Chicken Sopas is creamy, delicious, and the best way to warm up on rainy days or in cold winter. This Filipino noodle soup is loaded with chicken, macaroni, vegetables, hot dogs, and flavorful broth for the ultimate comfort food.
This chicken sopas was originally not on my countdown list, but I came across a post in a Facebook recipe group from a member asking what would go well with sopas for Christmas. I can't believe I didn't think of this Filipino soup when planning my holiday posts!
I mean, seriously, what can be more comforting and satisfying than a piping hot bowl of chicken soup on a chilly Christmas day? Well, maybe a piping hot bowl of sopas AND cheese puto.
What is Sopas?
Sopas, which literally means soup, is a staple in Filipino cuisine. But although there are many dishes we can classify as sopas, such as pancit lomi and chicken sotanghon, it is most commonly associated with a soup made of elbow macaroni, vegetables, and milk-infused broth.
While flaked chicken is the most popular protein ingredient, other meats such as ground beef, diced pork, or even corned beef are also used to make the soup.
Ingredient notes
As in any good soup, broth is the heart of this recipe. Boneless chicken might be more convenient, but for a full-bodied taste, I recommend using bone-in.
For my sopas, I usually saute a mirepoix as the base. The combination of onions, celery, and carrots, along with napa cabbage, serves as the added vegetables in the soup and brings tons of flavor.
Hot dogs are a classic addition to sopas, but you can also use cubed ham, Vienna sausages, or liver.
Cooking Tips
I like to gently simmer the chicken in aromatics until cooked through and flake the meat. I then return the bones to the pot and simmer for at least 30 minutes to an hour to draw out their flavor. Although this step takes a bit more time, I promise the extra effort will be rewarded with a more robust flavor.
The macaroni is cooked directly in the soup and the extra starch will thicken the broth nicely. If you prefer a thinner consistency or the soup begins to thicken over time, just dilute with additional water and adjust seasonings as needed.
Serving suggestions
Since the question "what to serve with this soup" is why I updated and reposted this chicken sopas recipe, let me share with you how I set it up for a large crowd.
When the soup is ready, I transfer it to a crockpot or a chafing dish to keep it hot throughout the party. As I love to round off the soup with extra trimmings, I place individual mugs to serve it in and small containers of chopped green onions, hard-boiled eggs, and fried shallots or fried garlic bits by the crockpot so guests can garnish their bowls to their liking.
The sopas is filling on its own, but I like to complete my set up with sides of puto, warm pandesal, saltine crackers, and tasty bread for a heartier meal.
As pasta tends to absorb a lot of liquid, drying out the soup over time, I keep a pot of the creamy broth simmering on the stove to replenish the soup as needed quickly. I also like to undercook the noodles a little so they don't turn too mushy.
Source: www.kawalingpinoy.com
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