Chicken Fideo Soup (Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup)
Chicken Fideo Soup (also known as Chicken Sopita) is a rich, hearty and flavorful Mexican chicken soup with traditional fideo noodles. It’s the perfect chicken soup recipe when you want something light and bright.
Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Today, I’m sharing a traditional Mexican soup recipe that brings a delicious but welcome twist to the chicken noodle soup that most of us are familiar with.
Most of the ingredients are the same as your everyday chicken noodle soup but there are a few key ingredients that brings a new depth of flavor. Thyme adds an earthy, savoury note, while nutmeg brings a nutty, earthy and slightly sweet quality, and lemon brings a zesty brightness that lightens up the whole recipe.
What is fideo? Fideos are Mexican noodles that are similar to a thin spaghettini noodle broken into small pieces. If you can’t find fideos you can break up spaghettini or angel hair pasta, or even vermicelli noodles.
This light and flavorable soup is perfect for lunch or as a light dinner paired with a fresh garden salad and crusty bread.
Chicken Fideo Soup Variations:
- add crushed tomatoes or chipotles in adobo for a richer flavor
- add jalapeños for a hit of heat
- swap out or increase the vegetables – zucchini, mushrooms, kale, spinach, bell peppers, broccoli or cauliflower would all be great additions or substitutions
- add fun toppings like queso fresco, sliced avocados, crispy tortilla strips, etc
- for a bit more flavor, you can use skinless chicken thighs instead of the chicken breasts, but be sure to trim and remove any excess fat first and discard any bones before serving
Store this chicken fideo soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Can chicken fideo soup be frozen? While you can freeze this soup, I highly recommend removing the fideo noodles from the soup before freezing as they will be quite mushy when thawed and reheated. The noodle-free soup can be frozen in airtight ziptop freezer bags or your favorite freezer containers for up to 4 months. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)
For best results, cook the Fideo separately, rather than in the same pot with the rest of the ingredients. This extra step yields more consistent results by eliminating the release of excess starch into the soup. It also prevents the noodles from becoming too soft and mushy, which means more appetizing leftovers the next day and better results when freezing for future use. Cooking the Fideo in chicken stock instead of water adds an extra layer of flavor.
More Homemade Chicken Soup Recipes:
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cold-Fighting Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup (Low-Carb) from Sizzle and Salt
- Asian-Style Chicken Rice Soup from Kylee Cooks
- Buffalo Chicken Soup from The Soccer Mom Blog
Chicken Fideo Soup Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Medium sweet onion, diced
- Medium carrots, peeled and diced
- Celery stalks, diced (leaves reserved)
- Fresh thyme, crushed
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1” cubes
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Low-sodium chicken stock, divided
- Fideo noodles, cooked and drained
- Fresh lemon zest
- Fresh lemon juice
- Nutmeg
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: if you can’t find fideo noodles, you can use broken spaghettini or angel hair pasta.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Cutting Board
- Large Stockpot
- Mixing Spoon or Spatula
- Colander
How to Make Chicken Fideo Soup
Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven.
Add onion and sauté 2 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add carrots, celery and thyme and sauté 4 minutes.
Add chicken, salt, pepper and 4 cups chicken stock. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
While soup is simmering, cook Fideo according to package directions in remaining broth until al dente.
Reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid before draining pasta. Drain pasta and transfer to a medium bowl and toss with remaining olive oil. Cover and set aside.
Just before serving, add Fideo to Dutch oven. Stir and remove from heat.
Add lemon zest, lemon juice, nutmeg. If soup is too thick, add a little bit of the reserved cooking liquid to desired consistency.
To serve, divide Fideo among individual serving bowls and top with hot soup. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Garnish with additional fresh cracked pepper and fresh parsley and thyme if desired.
Serve with hot crusty bread and/or a crisp, garden salad for a light and delicious meal.
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Chicken Fideo Soup
Chicken Fideo Soup (also known as Chicken Sopita) is a rich, hearty and flavorful Mexican chicken soup with traditional fideo noodles. It's the perfect chicken soup recipe when you want something light and bright.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced (leaves reserved)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, crushed
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1” cubes
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock, divided
- 1 cup Fideo noodles, cooked and drained
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven.
- Add onion and sauté 2 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add carrots, celery and thyme and sauté 4 minutes.
- Add chicken, salt, pepper and 4 cups chicken stock. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
- While soup is simmering, cook Fideo according to package directions in remaining broth until al dente.
- Reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid before draining pasta. Drain pasta and transfer to a medium bowl and toss with remaining olive oil. Cover and set aside.
- Just before serving, add Fideo to Dutch oven. Stir and remove from heat.
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice, nutmeg. If soup is too thick, add a little bit of the reserved cooking liquid to desired consistency.
- To serve, divide Fideo among individual serving bowls and top with hot soup. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- Garnish with additional fresh cracked pepper and fresh parsley and thyme if desired.
- Serve with hot crusty bread and/or a crisp, garden salad for a light and delicious meal.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 203Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 699mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 22g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves this chicken fideo soup as much as mine does!
For more scrumptious soups, check out our full soup recipe collection here:
For more ways to enjoy chicken, check out our full chicken recipe collection here:
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