This nourishing Asian chicken meatball noodle soup with mixed veggies is my go-to healthy chicken meatball recipe whenever I need a quick and comforting soup.
It only takes 15 minutes to make with my meal-prepped ginger chicken meatballs that taste like a dumpling filling.
It is one of those easy comfort soups on cozy rainy days or whenever I’m sick kind-of-a-meal in my house. It’s warm, filling, and packed with a lightly cooked variety of mixed vegetables to get that boost of antioxidants.
Plus, the warm umami broth from homemade chicken stock infused with Asian flavor (garlic, spring onion, sesame oil, kombu, and white pepper) creates a delicious and satisfying soup.
Why you will like this chicken meatball noodle soup
- Packed with vegetables: Includes different veggies with different colors – high in antioxidants.
- Using homemade chicken stock: Low-salt so you can better control the sodium content and processed ingredients.
- Umami-rich broth: The homemade chicken stock infused with aromatics like sauteed spring onion and garlic, with added kombu creates a light and delicious broth.
- Delicious & quick source of lean protein: Adding earlier prepped Asian chicken meatballs as a source of lean protein.
- Authentic Healthy Asian flavor: A combination of nutritious ingredients staple in the Asian kitchen, shiitake mushrooms, and kombu as an added natural umami taste, sesame oil, garlic, bok choy, and white pepper creates an authentic Asian flavor.
- Versatile: Can be customized with different vegetables or noodles based on preference.
Ingredients to make Asian chicken meatball noodle soup
- Bok choy – I like to cut the root off. It makes it easier to clean and eat.
- China long cabbage – I sometimes use round green cabbage too.
- Carrot – Cut in Julienne or match stick
- Shiitake mushroom – Thinly sliced
- Spring onion – Divide the white and green parts and chop thinly. The white part is used for sauteeing to make the broth, while the green is for garnish.
- Homemade natural chicken stock – For a nourishing broth, use a low-sodium homemade natural chicken stock without preservatives, artificial flavoring and highly processed condiments.
- Light olive oil/Avocado oil – You will need just 1/2 tbsp of oil. It is for sauteeing garlic and the white part of spring onion when making broth.
- Fresh Garlic – Crush and thinly chop them.
- Kombu – This helps flavor the broth, adding an umami taste and, at the same time, adding iodine to the soup. I typically discard it before serving, but you can also consume it if you like.
- Sesame oil – Use non-toasted pure sesame oil for a milder taste.
- White pepper – If you’re thinking of swapping white to black pepper, use half the amount.
How to make this simple Asian chicken meatball noodle soup
- Soak the noodles – Soften the noodles in lukewarm water to soften (packaging instructions may vary). Meanwhile, you can already start making the broth.
- Make the broth –
- Sauté– Preheat a medium-sized pot over medium to low heat. Add oil and thinly sliced white spring onion. Stir until softened, and add chopped garlic.
- Build the broth– Once they turn slightly golden and fragrant, pour the liquid ingredients. Add chicken meatballs, seasonings, and carrots. Bring to a boil and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Sauté– Preheat a medium-sized pot over medium to low heat. Add oil and thinly sliced white spring onion. Stir until softened, and add chopped garlic.
- Add Vegetables & Noodles – Strain the noodles with a strainer and transfer them into the soup. Add the rest of the vegetables and boil with a closed lid for 3-5 more minutes or until the noodle softens.
- Garnish with the chopped green onion and serve while it’s still hot.
Healthy noodle alternatives to use
The healthy noodles that I refer to below are made from natural ingredients (minimal ingredients with no coloring, preservatives, or artificial flavoring), are low-carbohydrate, gluten-free and whole grains.
Gluten-Free
- Rice vermicelli – Similar in size and texture to glass noodles or mung bean vermicelli with a whiter color. I find it more filling than mung bean vermicelli. I use this noodle in my Vietnamese recipes such as Lemongrass chicken noodle salad and Fresh salad rolls.
- Sweet-potato vermicelli – Thicker, slippery, and more chewy compared to rice vermicelli. Commonly used in Korean noodles, Japchae.
Low calories & Gluten free.
- Mung bean vermicelli – Also known as glass noodles due to its transparent color. This noodle often mistaken for rice vermicelli as they look the same in size. Texture-wise, it’s more slippery and softer than rice vermicelli. This is the second-best option for this chicken meatball soup noodle recipe. I like it because of the texture and the low calories compared to the other noodles.
- Konjac/Shirataki – Konjac is a root vegetable commonly grown in Asia. It is translucent and slippery, with the same thickness as cooked spaghetti. Like mung bean vermicelli, konjac does not have any taste.
Whole-grains
- Brown rice vermicelli – Similar thickness and texture to rice vermicelli with brown color. This version of whole grain tastes nuttier than white rice due to its fibrous content.
- Soba – This brown color noodle originates from Japan and is made from buckwheat. It is high in fiber and protein compared to other noodles I mentioned above. Soba makes filling and nutritious noodles with a stronger earthy taste.
Other Asian noodles and soups recipes you might like
- Vietnamese lemongrass chicken noodles salad
- Japchae – Korean noodles
- Ginger chicken feet soup
- Chicken Tom Yum soup
Asian Chicken Meatball Soup Noodle with Mixed Veggies
Course: MainCuisine: Asian, ChineseDifficulty: Easy2
servings15
minutes10
minutes650
kcalA cozy and healthy Asian-style chicken meatball noodle soup recipe with gluten-free noodles packed with vegetables and rich umami flavor.
Ingredients
- Vegetables
100g napa cabbage – cut into bite-size
1 medium carrot – cut into match stick
4 pieces of shiitake mushrooms – sliced
5-7 baby bok choy – remove the bottom
3-4 stalks of spring onion – Separate the white and green parts (Use the white for making broth & green for garnish)
- Broth
1/2 tbsp of olive oil/ avocado oil
3 pieces of garlic – finely chopped
2 cups of water
1 cup of all-natural chicken stock
1-2 pieces of kombu
1/2 tsp of white pepper
1/2 tbsp of non-toasted sesame oil
- Protein
5-7 pieces of chicken meatballs – thawed at room temp
- Carb
50 g of brown rice noodles
Directions
- Soak the noodles
- Soften the noodles in lukewarm water to soften (packaging instructions may vary). Meanwhile, you can already start making the broth.
- Make the broth
- Preheat a medium-sized pot over medium to low heat. Add oil and thinly sliced white spring onion and stir until softened.
- Add chopped garlic and stir until they turn slightly golden and fragrant.
- pour the liquid ingredients, followed by chicken meatballs, seasonings, and carrots, and leave it to boil for 5 minutes.
- Add noodles & vegetables.
- Strain the noodles and transfer them to the soup
- Add all remaining vegetables and cook for about 3 minutes
- Garnish with chopped green onion and serve warm!
Notes
- Remove the kombu before serving
🥣 Did you try this recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comment below.
