Creamy Chicken Sopas
Sopas na Manok
Learn how to make creamy Filipino chicken sopas with macaroni, vegetables, hotdogs, and a richer toasted-pasta broth, plus dairy-free alternatives.
Serves 6 · 55m total
The Story
Sopas comes from the Spanish word sopa, meaning soup, but the Filipino version became its own comfort dish through home kitchens, school canteens, and rainy-day merienda. Instead of a clear noodle soup, Filipino sopas uses elbow macaroni, shredded chicken, vegetables, and milk to make the broth gentle, filling, and familiar.
The dish also shows how Filipino cooks adapted imported pantry ingredients into local comfort food. Evaporated milk, macaroni, canned or processed meats, and chicken broth became common in many households, especially in the twentieth century, and sopas turned those everyday items into a warm family meal. For many Filipinos, it is tied less to one province and more to memory: a bowl served when someone is sick, after school, during a storm, or when the family needs something soft and soothing.
This version keeps the classic creamy character but adds one small twist: the dry macaroni is toasted in the garlic-chicken oil before the broth goes in. That step gives the soup a slightly nutty base and helps the pasta release starch into the broth, making the sopas taste richer without needing extra cream.
Best paired with
Pandesal, toasted bread, or a simple calamansi-pepper dipping sauce on the side.
Lola's Tips
- ✦Toast the dry macaroni for 2 to 3 minutes before adding broth. It should smell nutty but not brown deeply.
- ✦Keep the heat low after adding evaporated milk. Boiling hard can make the broth separate or taste flat.
- ✦For a thicker sopas, rest the pot for 5 minutes before serving because the macaroni continues to release starch.
- ✦For dairy-free sopas, use unsweetened oat milk for the closest creamy texture, or coconut milk for a slightly richer Filipino-style variation.
- ✦If using coconut milk, add it at the end and simmer gently so the soup stays smooth.
Substitutions
- evaporated milk → unsweetened oat milk, unsweetened soy milk, or coconut milk for a dairy-free version
- chicken breast → chicken thigh for richer flavor, or shredded cooked chicken to save time
- Filipino hotdogs → skip them, use chicken sausage, or use plant-based sausage
- fish sauce → salt or a little soy sauce if patis is not available
Ingredients
placeholder
placeholder
placeholder
placeholder
placeholder
placeholder
Instructions
- 1
Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat, then sear the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes per side until the surface has good color. Remove and set aside.
- 2
Lower the heat to medium. In the same pot, saute onion, garlic, celery, and carrots for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping the browned chicken bits from the bottom.
- 3
Add the dry elbow macaroni directly to the pot and toast for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until the pasta smells lightly nutty. This is the flavor-building step that makes the broth taste fuller.
- 4
Pour in the chicken broth, water, and fish sauce. Return the chicken to the pot, bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the macaroni is nearly tender.
- 5
Remove the chicken, shred it with two forks, then return it to the pot with the sliced hotdogs and cabbage. Simmer 4 to 5 minutes more until the cabbage softens and the pasta is tender.
- 6
Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the evaporated milk and black pepper, then warm gently for 3 minutes without hard boiling. For dairy-free sopas, use unsweetened oat milk, soy milk, or coconut milk instead of evaporated milk.
- 7
Taste and adjust with salt or more patis. Rest the sopas for 5 minutes before serving so the broth thickens slightly, then top with green onion and fried garlic if using.
Kitchen Timer · 20 min prep first
35:00
