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Fresh ginger, lemon, and sriracha give this Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup a warm, bright kick while tender chicken, egg noodles, and vegetables keep it familiar. It’s ready in about 35 minutes, and you’re in charge of how spicy each bowl gets.
Chicken noodle soup might be known as a sick-day meal, but I wanted a version I’d be just as excited to make for a regular weeknight dinner. After a few batches, this went from a fun way to change up classic chicken noodle soup to the version my family asks for often.
Getting the Spice Level Just Right
The heat in this soup is easy to adjust, so I usually start on the lower end and add more from there.
- For a noticeable kick: Start with 2 tablespoons of sriracha. You’ll get plenty of warmth without the broth becoming overwhelmingly spicy.
- For a spicier bowl: Increase the sriracha to 4 tablespoons for a much more noticeable heat that builds as you eat.
- Sriracha adds more than heat. It also brings a little sweetness and garlic flavor that works especially well with the ginger and lemon.
- Serving different spice preferences? Let everyone adjust the sriracha to their own individual servings.
Ingredient Notes
A lot of the ingredients are flexible, but a few choices will change the flavor or texture of the soup. Here’s what I use and what you can swap:
For full recipe instructions and complete list of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs both work. I usually choose breasts because thighs release more fat into the broth, and I prefer a cleaner broth. Thighs are great if you like richer flavor and more tender pieces of chicken. If you’re starting with leftover or rotisserie chicken, skip the poaching step and stir the shredded chicken into the soup near the end, just long enough to warm through.
- Chicken broth: I use low-sodium chicken broth because brands vary so much in saltiness, and the sriracha adds salt too. Chicken stock gives the soup a slightly richer flavor, but vegetable broth or stock also works.
- Egg noodles: Wide or extra-wide egg noodles give the soup that classic texture. Another short pasta can work, but cooking times and the amount of broth absorbed may vary. You can swap the egg noodles for chickpea noodles or protein noodles. Whole-wheat elbows work well too if you want a little more fiber.
- Garlic and ginger: I really recommend using fresh garlic and ginger here because you can taste the difference in the broth. The garlic makes it more savory, while the ginger adds a gentle warmth before you even get to the heat from the sriracha.
- Lemon juice: This keeps the broth from tasting heavy and gives it a fresh finish. Add it after removing the pot from the heat so its flavor doesn’t get lost.
- Sriracha: Besides heat, sriracha adds a little sweetness and garlic flavor. Regular hot sauce, cayenne, or red pepper flakes will add heat, but they won’t have quite the same sweet garlic chili flavor as sriracha.
How to Make Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
Everything comes together in one pot. Here’s how I make it:
- Sauté the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger: Stir them into the vegetables and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just until you can smell them.
- Add the chicken: Add the broth, bay leaves, chicken, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer: Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Shred the chicken and cook the noodles: Transfer the chicken to a bowl and shred or roughly chop it. Return it to the pot, add the egg noodles, and cook until just tender, checking a minute or two before the package time.
- Finish the broth: Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of sriracha. Taste and add more lemon, sriracha, salt, or pepper as needed. Remove the bay leaves, then ladle the soup into bowls.
jamie’s tips
My Tips for Tender Chicken and Just-Right Noodles
Chicken and noodles can both go from perfectly cooked to overdone pretty quickly. These are the little things I pay attention to:
- Cut the chicken into similar-sized pieces. Quartering the chicken breasts helps them cook more quickly and evenly, so you don’t end up with one thick piece that still needs more time. Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat. A hard boil can make the chicken turn tough instead of staying tender.
- Keep the broth at a gentle simmer. Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat. A hard boil can make the chicken turn tough instead of staying tender.
- Cook the noodles until just tender. Start checking them a minute or two before the package time since they’ll continue softening in the hot broth.
Meal Prep and Storage
I love having this soup ready for easy lunches, especially because the broth tastes even better the next day.
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The noodles will soften and soak up some broth as they sit, but I don’t mind that for regular leftovers.
- For meal prep: Make the soup without the noodles, cook the noodles separately, and store them in their own container. Add the noodles to each bowl just before reheating so they stay firmer.
- Reheating: Warm the soup on the stovetop over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or microwave in 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- Freezer: For the best texture, freeze the soup without the noodles in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I love using these Souper Cubes for storage. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat the soup on the stove, and cook fresh noodles when you’re ready to serve.
More Comforting Soup Recipes
If you’ve made and love this Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 rating and comments below!
Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
This Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup has tender chicken, egg noodles, vegetables, fresh ginger, lemon, and sriracha in a warm, savory broth. It’s ready in about 35 minutes, and the spice level is easy to adjust to taste.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated with a microplane or finely minced
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into quarters
- 1 cup wide egg noodles, or any other noodle you like
- 1/2-3/4 tsp salt, adjust based on how salty your chicken broth is
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2-4 tbsp sriracha, more to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil. Saute the onion, carrots and celery for 3-4 mins.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the pot and cook until fragrant 1-2 mins.
- Add broth, bay leaves, chicken, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and shred, add back to pot.
- Add the pasta to the pot and cook according to the package recommendations or until pasta is tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat, stir in lemon juice and hot sauce.
- Add additional lemon juice, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Salt will vary depending on the chicken broth and sriracha you use, so taste the broth before adding more.
- Start with 2 tablespoons of sriracha for a noticeable kick, then add more to taste. Use up to 4 tablespoons for a spicier soup.
- Cook the egg noodles until just tender since they’ll continue softening in the hot broth.
Nutrition
Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 654mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5138IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + star rating below!
Delicious soup made with staple ingredients hit home on a cool fall, weekday evening!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed 🙂 thank you for leaving a review Kelsie!
Wanted something comforting and delicious, saw this and thought it would hit the spot….Spoiler alert….IT DID. So, so delicious. The ginger, lemon juice and siracha sauce make the soup absolutely sing and the rest of the ingredients form a reliable, soothing base for the soup. Excellent recipe, thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for this kind review!
Best chicken noodle recipe I’ve found
Glad you enjoyed! Thank you for leaving a review 🙂
All around yes. I added a chopped and seeded jalepeno which I cooked with the veggies (made it super spicy, next time I may do half or none at all). I also added a sprinkle of thyme and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. I didn’t have enough broth so I used what I had- 2 cups of chicken broth, 2 cups of vegetable broth and 2 cups of water. I wanted to use my leftover chicken so I added that last so as to not overcook. So good. Thank you!
Yum, that sounds amazing! Thank you for leaving a review 🙂
Excellent. When I went on line to look for a ‘spicy’ chicken noodle soup. this was the first one I opened. Lucky me! I had all the ingredients on hand but had to substitute 1/4 tsp of ground ginger from a jar for the tbsp of fresh ginger, since I was totally out of the fresh. Also, I found the noodles in my cupboard rather thin, so used small elbow macaroni instead. Except for those two ingredients, I (for a change) followed a recipe exactly.
Will make it often since my husband especially loved the sriracha spice and the tang of lemon.
Yum! Thanks for sharing those swaps Nancy! So happy it was a hit.