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This Chicken Udon Noodle Soup recipe features oodles of udon noodles, tender poached chicken breast and tender-crisp snap peas in a silky, smooth, gingery miso broth. Super flavorful and comforting, this udon chicken is proof that healthy meals don’t have to be boring or bland! 

“Great recipe! Did add an extra spoonful of miso and a splash of veggie broth to the broth mixture. I also added nigella seeds as a garnish.”

– Marya

Update: This post was originally published in November 2017. I made edits to the post below to include more information about udon noodles with chicken. 

Hi, friends! Get ready to bust out your cozy sweaters and fuzzy slippers, because today we are getting cooking up a deliciously comforting and healthy dish. If you love chicken noodle soup and miso soup, just wait till you try this chicken with udon noodles. It’s a delectable mash up of the two that’s super satisfying and ultra delicious!

Table of Contents

About these chicken udon noodles

Featuring oodles of cozy udon noodles that are so slurp-able they feel like the best hug. This soup features super tender, ultra-juicy poached chicken breasts with silky, perfectly-slurp-able udon noodles, tender-crisp snap peas, spicy chiles, herbaceous cilantro, fresh scallions and subtly nutty sesame seeds all swimming in a light, yet rich velvety, ginger spiked miso broth. Wait, but that ain’t all! To enhance this chicken udon soup and give the flavor a real kick, these udon noodle bowls are finished with a generous drizzling of smooth, slightly sweet, umami-rich miso sauce.

Basically, this dish is like a long soothing, comforting hug for your tastebuds. It’s one of my favorite fall and winter recipes. Honestly, the cozy, healthy, delicious trifecta found in this chicken udon soup recipe is out of this world delicious!

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Easy To Make. You only need about 10 minutes of active preparation to make this chicken with udon noodles.
  • Made With Just 12 Wholesome Ingredients. This is a soup dinner you can feel good about feeding your tribe. Silky udon noodles and chicken also makes a wonderful choice to make for someone who is feeling under the weather — the cozy, comforting flavors will warm them right up.
  • Hearty, Brothy, & Oh-So-Satisfying. This chicken udon noodle recipe checks all the right boxes. It’s savory, slightly spicy, brothy, rich with umami and loaded with texture from udon noodles, veggies, and chicken. In short, it’s everything you could possibly want from a bowl of noodles!

What ingredients in udon chicken soup?

As promised, you’ll need 12 ingredients (plus seasonings) to make this recipe for chicken with udon noodles:

  • Stock: Chicken stock or veggie stock works great – just make sure you use unsalted so you can control the amount of salt in your soup.
    • Substitution: Stock has a slightly richer mouthfeel; however, you can use chicken broth.
  • Miso: You’ll need white miso, also known as sweet miso or shiro miso, for this udon chicken soup. You can find it in the international aisle of most grocery stores. (See below for more information on miso.)
  • Udon Noodle: You can use fresh or frozen udon noodles for this recipe. I personally prefer using fresh shelf-stable udon noodles as they are easiest to find.
  • Aromatics: Fresh ginger and scallions lend a base of flavor. I also like to throw in a few cloves of garlic if I have the fresh stuff on hand.
  • Chicken: You’ll need around one pound of chicken breasts for the udon soup; however, there’s no need to be precise with the weight.
  • Snap Peas: Snap peas, also known as sugar snap peas, are basically a cross between a snow pea and a garden pea. They provide tons of crunchy texture and a touch of sweet flavor.
    • Variation: You can easily add whatever vegetables you love here. Shiitake mushrooms and carrots are personally my favorite addition.
  • Salt and Pepper: Kosher salt and ground black pepper enhance all the flavors.
  • Miso Honey Sauce: While entirely optional, I highly recommend making the miso honey finishing sauce for this chicken udon soup recipe. While the broth is flavorful, the sauce takes it to the next level. And, it’s very easy to make – you just whisk stuff together in a bowl. You’ll need vegetable oil, honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil.

If you’ve got leftover udon noodles, put them to good use in this udon stir fry recipe.

Expert tips for the best success!

  1. Poaching chicken: The amount of time the chicken will take to poach depends on the thickness of your chicken. For quicker cooking, lightly pound your chicken breasts to an even thickness before poaching!
  2. Miso: This recipe utilizes white miso paste, which can also be labeled “sweet miso” or “shiro miso”. You should be able to find miso paste in the Asian or international isle (or refrigerated section) of most major grocery stores. The one I purchase comes in a sealed clear plastic tub.
  3. Miso Honey Sauce: Make sure you use a neutral flavored oil in the sauce for the chicken and noodles. Vegetable, grapeseed, corn or canola oil are all fine. If you use a flavor or scented oil, such as olive oil, it will overpower the other ingredients and taste off.
  4. Garnishes: Garnishes are a great way to add freshness and texture to your udon chicken soup. I sprinkle the top of mine with scallion curls, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds and red chile peppers. If you want to go the extra step, making spirals out of scallions is quite easy. First cut off and discard the white part of the scallion. Then, cut the dark green part into 4-5’’ pieces, then slice, lengthwise, down each piece to create thin, long strands. Place all the green onion strands in a bowl of ice water and let them sit for 30+ minutes. They will naturally curl. Drain and use as desired.

FAQs: frequently asked questions

What type of miso to use in udon soup?

The star of this udon chicken soup is definitely the white miso. For those of you unfamiliar with miso, here’s a little 411:

Miso is a traditional Japanese ingredient produced from fermenting soybeans with salt (and sometimes with rice or barley). It is an essential ingredient in many Japanese dishes, including popular Miso Soup.

There are a few different types of Miso – white, yellow, red, and black. Generally, the darker the color of the miso, the longer it has been fermented and the stronger it will taste.

This ginger miso chicken udon noodles soup recipe utilizes white miso, which is also called shiro miso and is common in the United States. Shiro Miso is made with soybeans that have been fermented with rice. The actual color, much like its name, can range from white to light beige. This miso is the mildest variety – it’s a bit less salty with a sweeter flavor that tastes great with udon and chicken.

Bottomline: Miso is an incredibly versatile ingredient that you can use to add umami flavor to basically anything. Try using some of your leftover miso paste as a rub for poultry or as a glaze for pork.

Serving chicken with udon noodles

This chicken udon noodle soup recipe eats like a hearty meal – there’s protein, carbs and healthy fats. However, if you are feeling extra hungry, I love topping the udon and chicken with a fried egg. As for sides, I recommend sticking to Asian, Chinese or Korean dishes to complement the soup. I personally love this chicken udon with edamame, cabbage, and sautéed mushrooms on the side. However, I’ve heard that udon can be eaten in a hot dog bun, so feel to serve a few of those (toasted) on the side if you prefer bread. But steamed rice works too!  

Storing chicken udon soup

  • Leftover poached chicken and vegetables in this soup hold up great in the fridge for up to four days.
  • However, unfortunately the udon noodles tend to get soggy and mushy during soup storage. Therefore, I recommend you just cook the udon as you need them since it only takes a few minutes. You can use regular water, chicken stock, or double the miso stock in the recipe below to have on hand if you prefer.

Grab some chopsticks (or a very large shovel, because no judgement here) and get ready to feel ALL the cozy vibes with this ginger chicken udon soup!

Until next week, friends, cheers – to oodles of surp-tastic noodles!

Cheyanne

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More Asian chicken recipes!

Overhead photo of chicken udon noodles with miso broth and snap peas in a soup bowl.

Chicken Udon Soup

5 from 10 votes
Author: Cheyanne Holzworth
Total Time: 40 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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This Chicken Udon Noodle Soup recipe features oodles of udon noodles, tender poached chicken breast and tender-crisp snap peas in a silky, smooth, gingery miso broth. Super flavorful and comforting, this udon chicken is proof that healthy meals don't have to be boring or bland! 

Equipment

  • 1 Large Pot

Ingredients 

Chicken with Udon:

Finishing Sauce:

  • 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil (substitution: neutral flavored oil)
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Water – to taste
  • 1 TBS Honey
  • 1 TBS Rice Vinegar
  • 2 tsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
  • Optional for Garnish: Fresh Cilantro, Sliced Red Chili Peppers (or Crushed Red Pepper Flakes), Sesame Seeds

Instructions

  • Poach the chicken: To a large pot big enough to hold the chicken breasts in a single layer, add the stock, ¼ cup of miso, ginger, scallions and 1 teaspoon of salt. Whisk to combine and then place the pot on the stove over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then, add the chicken and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer (around medium low heat). Cover the pot and poach, turning the chicken over half way through cooking, for a total of 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. (SEE NOTES)
  • Slightly cool, then slice chicken: Use a large slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the pan, reserving the miso stock, and allow the chicken to rest before slicing crosswise into ½’’ pieces.
  • Cook the peas: Return the miso stock to medium-high heat and add the snow peas to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they're tender-crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peas to a serving bowl and immediately season them with salt.
    Next, add the noodles: Add the noodles to the pot and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until the udon noodles separate from each other. Use a slotted spoon to remove the noodles from the pot and transfer them to the serving bowl with the peas. Toss the noodles and peas together. Set aside.
    Then, strain the miso stock through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids. Set the miso soup broth aside.
  • While the chicken is poaching, make the finishing sauce: In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of miso with all the ingredients for the dressing and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
    Gently toss the sliced chicken with half of the dressing.
  • Assemble: Divide noodles and peas among serving bowls. Then, ladle the strained miso stock over the noodles and place the chicken over the top.
  • Serve: Garnish with cilantro, scallions, sliced chili peppers and sesame seeds. Drizzle with remaining dressing and enjoy!

Notes

  • Chicken Cooking Time: The total amount of time the chicken takes to poach depends on the thickness of your chicken breast. For quicker cooking, lightly pound your chicken breasts to an even 1-inch thickness before poaching.
    • Substitution: You can use skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead; however, you will need to cook thighs for slightly longer. To test for doneness, insert a instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165-degrees.
  • Miso: This recipe utilizes white miso paste, which I have also seen as labeled “sweet miso” or “shiro miso”. You should be able to find miso paste in the Asian, or ethnic isle of most major grocery stores.
  • Oil: Make sure you use a neutral flavored oil in the miso sauce. Vegetable, grapeseed, corn or canola oil are all fine. If you use a flavored, or scented oil such as olive oil, it will overpower the other ingredients.
  • Garnishes: I garnished my bowls with scallion curls, but thinly sliced scallions are wonderful too. If you want to go the extra mile, scallion curls are really easy to make. Simply cut the green part of the scallion into 4-5’’ pieces, then slice, lengthwise, down each piece to create thin, long strands. Place all the green onion strands in a bowl of ice water and let them sit for 30+ minutes. They will naturally curl. Drain and use as desired.
Nutritional information is an estimate based upon 4 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.

Nutrition

Calories: 605kcal    Carbohydrates: 86g    Protein: 48g    Fat: 8g    Saturated Fat: 1g    Cholesterol: 72mg    Sodium: 2116mg    Potassium: 738mg    Fiber: 8g    Sugar: 13g    Vitamin A: 510IU    Vitamin C: 26.9mg    Calcium: 42mg    Iron: 2.2mg
Course: entree, Soup
Cuisine: Asian

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