Bolivian Chicken and Noodle Soup
This Bolivian chicken noodle soup with plantains and fried noodles is pure comfort food. The ingredients are simple and inexpensive. It is a perfect winter meal.
Soup and the Bolivian main meal
Bolivians know how to make a good soup. Soup is eaten every day throughout the country as part of the main meal at noon.
These soups tend to be light and not very filling.
A light broth, some starch, a little bit of meat and plenty of veggies.
A traditional main meal in Bolivia consists of two dishes, sopa and segundo, which translate into soup and second (referring to the second dish).
Whatever type of meat is going to be served in the second dish, it's first simmered in a big pot and used to make a delicious broth for the soup.
Then, the meat is prepared with some kind of sauce to be served with rice or potatoes, like this Bolivian chicken and rice.
When cooking with chicken, the whole chicken is simmered for over an hour (cheap chicken tends to be tough) and the broth/soup is served using the neck, the feet, the wings, and the giblets.
In the eastern part of Bolivia, soups are served with a piece of boiled ripe plantain or boiled cassava. Another option is a piece of banana.
How to add flavor to chicken noodle soup and keep the noodles from getting mushy
One of the peculiarities of this Bolivian chicken noodle soup is that the noodles are first cooked or fried in oil, giving it a nutty flavor.
At the same time, this helps the pasta keeps its shape as it cooks in the broth and it won't get mushy if you have leftovers.
Although this chicken noodle soup is not well known internationally like sopa de maní (peanut soup), it's a soup you'll want to make again and again!
Our Bolivian chicken noodle soup recipe
I have to say that even though I grew up eating soup every day, I really didn't like it much. Soups were full of veggies like peas, green beans, carrots, and lime beans. Every bite was torture for this little girl.
For this soup, I only added carrots, but feel free to add your favorite veggie.
Start by cooking/frying the noodles. Stir constantly because they can burn easily.
Once the noodles are nice and brown, use the same pot (don't wash it) to sauté the onions, green peppers, and garlic.
Chicken soup is better when made with darker meat. This recipe uses a whole chicken which makes it incredibly flavorful.
Without washing the pot, place chicken with giblets and enough water to cover the chicken (about 4.5 quarts) and some bay leaves to simmer for about 40 minutes, or until chicken comes apart.
Assuming that you are not serving two main dishes, we'll use the whole chicken for this soup. (Yes, you can discard the parts that you don't like.)
Place the chicken on a plate and shred it. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove any remaining solids.
Bring the stock to a boil with all your favorite veggies and cook for a few minutes before adding the pasta and the chicken.
How to cook plantains
The contrast of this steaming savory soup with the sweetness of the plantains is one you won't forget.
You might end up serving it with every soup you make!
Plantains are available in many supermarkets in the US. They tend to be bigger than bananas and have thicker skin. Look for them near the bananas.
How do you know if plantains are ripe?
Plantains go from green to yellow, to black.
To serve it with this soup, plantains need to be yellow with some black spots, and soft when pressed.
Wash plantains before using.
Cut the two end parts and discard them. Then, cut each plantain in half and cook them in a pot with enough water to cover.
Serve this Bolivian chicken noodle soup with a piece of plantain on the side.
Take a piece of plantain with your spoon and scoop up some soup. Great flavor combination!
Homemade chicken noodle soup is one of those comforting must-have recipes. Try this Bolivian version, it's just what you need on a chilly day or sick day!
More cultural chicken soup recipes
If you love chicken soup, you'll want to check our our recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings as well as Greek Avgolemono, lemon rice chicken soup. Enjoy!
Bolivian Chicken and Noodle Soup
This Bolivian chicken noodle soup with plantains and fried noodles is pure comfort food. The ingredients are simple and inexpensive. It is a perfect winter meal.
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounces) package conchiglie noodles (or your favorite noodles)
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 whole free-range chicken (about 5 pounds), rinsed, with giblets
- 4.5 quarts water
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 4 tablespoon fresh curled leaf parsley, chopped
- 5 ripe plantains
Instructions
- To a large stockpot over medium heat, add oil and heat slightly. Add the noodles and fry until golden brown, stirring constantly (about 4 minutes). Remove pasta from pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- To the same pot, add onions, bell peppers and garlic. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened and browned. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Place the chicken and bay leaves in the same stockpot over medium heat. Pour in 4.5 quarts of water and allow it to slowly come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 40 minutes - 1 hour. Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board. When it’s cool enough to handle, discard the skin, bones and giblets; shred the meat.
- Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove any remaining solids.
- Bring the stock, carrots and onion mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Add pasta, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes, two minutes before turning it off, add chicken.
- Sprinkle parsley before serving.
- Serve with plantains.
- To Cook The Plantains: Rinse and dried plantains. Cut off both ends and discard. Cut each plantain in half. Place plantains in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Serve
hot.
Notes
Once the chicken is shredded, it weights roughly 1.5 pounds.
If not serving plantains, this soup can be served with fresh bananas.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260Total Fat: 8g
Lizet is Bolivian and lives in Paraguay. Through friends and travel she has developed her love of food. From Africa to Asia, Europe to the Americas, there is always something new to try when you come to dinner. You can find more of Lizet's tasty creations on her website ChipaByTheDozen.com. You can also find her on Instagram and Facebook.
