An udon noodle soup with Japanese shredded chicken, and a homemade dashi broth.
I prepared this recipe with Momoko, our in-house Japanese food expert.
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TL;DR
This soup is rather simple to put together, although the list of ingredients and the process suggest otherwise.
You don't need to feel intimidated because once you have prepared this soup, you will understand the essence of assembling a homemade Japanese noodle soups.
Ingredient Notes
For the Dashi:
- Katsuobushi — aka dried Bonito flakes.
- Kombu Kelp — also spelled Konbu, dried sheets.
- Water
For the Shredded Chicken:
- Chicken Breast — we used a medium-sized chicken breast in the pictures.
- Salt
- Sugar
- Sake — A Japanese distilled clear liquor. We tend to use vodka when we don't have sake as a substitute.
- Water — to simmer and cook through chicken.
To Assemble:
- Chicken Stock — reserve the liquids from your cooked shredded chicken, do not throw it out!
- Salt
- Sugar — to balance all flavors
- Soy Sauce
- Green Onion Stalks — sliced.
- Udon Noodles
Complete Process Overview
Save time and streamline the preparation and cooking process in your kitchen. The chicken is prepared while the kombu is soaking, and cook the noodles while you are prepping the seasoned stock.
The recipe card below has each task grouped.
Step 1
Wipe the kombu first clean with a damp folded kitchen paper towel.
Place the kombu into a small pan and top with the water. Keep soaking for at least 30 minutes minimum. The longer you keep it to soak (overnight is best), the better the flavor.
Step 2
In the meanwhile, prepare your clean chicken and carefully trim off any excess fat and skin.
Season chicken on both sides with salt and sugar.
Step 3
Place the chicken breast into a pot and cover with the sake (or vodka) and the water.
Heat up and simmer covered for about 15 mins, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Step 4
Take the chicken out on a clean working surface and start shredding it with your fingers or two forks.
Keep the chicken stock aside, don't throw it out, you will need it for the soup!
Step 5
Continue to prepare your dashi. Place the pan on a medium heat setting, cover, and bring the water to simmer.
Just before the boiling point, take out the kombu and keep aside.
Step 6
Take the pan from the heat and stir in katsuobushi (bonito flakes).
Cover the pan and leave to soak and infuse until you can see all the katsuobushi falling to the bottom of the pan.
Step 7
Place a large mesh strainer over a bowl, to strain your dashi.
Keep your dashi aside.
Step 8
Combine the chicken stock (from the shredded chicken earlier) and dashi in a medium pan and bring to a boil.
Skim off excess foam and impurities and take from the heat.
Step 9
Stir sugar, salt, and soy sauce into the chicken flavored dashi stock. Keep aside.
Chop green onion stalks and boil Udon noodles as per package instructions.
Step 10
Assemble all ingredients in a bowl. Place noodles, then top with chicken and green onions, and at last pour soup stock over that.
Serve hot.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Udon Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dashi:
- 2x2 inches Kombu Sheet
- 2 Cups Water
- 1 Cup Katsuobushi aka Bonito Flakes
For the Shredded Chicken:
To assemble:
- 2 Cups Chicken Stock from the shredded chicken earlier
- 2 Teaspoon Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 3 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 5.6 ounces Udon Noodles and water to cook
- 2 Stalks Green Onions sliced or chopped
Instructions
For the Dashi:
- Cut the kombu sheet into the required size with a kitchen scissor. Wipe the kelp piece clean with a damp folded kitchen paper towel.2x2 inches Kombu Sheet
- Place the kombu square into your pan and top with the water.2 Cups Water, 2x2 inches Kombu Sheet
- Allow the kombu to soak for at least 30 minutes. The longer you keep it to soak, the better, e.g., overnight.
- Take the pan to the heat and keep over a medium heat setting, cover. Bring it to a boiling point and take out the kelp sheet. Keep the kombu kelp aside (it can be cut into strips and eaten in a salad or use it as a ramen topping).
- Turn off the heat and stir in all the katsuobushi (bonito flakes).1 Cup Katsuobushi
- Cover the pan and wait for the katsuobushi to fall to the bottom of the pan.
- Place a large fine mash strainer over a bowl and strain your awase dashi. Discard the bonito flakes.
For the Shredded Chicken:
- Prepare your clean chicken breast and trimm off any tiny bone parts or anything that you don't want on your chicken. For example, we like to remove the membrane skin and white fats.1 Chicken Breast
- Sprinkle and rub salt and sugar on both sides of the chicken breast.2 pinch Salt, 2 pinch Sugar
- Place the chicken breast into a small to medium-sized pot and pour the sake or vodka over the chicken together with the water.1 Tablespoon Sake, 2 cups Water
- Keep on a medium-high flame to gradually heat the water. Simmer chicken covered for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken breast appears cooked through.
- Take the chicken out of the chicken stock on a clean surface and shred it with your fingers or two forks and keep aside for later. Keep the stock aside, do not discard!
To Assemble:
- Combine dashi and chicken stock in a pan and bring to the boiling point. Skim off excess foam.2 Cups Chicken Stock
- Take from the heat once it's boiling and stir in sugar, salt, and soy sauce.Salt, 2 Teaspoon Sugar, 3 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- Boil udon noodles in water as per package instructions.5.6 ounces Udon Noodles
- Chop or slice the green onion.
- Place noodles in a serving bowl, top with shredded chicken, green onion and pour chicken dashi soup stock over that. Serve hot.2 Stalks Green Onions
Notes
- Prep and keep kombu to soak. (30 mins minimum wait time)
- In the meanwhile, prepare shredded chicken and while it's cooking, chop green onions.
- Cook the dashi and focus on the process.
- Boil Noodles and simultaneously, on a side burner, prepare seasoned stock with dashi and chicken stock.
- Assemble all ingredients in your bowl.
Equipment
- Medium Pot with Lid (5 qt) to boil dashi and soup
- Small Pot to boil chicken and noodles separately
- Fine-Mesh Strainer to drain dashi
- Stainless Steel Mesh Skimmer or spoon to skim soup
- 8" Chef Knife to chop or slice green onion stalks
Nutrition
Serving
The soup is great as is, but you can add your favorite toppings to it.
For example, the cooked kombu kelp can be sliced and added as a topping.
I like to drizzle some rayu chili oil over the soup and I do like a half-boiled egg with that.
As a side, add an Asian salad to that, such as my simple Japanese cabbage salad or a kani salad.
Storing
The recipe contains again the full instructions to prepare Japanese shredded chicken and awase dashi.
You can prepare both in advance and store in your fridge or freezer so that you save time completing this recipe after a long day at work.
Leftover can be kept for about 3–4 days, at most refrigerated.
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