Chinese chicken noodle soup

Your ingredients

Get ready: Kitchen scales, chopping board, mixing bowls, measuring spoons and a suitable saucepan or frying pan.

• 🍗4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
• 💧1.4 litres water
• 🍄150 g fresh shiitake or chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 💧2 tbsp unsalted stock instead of cooking wine
• 🥣4 ginger slices
• 🥬2 spring onions, white and green parts separated
• 🥣2 tsp light soy sauce
• 🥣½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 🥬⅛ tsp white pepper
• 🥜¼ tsp sesame oil
• 🍚400 g dried wheat noodles
• 🥣2 heads pak choi, leaves separated
• 🥣Chilli oil, optional

Let’s make it

1. Simmer the chicken

   Put chicken, water, ginger, spring-onion whites and the extra stock in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, skim off foam and simmer gently, covered, for about 35 minutes. The chicken should be tender and reach 75°C for 30 seconds; allow longer if needed.

2. Build your broth

   Lift chicken onto a clean plate. Add sliced fresh mushrooms to the broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove ginger and onion whites. Add soy sauce, salt, white pepper and sesame oil to taste.

3. Cook noodles separately

   Boil noodles in a second pan following their packet instructions. Add the pak choi towards the end and cook until tender. Drain and divide between four bowls.

4. Shred and serve

   Once cool enough to handle, discard chicken skin and bones and shred the meat. Return it to the broth and bring back to steaming hot. Ladle over the noodles and finish with sliced spring-onion greens and optional chilli oil. Separate noodle cooking keeps your broth clear.