Curry Noodle Soup With Popcorn Chicken

In my neighborhood, there is a Chinese restaurant that serves a dish I’m absolutely in love with. And while things are a bit out of place at the moment due to the social distancing, I’ve used some of my time at home to recreate it. The curry noodle soup is a favorite of mine. It features noodles swimming in a light, hearty, curry-flavored chicken broth. On top, crispy, golden brown chicken bites and baby bok choy combine to turn this soup into a meal. It’s incredibly delicious, and comforting too – just what we all need right now.

Ingredients

I should warn you…don’t be intimidated by the ingredient list! While this curry noodle soup recipe looks long, it’s so easy to make. Honestly, it takes less than 30 minutes to put together. And very likely, you already have many of these things in your pantry.

Cooking process

Crispy popcorn chicken (no deep-frying required!)

The chicken isn’t even deep-fried. I have a special technique to make it super crispy, with all the flavor, but less oil. These crunchy bites go perfectly on top of the noodles. You can use boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts. Either one will work!

Make the soup in one pan

Once you’ve fried the chicken, you can make the noodle broth in the same pan. To do this:

Saute the aromaticsGently cook the curry powder to release the fragranceAdd the chicken broth and sauce and simmer

While the soup is simmering, I blanch the baby bok choy and boil the noodles at the same time in a separate pot. So everything will be ready at the same time.

Cook for one, or more

Another thing you’ll love about this recipe is that you can alter it for just one person, or for even more people. It’s easy to halve or double it to accommodate all the people under your roof. If you’re going solo, you can use this time to practice your cooking skills while enjoying the fruit of your labor. When things get better out there, you’ll then be able to invite all your friends over to sample this lovely curry noodle soup. Want to learn more about Chinese Cooking? Sign up my newsletter to receive the 5-Day Chinese Cooking Crash Course and recipe update! If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.