021 / 75 · A Hot Meal to Carry

Chicken, Mushroom and Egg-Ribbon Noodle Soup

About 10 cups (2.4 liters); 4 servings with bread · Active 25 min · Total 55 min

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A chicken noodle soup becomes something different when beaten egg is drawn through the hot broth in fine ribbons. Mushrooms give it depth, ginger keeps the flavor bright and a small amount of starch helps the egg stay suspended rather than sinking into a clump. This is a generous soup to spoon from a wide-mouth flask or reheat in a bowl at work. Bread is packed separately to keep it from absorbing the broth.

Jump to ingredients

Chicken, mushroom and noodle soup with delicate egg ribbons and green onion.

Cut the chicken for a spoon

Small, even pieces cook quickly and fit comfortably beside the noodles on a spoon. The broth must return to a steady simmer after raw chicken is added. Give the chicken a head start before the noodles, then check a thick piece with a thermometer. The egg stage is a finishing technique, not a way to compensate for chicken that has not cooked through.

Make ribbons rather than scrambled lumps

Whisk the eggs until the whites and yolks are fully combined. After the starch mixture has thickened the broth slightly, lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Pour the egg in a thin stream while moving a spoon slowly through the soup in one direction. Fast, vigorous stirring chops the ribbons into tiny flecks. Leave the soup to simmer briefly afterward so the egg is completely set.

Expect noodles to absorb broth

Thin noodles keep taking up liquid after the heat is turned off. The soup should therefore look slightly looser than a bowl you would eat immediately. Add water when reheating a chilled portion if needed, stirring and checking the whole serving reaches 165°F/74°C. For hot carrying, preheat a suitable wide-mouth flask and use it only when you know it maintains 140°F/60°C or above until your break. Otherwise carry the soup fully chilled with two cold sources and reheat at work.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons neutral cooking oil (10 ml)
  • 1 small onion, finely diced (100 g)
  • 9 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (250 g)
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (10 g)
  • 5 cups low-sodium chicken stock (1.2 liters)
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into thin matchsticks (150 g)
  • 14 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) pieces (400 g)
  • 5 oz thin dried wheat egg noodles, broken into short lengths (140 g)
  • 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce (15 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch (8 g)
  • 2 tablespoons cold water (30 ml)
  • 3 large eggs, thoroughly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (5 ml)
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced (25 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (0.5 g)
  • 4 slices whole-wheat bread (160 g total), to serve

Set out

4-quart (4-liter) saucepan, Small bowl and fork, Instant-read thermometer, Wide-mouth insulated food flask for carrying

Allergens

Egg, Wheat, Soy, Sesame; check stock and bread for additional allergens. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat the cooking oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until softened and their released liquid has mostly evaporated. Stir in the ginger for 30 seconds.
  2. Pour in the stock and add the carrot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the short noodles and soy sauce. Simmer for 4–6 minutes, or the noodle packet time, until the noodles are tender and the thickest chicken pieces reach 165°F/74°C. Add a little boiling water if the noodles absorb too much broth.
  4. Mix the cornstarch with the cold water until smooth. Stir it into the simmering soup and cook for 1 minute until the broth thickens slightly.
  5. Reduce to a gentle simmer. Drizzle in the beaten egg in a thin stream while slowly drawing a spoon through the broth in one direction. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until the egg ribbons are fully set and the whole soup reaches 165°F/74°C.
  6. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil, green onion and pepper. Serve with one bread slice per person. For hot carrying, transfer the soup immediately to a preheated suitable flask and maintain 140°F/60°C or above until eating; pack bread separately.

Separate soup from bread

Keep the bread in its own clean wrapper or container. It stays useful for the meal instead of soaking in condensation from the flask lid.

A useful detail

Use thin wheat egg noodles with a short simmering time. If yours require longer, start them earlier according to their packet so the chicken is not kept boiling while waiting for the noodles.

Another way

  • Replace mushrooms with 9 oz (250 g) thinly sliced zucchini, adding it with the carrot rather than browning it for the full mushroom stage.
  • For a different herb finish, replace the green onion with 2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped chives added just before serving.

Keep it well

Divide into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Keep at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days, or freeze for 2 months; the noodles and egg will soften. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat while stirring to 165°F/74°C, adding water to loosen. For cold transport, use an insulated bag with two cold sources and refrigerate on arrival. Carry hot only with verified safe hot holding.