Chicken Sotanghon Soup (2024)

Chicken Sotanghon Soup is the ultimate cold-weather comfort food! Loaded with flavorful chicken, cellophane noodles, and veggies, this Filipino soup is a hearty and tasty way to warm up!

It's starting to get chilly here in my neck of the woods and hearty soups have been my steady companions of late. I have a long list of soups I love to cozy up to during colder months but no offense to chicken sopas or arroz caldo, this chicken sotanghon happens to be my all-time favorite.

Nothing warms the body and nourishes the soul like a piping hot bowl of moist chicken, cellophane noodles, tender-crisp veggies, and flavorful broth in my book!

This Filipino-style noodle soup is typically made with chicken parts simmered in aromatics and shredded into strips. However, I prefer to use bone-in chicken wings cut up into manageable pieces in mine.

Not only do they keep moist and not stringy like the dry flaked meat, but the bone-rich chicken wings also brings an extra depth of flavor to the broth. Add aromatics, good-for-you vegetables, and delectable toppings, and you have a soup that's both hearty and delicious.

What is Sotanghon

Sotanghon, also known as cellophane, glass. or mung bean thread noodles, are a type of clear noodles made from potato, mung bean, sweet potato, or tapioca starch and water. They're usually packaged in dried form and then reconstituted to use in stir-fries and soups.

The noodles are a staple in my house. I just love how they can easily be thrown together into a quick, delicious, and budget-friendly meal!

Here are a few more of my favorite recipes.

• Sotanghon at Bola Bola Soup-delightful meatballs makes this soup a substantial meal-in-itself dish
• Sotanghon at Upo-delicious paired with steamed rice and crispy-fried fish!
• Ginisang Munggo at Sotanghon-added cellophane noodles deliciously extend this already economical dish

Cooking tips

• Although I encourage you to use bone-in chicken parts for maximum flavor, shredded leftover rotisserie chicken is also a quick and budget-friendly option.
• The recipe calls for Chinese celery, carrots, and napa cabbage. Feel free to swap or add sh*take or wood ear mushrooms, pechay, and Baguio beans.
• I do not presoak the noodles as they tend to overcook quicker. Just add the dry coils and push down in the hot broth to cook and soften.
• Chicken is the choice of protein in this recipe, but you can also use diced pork, meatballs, shrimp, or crisp tofu for variety.

How to serve

• Chicken sotanghon makes a delicious and filling midday snack or light meal. Serve with steamed rice, pandesal, or puto.
• Ladle the soup in serving bowls and top with toasted garlic, chopped green onions, and hard-boiled egg.

How to store

• Allow leftovers to cool completely and store in a container with a tight-fitting lid without the toppings. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• As with any noodle or pasta recipes, this soup does not freeze well as the sotanghon tends to change texture when frozen and thawed.
• To reheat, transfer to a sauce pot and heat until completely warmed through. Add more broth or water as needed to loosen the consistency and adjust seasonings to taste.