Chicken Manchow Soup Recipe

I love a steaming bowl of Chicken Manchow soup on a chilly night. The spicy broth, the crunchy vegetables, and the crispy fried noodles on top (that's my favorite part of this soup), it's just so comforting and loved by kids too. It's filling enough to be a whole meal just like this Mediterranean Chicken Stew.

We all love Indo-Chinese food at home. Whether it's Chilli Chicken, Chicken Manchurian, or Egg Hakka Noodles, Chinese-inspired recipes are always on rotation.

What is chicken Manchow soup?

Chicken Manchow Soup is an Indian-Chinese fusion dish. It is made with shredded chicken, a variety of colorful vegetables, and a rich, slightly thickened broth flavored with soy sauce, vinegar, and chiles. This hot & sour soup is loaded with lots of flavors. It is spicy, tangy, and sweet. It is served with a hearty serving of crispy fried noodles on top that adds texture and a delicious crunch.

This soup is well-known for its unique egg strands, which are made by stirring while pouring beaten egg gradually into the simmering soup. You can serve it as a starter with Hakka noodles or Fried rice.

But making this chicken soup requires some preparations to be done. The only time-consuming task is chopping the vegetables. You can use a vegetable chopper to ease the process.

You may also like these other popular soups & stews recipes from this website

• Thai Red Curry Chicken Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Mediterranean Chicken Stew
• One-pot Minestrone Soup
• Healthy Chicken Stew
• Pumpkin Soup

Chicken Manchow Soup Recipe - Ingredients and Substitutions

• Ginger & garlic - Basics of Asian cuisine. It gives a nice aroma and flavor to the soup.
• Green chilies - They add spiciness to the sauce. Add it as per taste. Skip, if you prefer less spicy or if you are making it for kids.
• Spring onions - Both white & green part is used to make the soup.
• Onion - One small red onion is used. If not available, skip it.
• Vegetables - I have used carrots, bell peppers (green, yellow, and red), and cabbage. You can add any vegetables of your choice like corn, beans, etc.
• Button Mushrooms - They give a meaty flavor & also add protein to the soup. You can substitute it with Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) or Tofu. Or skip it.
• Flavoring - black pepper powder, salt & sugar. Sugar balances the overall flavor.
• Sauces - soy sauce and chili sauce. I have used both dark and light soy sauce. To substitute, you can also use regular soy sauce or just add dark soy sauce.
• Chicken - I have used boneless skinless chicken breast. You can also use chicken thighs.
• Egg - Acts as a thickener and flavors the soup.
• Chicken broth - Chicken broth adds flavor to the soup. It is easy to make the broth. I have shared the recipe below. I suggest adding it as it gives a very nice flavor to the soup. You can substitute it with normal water. But then add 2 chicken stock cubes to add flavor to it.
• Cornflour slurry - It helps to thicken the chicken soup. You can substitute it with potato starch.
• Vinegar - I have used rice vinegar. You can add regular vinegar. It gives a slight tangy punch to the taste buds. Or substitute it with lemon juice.
• Fresh herbs - Cilantro or coriander leaves add a fresh flavor to the soup. Indian street-style Manchow soup is incomplete without coriander leaves. I suggest adding this for flavor.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.

How to make Chicken Manchow Soup Recipe (Step by step instructions with photos)

Preparations

• Finely chop all the vegetables. Set this aside.
• Finely chop the cooked chicken or shred them. You can check out the recipe below for shredded chicken.
• Make cornflour slurry - In a small bowl, combine cornflour and water. Make a lump-free batter. Set it aside.

Fried Noodles

• Cook noodles - Cook noodles in salted water as per the instructions given on the package. Drain it and rinse it with cold water. Drain off the water completely.
• For crispy fried noodles - Sprinkle 2 teaspoon of cornflour over it and toss it well. It helps to remove excess moisture from the noodles. The noodles will be crisp when we deep fry them.

  

Making the Chicken Manchow soup

• Heat 1 cup of oil in a heavy bottom pan or wok over medium-high heat.
• Fry the noodles. Let it cook until it is crisp.
• Flip it and fry it on the other side too. Remove and set this aside.
• Remove the excess oil from the pan and keep only 1 tablespoon of oil.
• To the pan add ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Cook them for a minute.
• Next, add the white part of the spring onion and onion. Cook until onions are translucent.
• Add carrots, cabbage, bell pepper, and mushroom. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add 4 cups of chicken broth (recipe given below). Let it come to a boil. Cook for 4-5 minutes on high heat.
• Next, add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chili sauce, black pepper powder, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Be careful while adding salt. Add less salt as all the sauces have salt in them. Stir it well.
• Add shredded chicken (recipe given below). Beat 1 egg in a bowl and add it slowly creating thin ribbons of egg.
• Stir it gently. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add more salt or pepper if required.
• Now add the cornflour slurry. Start with 1 tablespoon slurry and stir. Check the consistency of the soup. If required add more cornflour slurry. I used 2 tablespoon of slurry. Cook it for 2 minutes.
• Finally, add coriander leaves and spring onion greens.
• Serve the Manchow soup with crispy fried noodles on top.

Making homemade chicken broth for manchow soup

1. Heat 6 cups of water over medium heat.
2. Add 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper, salt to taste, 2 chicken stock cubes, 5 garlic cloves (roughly crushed), 1-inch ginger (roughly crushed), 1 bay leaf, and 300-gram chicken.
3. You can also add any vegetables like carrots, beans, onions, etc.
4. Cook for 20 minutes. Strain it.
5. Chicken stock is ready. Use it for making soups or stews.

   

6. Remove the chicken pieces to a separate bowl.
7. Shred the chicken with the help of a fork.
8. The shredded chicken is ready. I have used only 1 cup of shredded chicken for this recipe. You can store the rest in an airtight container and freeze it. Don't forget to label the container with the date of preparation. Stays good for a month.

   

Tips to make the Best Manchow Soup

• For crispy fried noodles - Sprinkle cornflour over the cooked noodles and toss it well before you fry them. Cornflour will absorb the excess moisture from the noodles & help to crisp fry them. You can also prepare it in advance. Store it in an airtight container. It stays good for 2 days at room temperature.
• Finely chop the vegetables so that they cook faster.
• Stir fry the vegetables until they are cooked but still crunchy. Do not overcook the vegetables. We do not want soggy vegetables in the soup.
• Adjust the consistency of the soup. Add the cornflour slurry 1 tablespoon at a time and stir. Wait and check the consistency. If you need the soup to be thick then add another tablespoon of slurry. You can add more cornflour slurry to thicken the soup or use less to keep it thin.
• Add the cornflour slurry only when the soup starts to boil. Also, stir continuously until the soup thickens.
• If you like street-style Manchow soup, add the coriander leaves for delicious street-style flavor.
• Adjust the sauces & spices as per taste.
• Be careful while adding salt. All the sauces especially soya sauce, have salt in them.
• Add fried noodles on the top just before serving the soup as the noodles become soggy soon.

More Indo-Chinese Dishes

• Chili Chicken
• Dragon Chicken
• Chicken Manchurian
• Gobi Manchurian
• Egg Hakka Noodles
• Chicken Hakka Noodles
• Egg Fried Rice
• Veg Fried Rice

FAQs

How to serve chicken manchow soup?

• Serve it as a starter or with Hakka noodles or Fried rice as the main course.
• Serve it as a light dinner. It is a complete meal in itself.

Variations that you can try

• Skip the addition of chicken and eggs to make a Vegetable Manchow Soup.

Recipe Card