January is National Soup Month so how about a dish to fortify you and banish the winter blues? 

Celebrity Irish chef Clodagh McKenna calls this warming Chicken Noodle Soup recipe a bowl of hugs and you can see why; it's solace in a bowl. 

Chicken Noodle Soup recipe from Clodagh McKenna

Note: You can swap the bok choi in this recipe with lots of other greens, such as kale, spinach, chard or even frozen peas - they will all work as well.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 lemongrass stalk, thinly sliced
  • 1 green chili, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick, thinly sliced
  • 500ml hot, good quality chicken stock
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 7.5cm strips
  • 250g egg noodles
  • 200g Pak Choy, sliced
  • 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Place a saucepan or casserole over low-medium heat with the oil. Stir in the garlic, ginger, spring onions, lemongrass, chili, and celery; cover and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring after a minute. Remove the lid, stir and pour in the hot chicken stock. Stir in the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the noodles and bok choy and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Ladle the chicken noodle soup into warmed bowls and sprinkle the fresh coriander on top.

*Recipe from Clodagh's Weeknight Kitchen: Easy & exciting dishes to liven up your recipe repertoire, published by Octopus Publishing, $24.99.

*Originally published in January 2023. Updated in January 2024.