Creamy Pinoy Chicken Macaroni Sopas
Merienda: The 3 PM Pause & After-School Snacks
Three-thirty, backpacks hit the linoleum, the stove already rattling with an ingenious collision of American colonial pantry rations—evaporated milk, canned sausages, dry elbow macaroni—and local technique. The secret isn't a delicate, clear broth. It’s cooking the pasta directly in the soup so its starches bleed out, fortifying a rich, umami-heavy base driven by fish sauce. No heavy cream, no pre-boiling the noodles. Pour the evaporated milk in right at the end, pass the fish sauce, and get out of the way.
Ingredients
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- yellow onion1 med
- garlic4 clove
- carrot1 med
- celery1 stalk
- boneless skinless chicken thighs1 lb
- Vienna sausages4.6 oz
- low-sodium chicken broth6 cup
- fish sauce1 tbsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- elbow macaroni1 1/2 cup
- green cabbage2 cup
- evaporated milk12 oz
Method
- 01
Build the flavor foundation in butter.
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat, then sauté the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- 02
Sear the chicken and aromatic vegetables.
Add the carrots, celery, chicken thighs, and sliced sausages, cooking for about 5 minutes until the chicken begins to brown and the cured meats release their savory fats into the pot.
- 03
Simmer the umami-rich broth.
Pour in the chicken broth and fish sauce, then season with the black pepper. Bring the pot to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- 04
Cook the macaroni directly in the soup.
Stir the dry pasta straight into the bubbling broth and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes. Forget Italian al dente; the noodles must be completely soft, releasing their starches to naturally thicken the liquid into a velvety stew.
- 05
Wilt the cabbage into the broth.
Fold in the shredded cabbage and let it soften in the hot broth for about 2 minutes.
- 06
Kill the heat and finish with the evaporated milk.
Turn the stove off completely before gently stirring in the evaporated milk. Boiling the soup after the dairy is added will cause it to curdle and separate, ruining that distinctly rich, nostalgic silkiness.
Notes
Leftovers will absorb the broth.
Because the macaroni cooks directly in the soup, it will act like a sponge in the fridge. Just add a splash of water or extra chicken stock when reheating on the stove.
Season with fish sauce, not salt.
If the finished soup needs more salinity to cut through the rich milk, reach for an extra splash of fish sauce rather than standard salt to maintain the proper Southeast Asian depth.
From Cook Filipino in America.