When regular chicken noodle soup won’t quite cut it, try this spicy chicken noodle soup instead! Spicy broth flavored with Korean gochujang paste, loaded with tender chicken, noodles, and carrots. Perfect for getting over a cold, or for those who just love some extra spice!
Spicy soups are a staple of Korean cuisine, and I’d argue they’re some of the best spicy soups you can find. When I decided I wanted to make a Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, I knew I wanted it to be a Korean-American fusion dish. Flavoring the broth with gochujang is super easy, and you can find gochujang in most major grocery stores in the US now. You can also easily adjust how much you use to control the spice level to your preference!
Key Tips – Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
Stop by an Asian grocery store for the best gochujang options.
- While you can find one or two options for gochujang in many major grocery stores in the US, you will find the best prices and selection at Asian grocery stores. Korean grocery stores often have nearly a whole aisle dedicated gochujang, with varying spice levels and many brands to choose from.
Use baby carrots for quick prep.
- Pre-washed baby carrots make prep so easy, and since you don’t need too many for this recipe it also helps reduce the amount of leftover ingredients. If you look closely at the pictures, you can see that the carrots are just chopped up baby carrot.
Garnish with green onion for some extra freshness.
- Green onion in chicken noodle soup sounds a little odd, but it works so well with the spicy gochujang broth and adds some freshness to the soup. I really love it on top, so I recommend you don’t skip it!
Control the spice level to your preference.
- You can make this spicy chicken noodle soup extra hot or nice and mild, just change how much gochujang paste you use! You can also customize the spice level of each bowl by adding red pepper flakes at the end.
- I like to make this recipe with 3 tbsp gochujang per batch, which results in what I would consider medium-hot. For people that are very sensitive to spicy foods, it will likely be too hot. Cut the amount in half for a mild spice, or add even more if you love super spicy food!
Note, this recipe has less broth than a traditional chicken noodle soup.
- Since this broth is spicy, you’ll end up sipping it quite a bit less / in smaller amounts than you would with normal chicken noodle soup. You can see from the pictures that it’s pretty loaded up with fillings, so the ratio of broth to fillings is a little bit different.
- If you want more broth, just add in more chicken stock and some extra gochujang to compensate.
Dietary Restrictions – Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
Make it Gluten-Free.
- Sub gluten-free noodles. My favorite is chickpea noodles!
Make it Dairy-Free:
- As written, this recipe is already very low in lactose, since butter is low in lactose. Sub vegan butter to make it completely dairy-free.
A Note On Serving Sizes
Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. One batch of this recipe makes about 4 standard servings, but some people may want to have more than one serving per sitting.
Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast or sub chicken thigh
- 1/2 large white or yellow onion, diced about 1 cup per batch
- 3 tbsp gochujang for medium-hot, use more or less as desired
- 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup carrots sliced into ~1/3 inch thick pieces
- 8 oz dried egg noodles or pasta
- 3 green onions green portions sliced thin
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cup water
Instructions
- Cover the chicken breast with plastic wrap and gently pound it to an even thickness. Season all over with salt and pepper.
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken breast and sear on both sides until golden, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a plate, but do not wipe the pan clean. (The chicken does not need to be cooked through)
- Add the onions to the pot along with the butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the gochujang paste and mix frequently for another minute, then add the chicken stock and water and mix everything together, then add the soy sauce.
- Add the whole chicken breast back to the pot along with the carrots.
- Simmer the chicken breast for about 15 minutes until it's completely cooked through. Remove it to a plate.
- Raise the heat of the soup to a boil and add the pasta or egg noodles. Boil per package instructions for "al dente". As the noodles cook, shred the chicken breast using two forks.
- When the noodles are ready, remove the pot from the heat and add back in the shredded chicken breast. Serve immediately, topped with the thin sliced green onion.
Notes
Nutrition
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If you enjoy this recipe, you may also enjoy my Spicy Feta Chicken, Creamy Potato Soup, or Bay Scallop Udon.
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So easy and SO much flavor! We love gochujang and this is genius!!