30-Minute Creamy Chicken Sopas
(so-pas)
Merienda & The After-School Hustle
Sopas translates simply to 'soup,' but in a Filipino household, it means absolute comfort. Born from the introduction of American canned goods in the early 1900s, grandmothers across the diaspora transformed a basic chicken noodle soup into a masterpiece using evaporated milk and a heavy dash of fish sauce. Traditionally, the broth demands an hour of boiling bones. This weeknight version hacks the process with rotisserie chicken and quality stock, but retains the old-school secrets—sautéing aromatics in butter and blooming the fish sauce in a hot pan—to deliver that deeply savory, milky, hug-in-a-bowl flavor in exactly thirty minutes. Eat it immediately; the macaroni loves to drink up the broth.
Before you start
Prep the aromatics and meats.
Chop the vegetables, shred the rotisserie chicken, and slice the hotdogs before you turn on the stove. This recipe moves fast once the butter hits the pan.
Ingredients
- butter2 tbsp
- neutral cooking oil1 tbsp
- yellow onion1 med
- garlic4 med
- carrot1 large
- celery2 med
- cooked chicken2 cup
- hotdogs3 med
- fish sauce1 1/2 tbsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- chicken bouillon cube1 med
- low-sodium chicken broth6 cup
- dry elbow macaroni2 cup
- evaporated milk12 oz
- green cabbage2 cup
Method
- 01
Build the flavor base.
Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown.
- 02
Sauté the proteins and extract the umami.
Add the shredded chicken and sliced hotdogs to the pot, sautéing for 2 minutes to render the fat from the hotdogs. Pour the fish sauce and black pepper directly over the meats and stir continuously for 1 to 2 minutes to burn off the harsh aroma and leave behind a concentrated, savory umami base.
- 03
Bring the broth to a boil.
Pour in the chicken broth and add the bouillon cube, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
- 04
Cook the macaroni directly in the soup.
Stir in the dry elbow macaroni, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The pasta should become wonderfully soft, not al dente, naturally thickening the broth as it expels starch.
- 05
Finish with milk and cabbage.
Lower the heat to its lowest setting and slowly stir in the evaporated milk, taking care not to let the soup hard boil or it may separate. Fold in the chopped cabbage, turn off the heat, and cover the pot for 2 minutes so the residual heat cooks the cabbage until just tender-crisp. Taste for seasoning and serve.
Notes
The "Naubos ang Sabaw" Warning.
Macaroni is a sponge. Serve the soup immediately or the pasta will relentlessly drink all the broth. If you are reheating leftovers the next day, simply add a splash of chicken broth or water to loosen the soup back to its creamy glory.
From Cook Filipino in America.