Name: Creamy Chicken Sopas
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 500 g bone-in chicken breast, skinless; 1 L water, or enough to cover; Salt, to taste; 400 g elbow macaroni; 25 quail eggs; 20 g garlic; 70 g onion; 200 g carrots; 250 g cabbage; 4 jumbo chicken hotdogs; 130 g whole corn kernels; 60 g Chicken and Corn Soup Mix; 300 ml milk; 2 L water; 2 Tbsp patis; Salt, to taste; White pepper, to taste; Cooking oil or butter, as needed; Celery, optional; Parsley, optional, for garnish

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Discover the dish

About Creamy Chicken Sopas

Chicken sopas is a Filipino macaroni soup with chicken, vegetables, and a creamy, milky broth. Its use of macaroni reflects the American influence on Filipino cooking, when pasta became more widely used in local kitchens. Over time, sopas became a familiar home-cooked comfort food, especially on rainy days.

This version includes hotdogs, corn, and quail eggs for a more filling bowl. We also sauté the carrots, hotdogs, and shredded chicken before bringing everything together. You can skip the browning when you want something quicker, but that extra step adds another layer of flavor to the broth.

The Kubo Cooks method

Why This Recipe Works

Simmering the bone-in chicken breast does two jobs at once: it cooks the meat and creates a flavorful broth that becomes the base of the sopas. We then shred the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces, exposing more surface area for browning when we sauté it.

Sautéing the carrots, hotdogs, and chicken separately gives them room to pick up some color. When the broth goes back into the pot, scraping up the browned bits brings that flavor into the soup.

The macaroni cooks directly in the broth, while the Chicken and Corn Soup Mix adds seasoning and helps thicken it. Dissolving the mix before adding it helps it blend into the soup without forming lumps.

Milk goes in toward the end to make the broth creamier, followed by thinly sliced cabbage after the heat is turned off. This keeps the final cooking brief so the cabbage softens while retaining some texture.

What to know

Ingredient Notes

Bone-in chicken breast: Use the cooking liquid for the soup, then shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Strain the broth to catch any small bones before adding it back to the pot.
Elbow macaroni: It continues absorbing broth as the sopas sits. Keep extra water or broth ready if you prefer a looser soup.
Chicken and Corn Soup Mix: Adds both body and seasoning. Dissolve it in water before adding it, and check the package directions since brands can differ.
Milk: Gives the broth its creamy finish. Stir it in near the end and keep the heat gentle.
Hotdogs: I use chicken hotdogs here. Regular red hotdogs are another option and may give the broth a slightly pink color.
Quail eggs: Small enough to serve whole in the soup. Add them peeled and fully cooked near the end.
Carrots: Cut them into small, even pieces so they cook evenly and fit comfortably on a spoon.
Cabbage: Slice it thinly so it can soften in the hot soup after the heat is turned off.
Corn kernels: Add sweetness and a little texture alongside the macaroni and chicken.
Garlic and onion: Cook the onion until softened before adding the garlic. Let the garlic become fragrant without allowing it to burn.
Salt, patis, and white pepper: Salt and patis season the soup, while white pepper adds a gentle warmth. Taste before the final adjustment because the hotdogs and soup mix also contribute saltiness.
Cooking oil or butter: Either works for sautéing. Butter, or a combination of butter and oil, gives the soup a richer flavor.

Make it your own

Substitutions

Chicken breast: Bone-in chicken thighs also work. Cook them fully, remove the bones, and shred the meat.
Quail eggs: Use hard-boiled chicken eggs, halved or quartered, or leave the eggs out.
Elbow macaroni: Small shells or another small pasta shape can be used. Follow its cooking time and adjust the broth as needed.
Chicken hotdogs: Use regular hotdogs, or leave them out if you prefer more chicken and vegetables.
White pepper: Black pepper works too, though the specks will be more visible.
Patis: You can use salt to adjust the seasoning if you prefer, although the soup will have a slightly different flavor. Add it gradually rather than replacing the patis measure for measure.
Cooking oil: Use butter, or a combination of butter and oil, for sautéing.

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From my kitchen

Kubo Cooking Notes

Aim for light browning

The carrots, hotdogs, and shredded chicken only need a little color. If you followed the boiling-and-shredding method, the chicken is already cooked, so avoid frying it until it becomes dry. If you used the raw, sliced-chicken shortcut, browning is only the first step; the chicken still needs to cook fully in the soup.

Keep the browned bits in the pot, but lower the heat if they begin to burn. Once you pour in the broth, gently scrape the bottom to loosen them.

A quicker option

For a quicker version, use boneless chicken breast, slice it into small pieces, and sauté it directly instead of boiling and shredding it first. Use prepared chicken broth, or dissolve a chicken broth cube in water according to the packet directions, in place of the reserved cooking liquid. Let the chicken finish cooking in the soup. Taste before adding salt or patis, since the cube and Chicken and Corn Soup Mix already contain seasoning.

Leave room for the soup to thicken

Sopas can look quite soupy when freshly cooked and become much thicker as it rests. The macaroni keeps soaking up liquid, so make the final consistency adjustment close to serving time.

Add water or broth a little at a time, stir, and taste again before adding more seasoning. If you prefer a lighter soup, you can also use less Chicken and Corn Soup Mix.

Add the cabbage according to its cut

Thinly sliced cabbage can soften in the residual heat after the stove is turned off. If your pieces are thicker or you prefer softer cabbage, add it a little earlier and cook until it reaches the texture you like.

Take your time peeling the quail eggs

After boiling, transfer the eggs to an ice bath. Gently roll each one with your fingertips to crack the shell, then peel carefully. Using your whole palm can put too much pressure on the small eggs and crush them.

Plan ahead

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

Make ahead: You can cook and shred the chicken, prepare the broth, and boil the eggs ahead of time. Refrigerate these components promptly in separate covered containers. For the best macaroni texture, finish cooking the sopas closer to serving time.

Store leftovers: Separate the broth from the solids before storing, keeping them in separate shallow containers. This helps prevent the macaroni from soaking up the broth and becoming overly soft. Refrigerate both promptly and consume within 3–4 days. Avoid leaving the whole pot on the counter to cool completely.

Reheat: Combine only the portions of broth and solids you need. Heat thoroughly, stirring regularly, until the soup reaches 74°C throughout. Add a little water or broth if needed to loosen the soup. A splash of milk can restore some creaminess. Taste and adjust the seasoning after the soup is heated through.

Bring it to the table

Serving Suggestions

Serve hot with pandesal or toasted bread for dipping.
Finish with a little white pepper or chopped parsley, if you like.
For a lighter bowl, add a little hot broth just before serving.
Serve soon after cooking while the macaroni still has some bite and there is plenty of broth.

Ingredients

For the Chicken Broth

500 g bone-in chicken breast, skinless
1 L water, or enough to cover
Salt, to taste

For the Sopas

400 g elbow macaroni
25 quail eggs
20 g garlic
70 g onion
200 g carrots
250 g cabbage
4 jumbo chicken hotdogs
130 g whole corn kernels
60 g Chicken and Corn Soup Mix
300 ml milk
2 L water
2 Tbsp patis
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
Cooking oil or butter, as needed
Celery, optional
Parsley, optional, for garnish

How to Make It

Add the bone-in chicken breast to a pot and pour in enough water to cover. Season lightly with salt, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until fully cooked.
While the chicken cooks, boil the quail eggs until fully set, then transfer them to an ice bath. Peel and set aside. Regular chicken eggs may be used instead.
Remove the chicken from the pot, strain and reserve the broth, then shred the chicken once cool enough to handle.
Mince the garlic, dice the onion and carrots, slice the cabbage, and cut the hotdogs into pieces.
Heat a large pot over medium heat and add cooking oil, butter, or a combination of both.
Sauté the carrots until lightly browned, then remove. Sauté the hotdogs until lightly browned, then remove.
In the same pot, sauté the onion until softened, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the shredded chicken, season with salt and white pepper, and sauté until some of the edges are lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
Pour in the reserved chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits.
Add the remaining water, cover, and bring to a boil.
Add the elbow macaroni and cook according to the package instructions.
When the macaroni is nearly cooked, dissolve the Chicken and Corn Soup Mix in a little water, then pour it into the pot while stirring.
Return the carrots, chicken, and hotdogs to the pot, then add the corn kernels.
Pour in the milk and keep the heat gentle. Avoid boiling aggressively once the milk has been added.
Turn off the heat, then add the cabbage and peeled eggs. Mix gently and let the residual heat soften the cabbage.
Taste and adjust with patis, white pepper, or salt as needed.
Serve hot and garnish with parsley if desired.

Kubo Tips

Bone-in chicken gives you a more flavorful broth for the soup.
For easier peeling, gently roll quail eggs with your fingertips instead of your whole palm to avoid crushing them.
Sautéing the carrots, hotdogs, and shredded chicken is optional, but the extra browning adds more flavor.
Use butter instead of oil, or a mix of both, for a richer flavor.
White pepper keeps the soup looking cleaner, but black pepper works perfectly fine.
Regular red hotdogs give sopas that more classic flavor and slightly pink broth.
Use less Chicken and Corn Soup Mix if you prefer your sopas lighter and more soupy.
Add the cabbage after turning off the heat so it keeps a little texture.
Taste before adding the final seasoning since the soup mix and patis already add saltiness.
For leftovers, store the broth separately from the solids to keep the macaroni from getting too soft.
When reheating, add more water, broth, or milk if needed.