Chicken Kway Teow Soup
Chicken soup is comforting, nourishing and fills the soul with warmth and happiness. What’s better than that? A chicken noodle soup – and today, I’m sharing a simple recipe that uses kway teow (also known as kuey teow), or flat rice noodles for the ultimate comfort food – Chicken Kway Teow Soup.
The kway teow noodles are silky-smooth, covered in a light chicken broth that goes down the throat easily. The chicken is tender and the vegetables are soft and sweet. Garnished with crispy fried anchovies, crispy garlic, garlic oil and chopped herbs – the variance in texture makes each mouthful so addictive.
This Chicken Kway Teow Soup recipe is an easy and quick one – taking no more than 15 minutes!
Serves 1 adult.
Ingredients
Boneless chicken thighs, with skin on, for tender pieces of protein. If preferred, chicken breast can be used as well. A little skin is included for the fats; this adds a richer chicken flavour to the soup. The chicken is cut into 0.5cm thick strips, which decreases the cooking time.
Salt, to taste. The amount can be increased, depending on whether the crispy fried anchovies are omitted.
Kway Teow is the main carbohydrate in this recipe. As there are 2 types – one for stir-fries, and one for soups. Using the wrong type of kway teow can cause the noodles to be too hard or too soft. They are pre-cooked for 45 seconds to 1 minute in boiling water, as the soup will be poured over it, and for a chewier texture.
Water, to pre-cook the kway teow before it is drained.
Garlic oil to mix in the kway teow after pre-cooking to prevent them from sticking to each other. It is also added as a condiment for fragrance.
Chicken stock as the kway teow soup’s base. I used my homemade chicken stock, which is less salty than the ones available in the stores. Do adjust the amount of salt accordingly. If chicken stock is not available, plain water mixed with 1-2 tbsp of oyster sauce works as well.
Oyster sauce, a seasoning sauce to add a depth of umami-ness to the soup.
Choy sum is the sweet, leafy greens of my choice for today. It adds a natural sweetness to the soup. Bok choy, Chinese cabbage, water spinach are suitable substitutes. Really, you can use any vegetables that you like.
Bean sprouts that have been cleaned (the dark skin removed) and washed. While it’s not necessary to remove the roots, most restaurants and households do so for a more appetising appearance of the Chicken Kway Teow Soup.
Crispy fried anchovies, which adds a crisp texture and saltiness to the soup. It is also served on the side as part of the condiments, in case more is needed.
Crispy fried garlic adds fragrance and an earthy, nutty sweetness in between bites.
Red chilli, which is optional as a condiment, for a spicy kick in between each mouthful. It can be drizzled with a little light soy sauce for extra saltiness.
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make Chicken Kway Teow Soup:
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Marinate the chicken slices.
- Fluff the kway teow.
- Pre-cook the kway teow.
- Strain the kway teow.
- Mix the kway teow with garlic oil in the serving bowl.
- Mix the stock with seasonings.
- Cook the chicken strips.
- Cook the vegetables.
- Transfer the soup to the serving bowl.
- Garnish with the toppings.
- Serve with some cut chillies.
Tips
- Boneless chicken thighs with skin on adds a little bit of flavour from the fats into the soup. If preferred, chicken breast works as well.
- The chicken is sliced thinly for a quicker cooking time.
- The kway teow noodles must be cooked first as we will be pouring the soup directly into the serving bowl. Pre-cooking them also makes the texture slightly chewier. Be careful not to overcook them, as the texture will become mushy.
- Mixing the kway teow noodles with oil prevents them from sticking to each other while cooking the soup. Using garlic oil gives a lovely fragrance to them too.
- The taste of the kway teow soup should be quite light and subtle, as anchovies will be added later. If the anchovies are omitted, adjust the taste by adding more salt and oyster sauce.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!
Storage Instructions
For storing, or keeping for later, I would recommend keeping both the chicken soup and kway teow noodles separately. Once immersed in the soup, the kway teow noodles will gradually soak up the liquid before turning into a mushy texture.
For the kway teow noodles, it’s best to fluff them up, then only take the portion that will be used. The rest can be kept in an air-tight container/ covered with cling wrap and kept in the fridge for not more than 2-3 days. It can be used in a different dish, with the same method of preparation (fluffing it up, pre-cooking and tossing it with oil).
For the chicken soup, once cooled, it can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge, for not more than 3-4 days. While they can be kept in the freezer for more than a week or two, it’s best to consume all the vegetables before doing so. This is because their texture will change because of the ice crystals.
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Easy Chicken Kway Teow Soup
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Strainer
- Wooden Chopsticks
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
- 140 g boneless chicken thighs, sliced thinly, 0.5cm thick
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 200 g kway teow, for soup, fluffed up
- 2 tbsp garlic oil
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 35 g choy sum, any leafy greens
- 90 g beansprouts, cleaned
- 1 tbsp crispy fried anchovies
- 1/2 tbsp crispy fried garlic
- 7 g red chilli, chopped/ sliced thinly
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Marinate the chicken sliced with half of the salt. Rub to distribute them evenly.
- Fluff up the kway teow noodles by gently separating and tossing them with your hands.
- Add the water in a saucepan over medium heat and let it come to a rolling boil.
- Add the fluffed kway teow noodles, tossing them gently with a pair of wooden cooking chopsticks for 45 seconds to 1 minute.
- Strain the kway teow noodles, shaking off any excess. Discard the water.
- Add 1/2 of the garlic oil to the kway teow noodles, tossing them to mix evenly with the wooden chopsticks.
- Place a saucepan on the stove. Add chicken stock, the rest of the salt and all the oyster sauce, stirring to mix until even in colour. Cover the pan and let it come to a rolling boil, for about 2 minutes.
- When the soup is boiling, add the marinated chicken slices and stir lightly, until they are all separated. Cover the saucepan and cook for 1.5 minutes, or until it comes to a rolling boil and the chicken is well-cooked.
- Taste the stock and adjust. (See notes).
- Submerge the choy sum and beansprouts in the soup, stirring lightly, for 30 seconds, or until softened. Switch off the heat.
- Transfer the chicken and vegetables onto the kway teow noodles. Carefully pour the soup into the serving bowl.
- Garnish with crispy fried anchovies, crispy fried garlic, the rest of the garlic oil and chopped spring onions and cilantro.
- Serve immediately with some chopped red chilli.
Video
Notes
- Boneless chicken thighs with skin on adds a little bit of flavour from the fats into the soup. If preferred, chicken breast works as well.
- The chicken is sliced thinly for a quicker cooking time.
- The kway teow noodles must be cooked first as we will be pouring the soup directly into the serving bowl. Pre-cooking them also makes the texture slightly chewier. Be careful not to overcook them, as the texture will become mushy.
- Mixing the kway teow noodles with oil prevents them from sticking to each other while cooking the soup. Using garlic oil gives a lovely fragrance to them too.
- The taste should be quite light and subtle, as anchovies will be added later. If the anchovies are omitted, adjust the taste by adding more salt and oyster sauce.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!