Sopa de Fideos (Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup)
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 2medium onions, peeled and chopped
- 2cloves garlic, peeled
- 8fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded, or 6 large canned tomatoes, drained
- 6tablespoons melted lard or light olive oil
- Pinch powdered saffron, optional
- Pinch chili powder, optional
- 1recipe Basic Chicken Soup (see recipe)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1½cups diced cooked chicken breast meat
- ¼pound Mexican fideos, vermicelli or cappellini, broken into 2-inch lengths
- Fresh cilantro sprigs
- Minced seeded hot green chilies
- Diced avocado
- Slivered Monterey Jack and/or grated Parmesan chees
The Soup
The Garnish
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Preparation
- Step 1
Puree the onions, garlic and tomatoes in a food processor, adding a little water if needed. Heat 3 tablespoons of melted lard or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly pour in the vegetable liquid, being careful to avoid spattering.
- Step 2
Add saffron and chili powder, if using them. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 10 minutes. Add the chicken soup and simmer gently, partly covered, for about 20 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and add the chicken, keeping the soup warm over very low heat.
- Step 3
Heat the remaining oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the noodles and saute, turning them gently, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spatula and drain on paper towels. The soup can be prepared to this point up to 30 minutes before finishing and serving.
- Step 4
Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately, garnishing each portion with a sprig of cilantro. Pass the other garnishes at the table.
Private Notes
Comments
Extraordinary! Mid-November has been so mild that we still had garden everything for this soup. Made the broth day before with 4 pound chicken, stripping the meat from the bone after two hours, and returning all the bones to the broth for several more hours of simmering. The soup came together quickly next day. Left the veggie mix chunky and did not peel or seed tomatoes. Saffron and chili powder added subtle depth of flavor, along with all garnishes. Next year, make for Dia de los Muertos.
I cheated a lot by using canned salsa instead of the tomato/onion/garlic mix. It worked really well & the soup turned out great.
This is a lovely year-round soup recipe, and it lends itself to a lot of variations while keeping the original flavor. If I'm short of time, I sub leftover roast chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken and a quart or two of chicken stock. If I don't have fideo, I use orzo, and I'll use shredded cheddar, cotija, and colby/jack cheeses if that's what I have on hand.
Advertisement