Chicken Noodle Sujebi is a traditional Korean soup with hand-torn dough flakes (sujebi) cooked in a savory chicken broth. Sujebi is a comforting, rustic dish known for its chewy texture and hearty flavors.

Why Sujebi?

One of my favorite Korean soup dishes. This dish gets its name from its defining characteristic: hand-torn noodles ripped into flakes and dropped right into a simmering broth. Several sujebi varieties have traversed my palette, but my favorite remains the classic version with potatoes swimming in an anchovy and seaweed broth (although kimchi sujebi is a close second!). A seasoning sauce of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and green onion typically accompanies sujebi. The sauce tempers the soothing soup with a flavorful kick.

As a child, I begged my mother for a dough chunk to play with whenever she made sujebi. I molded snowmen and kittens and jewelry as she dropped her masterpieces into the soup. I always only managed about ten minutes of artistic freedom before the dough dried out. That never disappointed me, though, since my cracking play-dough generally meant that the sujebi was ready to eat.

The Wasian Cookery Take

For my rendition of this soup, I combined the whimsy of hand-torn noodles with the comfort of Western-style chicken noodle soup. Generally, my mother made sujebi with little or no meat. I wanted to experiment with the combination of textures of tender chicken with the chewy, dumpling-like bite of sujebi noodles, and thus, this recipe was born.

This chicken soup recipe doesn’t include any celery or herbs to not compete with the seasoning sauce, which I left largely unchanged from my mother’s recipe. Instead, I pumped up the garlic and flavored the soup with green onion to create a perfect base. Also, searing and braising the chicken in the broth imparts multiple dimensions of flavor. This recipe might be my favorite on Wasian Cookery yet.

Look, I don’t want to create any problems, here, but my husband says this is the best chicken soup he’s ever had. Interpret that as you will. I’m just saying— if you’re looking for something new to try and you enjoy a cacophony of spoons scraping the bottom of the bowl, definitely give this soup a shot!

How to Make Chicken Noodle Sujebi Step By Step:

Chicken Noodle Sujebi Ingredients

For noodles:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 eggs beaten

For soup:

• 1 Tbsp neutral oil I used avocado but grapeseed, vegetable, or canola also work
• 3 lbs chicken breastbone-in, skin-on
• 1 white onion diced
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 large carrots diced
• 3-4 medium-sized potatoes peeled and cubed
• 1 green onion chopped
• 2 eggs beaten
• salt to taste

For the seasoning sauce:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 green onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp gochugaru Korean chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Directions

Noodles:

1. Combine flour, hot water, salt, and eggs in a large bowl and mix to form a dough. Knead dough with your hands for about 5-10 minutes until it forms a smooth ball. The dough will feel dry at first; keep kneading until the ball regains stickiness.
2. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let the dough rest while you prepare the soup and seasoning sauce.

Soup:

1. Season chicken breast with salt on both sides. In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat and place chicken, skin side down, into the oil. Don’t flip the chicken but check on the skin to ensure it doesn’t burn. Cook until the skin turns brown and crispy, around 4-5 minutes, and remove the chicken from the pot. Leave behind the oil and rendered chicken fat.
2. Add onions to the pot and stir until translucent, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic. After a minute, add the carrots and potato and stir for another minute. Add in chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to release the fond (caramelized bits) into the broth.
3. As you wait for the pot to boil, remove and discard skin from the chicken breast. Once the pot reaches a boil, place the chicken back into the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low to medium and simmer, covering about 25 minutes. Once the chicken is tender, remove the chicken from the pot but maintain the simmer.
4. Grab your prepared dough ball and tear off flakes of the dough, dropping them directly into the pot. Pieces are supposed to be irregular, so don’t worry if the noodles are different shapes, but try to make them roughly the same size. You want the noodles to be fairly thin (a little bit thicker than a lasagna noodle) so they cook through all the way.
5. Once you’re finished adding the noodles, drop in the green onion and let stand, covered, until noodles are tender about 4 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when all of the noodles float to the top.
6. While you’re waiting for your noodles to cook, remove breast bones from chicken meat and discard the bones. Shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to pot.
7. To finish, pour beaten eggs over your soup and stir three or four more times to break up the egg.
8. You may add a little salt to taste, but be careful not to oversalt so diners can season to their tastes.

Seasoning Sauce:

1. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey into a small bowl and whisk until well combined.
2. Stir in the green onion, garlic, gochugaru, black pepper, and sesame seeds.
3. Serve the seasoning sauce family-style. Diners can add as much seasoning as they please. I recommend 1-2 tablespoons per serving depending on your taste.

Notes:

• With any sujebi, my mother recommends tearing off only as many noodles as you intend to eat with that meal. Reserve the raw dough for leftovers to avoid the noodles becoming soggy.
• For leftovers, just reheat the soup on the stove and drop in more freshly torn noodles once the soup hits a simmer. Let stand, covered, about 4 minutes until the noodles finish cooking, and enjoy again!

FAQ

Can I use store-bought noodles instead of making hand-torn noodles?

• Absolutely! While hand-torn noodles add a rustic touch, store-bought noodles work well too. Choose your favorite type, and adjust cooking times accordingly.

What’s the best way to store leftovers of Chicken Noodle Sujebi?

• Store any remaining soup and noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For optimal freshness, consume within 2-3 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave.

Can I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken?

• Yes, you can substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Adjust the cooking time to ensure the chicken is fully cooked. Shred the chicken before serving.

Is there a way to make this recipe vegetarian?

• Certainly! Replace the chicken with vegetable broth and add a mix of your favorite vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, and leafy greens for a delicious vegetarian version.

Can I freeze Chicken Noodle Sujebi for later?

• While the soup can be frozen, keep in mind that noodles may change texture upon thawing. If freezing, consider making and freezing the soup base, then adding fresh noodles when reheating for the best results.