Chicken Sopas (Chicken Macaroni Soup)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of elbow macaroni
• 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped
• 2 pieces of eggs, beaten
• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of carrots, diced
• 16 ounces of cabbage, thinly sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled then minced
• 2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons of butter or cooking oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add the butter or cooking oil to a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Then add garlic to the pot followed by onions.
3. Saute these for a minute or two.
4. Now add the chicken to the pot and let this cook for about 5 minutes while occasionally stirring.
5. Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring it to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat to medium-low so that the broth will simmer about 15 minutes.
7. Now add the macaroni to the pot and cook for 8-10 minutes while occasionally stirring or until al dente.
8. Add more chicken broth or water if needed.
9. Add the carrots and cabbage to the pot and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes.
10. Season with the fish sauce, salt, and pepper to taste.
11. Slowly add milk while stirring to avoid curdling and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
12. Slowly pour the beaten egg into the simmering broth while slowly stirring.
13. Remove the soup from the heat and transfer it to a serving bowl.
14. Serve hot with or without a hard boiled egg.

If you don't have chicken broth, you can make your own. Boil a whole chicken in water until the meat is mostly cooked. Remove the chicken from the pot and turn off the heat for now. Let the chicken cool until it can safely be handled. Now remove the meat from the bones then add the bones back to the pot and resume boiling the bones for a couple hours, adding more water as needed. You can use part or all of the meat from the chicken for this sopas recipe too.