cold winter day.
(Looking for more Filipino comfort food to keep the winter blues away? Try classic champorado with tablea and ube champorado. Start the day on a sweet note!)
It’s hot and humid in the Philippines but we love our soups (sopas in Filipino). We get our fair share of typhoons and tropical storms after all. And what better way to feel better than with a warm bowl of sopas.
Now that I live in Canada where it’s cold most of the year, knowing how to make sopas really comes in handy.
And not just any sopas; this easy chicken sopas recipe is creamy, filling and made with simple ingredients. Comfort food at its best.
Why you’ll love Filipino macaroni soup
We love making sopas all year not just in the winter.
- Simple ingredients. We use fresh and healthy ingredients that are very easy to find.
- Easy to make. Once you have your ingredients, sopas is so easy to put together. You can have lunch or dinner on the table in about an hour.
- Filling. And it’s a complete meal, too — protein, carbs, fibre — Filipino macaroni soup has it all.
- Tastes like home. A bowl of chicken sopas always brings me back to rainy days in the Philippines…simpler times. So you see, it’s not only packed with flavor but nostalgia as well! Gotta love recipes like that.
(Looking for another unique take on chicken soup? Try this instant pot Mexican street corn chicken soup! This hagyma leves, more popularly known as French onion soup, looks amazing too.)
How to cook chicken sopas
Sopas ingredients
When Red and I are recreating dishes from home, we don’t always agree on ingredients or cooking methods. Different families have different versions and that’s true for our families too.
Like for this recipe, 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 dishes, like in our beloved Filipino spaghetti).
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 favorite ingredients too and make it your own.
The ingredients for our chicken sopas recipe are simple and easy to find, including spices like salt, pepper and dried oregano; and vegetables like carrots, celery and bell pepper.
You can find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below.
A few things to note:
- Meat — we always use chicken breast but you can use any cut of chicken you like. You can even use shredded rotisserie chicken for added convenience and flavor!
- Milk — for best results, use full-fat evaporated milk for the creamiest consistency.
- Pasta — Filipino chicken sopas is traditionally made with elbow macaroni because its shape allows the pasta to cradle the creamy broth and ingredients, ensuring a perfect bite every time. However, you can use other kinds of short pasta as well, like farfalle (bow-tie) and conchiglie (shells).
Cooking tools
You don’t need any special tools to make this sopas recipe either.
Just a chopping board and knife to help you prep (a food processor or a mandolin makes prep faster but not necessary), and a large pot.
Step-by-step photos
Using a large pot on medium high heat, add chicken breast in 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 onion and garlic in oil until soft (about 2 minutes).
Add your shredded chicken, stir, and cook for another 3 minutes or until the chicken browns a bit. Add salt, dried oregano and black pepper. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Pour chicken broth and the chicken stock from before.
Bring to a boil (about 10 minutes).
Then add the rest of the ingredients, except the cabbage and the milk: elbow macaroni, celery, carrots and bell pepper.
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 the cabbage is cooked (10-12 minutes). Serve immediately. Top with boiled egg and green onions (optional).
Expert cooking tips
Easy, right? Here are more tips for the best pinoy sopas every time.
- Practice mise en place. Mise en place is a fancy French word that simply means get everything prepped and ready to make the cooking process easier. So you’ll want to gather and prep all your ingredients and cooking tools beforehand.
- Cook pasta almost al dente. The macaroni will absorb the broth so to avoid it from getting too mushy, cook it until almost al dente. It will continue to cook as it sits.
- Add cabbage at the end. You only want the cabbage to wilt slightly and still retain a nice, subtle crunch.
- Stir in the milk. To avoid the milk from curdling, be sure to stir it in until incorporated. This also ensures a smooth and creamy broth.
- Season to taste. Make sure to taste your sopas and season accordingly.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can add fish sauce to the recipe.
Be careful though because while patis will add a deeper umami flavor to your sopas, it’s also very easy to be heavy-handed and end up with a very salty broth.
You can also simply serve your soup with fish sauce on the side.
We like to serve ours with boiled egg on the side.
You can also add a little bit of chili for a slightly spicy soup or top with crunchy garlic for added flavor.
Green onions are a nice addition as well.
Store leftover soup in a covered container in the fridge. It should keep for 3 days.
You’ll notice that the longer it sits the drier the soup looks because the macaroni tends to absorb the broth.
Not to worry, when you heat it up the pasta will release a lot of that liquid.
More delicious Filipino food you can try
Craving more Filipino cuisine? These are some must-tries:
Filipino chicken macaroni soup is a family favorite. Perfect on a rainy or snowy day, or when you have the sniffles. It’s also a delicious weeknight meal.
We hope you like it too. Happy cooking!
Did you make this Filipino sopas recipe? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!
You can also find me on Pinterest and YouTube.
Chicken Sopas Recipe (Filipino Chicken Macaroni Soup)
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.1.4 lbs boneless chicken breast
- 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 onion and garlic in oil until soft (about 2 minutes).1 pc sweet onion, 6 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp canola oil
- Add your shredded chicken, stir, and cook for another 3 minutes or so (you want the chicken to brown a little).
- Add salt, dried oregano and black pepper. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes.2 tsp salt, 2 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp ground black pepper
- Pour chicken broth and 2 cups chicken stock (the one you saved earlier). Bring to a boil (about 10 minutes).6 cups chicken broth
- Then add the rest of the ingredients (except the cabbage and the milk).2 cups elbow macaroni, 4 stalks celery, 2 pcs carrots, 1 pc bell pepper
- 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.½ pc cabbage, 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- Bring down to a simmer until the cabbage is cooked (10-12 minutes). Serve immediately. Top with boiled egg and green onions (optional).boiled egg, sliced green onions
Video
Notes
- We always use chicken breast but you can use any cut of chicken you like. You can even use shredded rotisserie chicken for added convenience and flavor!
- Filipino chicken sopas is traditionally made with elbow macaroni because its shape allows the pasta to cradle the creamy broth and ingredients, ensuring a perfect bite every time. However, you can use other kinds of short pasta as well, like farfalle (bow-tie) and conchiglie (shells).
- Store leftover soup in a covered container in the fridge. It should keep for 3 days.
- You’ll notice that the longer it sits the drier the soup looks because the macaroni tends to absorb the broth. Not to worry, when you heat it up the pasta will release a lot of that liquid.
- See post for more tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
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