Chicken Mami is a Filipino-style soup with flavorful stock, fresh egg noodles, flaked chicken, vegetables, and tasty toppings! It’s delicious as a complete meal or hearty snack and will warm your soul and fill your belly.
I always use homemade stock from scrap bones for my mami soups; no shortcut bouillons or storebought broths. The backbone of a tasty soup is a robust broth and is definitely worth the extra work. I buy good amounts of chicken neck, wing, and back bones from the market, saute them in aromatics, and simmer them for hours to turn into liquid gold that’s luscious and full of flavor.
A great stock takes time, but it can be prepared on a spare day and stored in the freezer until ready to use. With a liter or two handy, this chicken mami takes less than 15 minutes to get from the stove to the dinner table.
- Broth– homemade from chicken neck, wing, and back bones sauteed and simmered for hours with carrots, celery, and aromatics for depth of flavor
- Flaked Chicken– Use bone-in for the best flavor. The breast is a leaner cut, while the thigh, leg, neck, and wing parts have a higher fat and a more intense, richer taste.
- Fresh egg noodles– made from eggs and flour kneaded and sliced thinly; also called mami noodles
- Assorted toppings– include vegetables such as napa cabbage, julienned carrots, chopped green onions, fried garlic bits, and hard-boiled eggs.
- Fish sauce – adds umami flavor to the dish.
- Calamansi– small, green, round citrus fruit with a tart taste; you can substitute lemon or lime
- Salt and pepper– season to taste
Chicken mami cooking steps
This is a short overview. Check out the recipe card below for the detailed instructions.
- Make stock– use the bone-in chicken to make the stock and reserve the meat for toppings.
- Prepare toppings– cook the hardboiled eggs, toast the garlic, flake the cooked chicken, and cut the vegetables.
- Blanch the noodles– bring water to a boil in a large pot and briefly plunge the fresh egg noodles to loosen the strands and remove any excess grease.
- Assemble– Divide mami noodles into serving bowls, add the toppings, and pour the hot broth.
Easy Shortcut Method
Short on time and want dinner in a hurry? Use storebought broth and rotisserie chicken. Heat the broth in a saucepot and season with patis to taste. Shred the roasted chicken.
How to serve and store
- Serve chicken mami as a filling midday snack or light dinner meal. Serve hot with toppings of choice and calamansi, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce as additional seasoning. Pairing the soup with fried spring rolls or siopao is also customary.
- This Filipino-style noodle soup is best enjoyed freshly cooked as the mami tends to soak up all the liquid and lose texture in the broth. It doesn’t freeze well, as frozen and thawed ingredients turn mushy.
- If you’re planning to store it for later, I suggest keeping the broth, noodles, and toppings in separate containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat the broth, meat, and noodles to 165 F and garnish with the toppings when ready to serve.
