Description
A hearty and comforting Miso Soup featuring tender chicken thighs, shiitake mushrooms, fresh vegetables, and delicate rice noodles, all simmered in a flavorful miso broth. This recipe combines traditional Japanese ingredients with a satisfying protein twist, perfect for a nourishing weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
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)
Broth and Seasonings
- 8 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 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 on both sides for approximately 2 minutes without cooking through. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Sauté Vegetables and Aromatics: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the empty pot and heat over medium-high. Add chopped onions and sliced carrots; sauté for 3 minutes. Then add sliced shiitake mushrooms, grated ginger, and minced garlic, cooking for an additional 1 minute until fragrant.
- Simmer the Broth: Return the browned chicken to the pot. Pour in the reduced sodium chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine, and red chili paste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is tender enough to shred. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred once cool enough to handle. Continue simmering the soup without chicken if you prefer more tender mushrooms.
- Dissolve the Miso Paste: Place the white miso paste in a medium bowl. Ladle some hot broth from the pot into the bowl and whisk until the miso is completely dissolved. Set this mixture aside.
- Add Noodles and Vegetables: Add the thin rice noodles and chopped red bell pepper to the soup pot. Simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Finish the Soup: Add the baby bok choy, shredded chicken, and the dissolved miso mixture to the pot. Cover the pot for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the noodles to become al dente and the bok choy to wilt. Avoid simmering or boiling the soup after adding miso to preserve its smooth texture.
Notes
- You may substitute cremini mushrooms for shiitake, but add them with the bell peppers since they cook more quickly.
- The rice noodles are very long; you can cut them before adding or after cooking with kitchen shears to make handling easier.
- White miso paste can usually be found refrigerated at grocery stores or Asian markets; online purchase is also an option.
- If you don’t have baby bok choy, spinach or kale can be used as substitutions.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
