Chicken fideo soup, or sopa de fideo con pollo, is a Mexican chicken soup made with tender chicken, vegetables, golden broth, and short fideo noodles. Finished with lime, cilantro, cotija, and tortilla strips, it has all the comfort of chicken noodle soup with a Mexican table-style finish.
Why You'll Love This Chicken Fideo Soup Recipe
Chicken fideo soup gives you the comfort of chicken noodle soup with a Mexican-style finish. The short fideo noodles cook quickly, the ingredients are simple, and the light golden broth makes this an easy soup for lunch, dinner, or any season.
- Fast soup night: The chicken, vegetables, and fideo noodles cook quickly, so this is a good option when you want homemade soup without a long simmer.
- Uses easy ingredients: Chicken broth, carrots, celery, onion, chicken, and fideo noodles keep this simple and budget-friendly.
- Good year-round: Since it is brothy instead of thick or creamy, this soup works just as well on a cool evening as it does for a light summer meal.
Ingredients Overview
Fideo noodles are what make this soup different from regular chicken noodle soup. They are short, thin vermicelli-style noodles, usually about 1 inch long, and are often sold in the Hispanic aisle. In this recipe, they make a brothy sopa de fideo con pollo, not a thick tomato-based fideo seco dish.
The rest of the soup uses familiar chicken soup ingredients: chicken broth, diced chicken, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, lime, and a little nutmeg. Cilantro, cotija cheese, tortilla strips, and lime wedges are optional, but they make the bowl taste finished.
Pro Tip
If your grocery store does not carry fideo noodles, break angel hair pasta into short pieces and use it the same way.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Chicken Fideo Soup
Start by cooking the vegetables in olive oil, then add the chicken and broth so the soup base can simmer until the chicken is cooked through. The fideo noodles are cooked separately, then added near the end so they stay tender without turning the whole pot too thick.
The step-by-step photos below show the full process before you jump to the printable recipe card.
Step 1: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Saute the onion until it softens, then add the carrots, celery, and thyme and cook for 4 minutes.
Step 2: Add the diced chicken, salt, and pepper. Cook just until the chicken changes color on the outside.
Step 3: Add half of the chicken broth, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
💡Pro Tip
You can also use part of a rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken. Saute the vegetables and add the diced cook chicken after the broth has been simmering.
Step 4: Cook the fideo noodles in boiling water until al dente. Drain them well, then toss with a little olive oil so they don't stick together while the soup finishes.
Step 5: Add the cooked fideo and the remaining chicken broth to the soup pot. Stir, remove from the heat, then add the lime zest, lime juice, and nutmeg.
Serve with cilantro, cotija cheese, lime wedges, fried tortilla strips, or any toppings you like.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken fideo soup makes a simple lunch or light dinner, especially when you want something brothy but still filling. Serve it with warm bolillo rolls for dipping, flour tortillas on the side, or a few fried tortilla strips scattered over the top.
For a larger meal, pair each bowl with arroz verde or cilantro lime rice. Lime wedges, chopped cilantro, cotija cheese, diced avocado, sliced jalapenos, or a spoonful of salsa are all good finishes at the table.
Substitutions and Variations
Use these swaps to adjust the soup with what you have on hand.
- Rotisserie chicken: Add chopped or pulled rotisserie chicken near the end of cooking instead of simmering raw chicken in the broth.
- Broken angel hair: Use angel hair pasta broken into short pieces if you can't find Mexican fideo noodles.
- More vegetables: Add zucchini, corn, diced potatoes, or bell pepper if you want a fuller vegetable soup.
- Tomato-style fideo soup: Stir in a small amount of tomato sauce or tomato paste if you prefer a more tomato-based broth.
- Spicy finish: Add sliced jalapenos, chile flakes, or hot sauce at the table so the whole pot stays family-friendly.
Tips for Success
A few small details help keep the broth clear and the noodles from taking over the pot.
- Cook the fideo separately: Fideo absorbs broth quickly, so boiling it separately helps the soup stay brothy.
- Stop at al dente: Slightly firm noodles hold up better once they are added to the hot soup.
- Add broth as needed: Keep extra chicken broth nearby because the noodles will continue to absorb liquid as the soup sits.
- Season after simmering: Taste the broth near the end before adding more salt, especially if using store-bought broth or cotija cheese.
- Finish with lime: Lime juice wakes up the broth and keeps the soup from tasting flat.
Storage Options
Fideo keeps absorbing broth after cooking, so store and reheat it with that in mind.
- Refrigerate: Store leftover chicken fideo soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat gently: Warm the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding extra broth or water to loosen it as needed.
- Freeze without noodles: For the best texture, freeze the chicken and broth mixture without the fideo, then add freshly cooked noodles when reheating.
- Freeze fully cooked soup if needed: Cooked fideo can soften after freezing, but the soup is still usable if texture is not your main concern.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Fideo is a short, thin noodle used in Mexican cooking. It is similar to vermicelli or angel hair pasta, but it is usually cut into small pieces that cook quickly in soups and brothy dishes.
Yes. Chicken fideo soup is the English name for sopa de fideo con pollo, a Mexican-style chicken noodle soup made with short fideo noodles, chicken, vegetables, and broth.
No. Fideo seco is usually a tomato-based Mexican noodle dish that cooks down until it is much thicker and less brothy. Chicken fideo soup, or sopa de fideo con pollo, is a brothy chicken soup made with short fideo noodles.
Fideo noodles keep absorbing broth after they are cooked. Add more chicken broth or water when reheating, or store the noodles separately if you want the soup to stay very brothy.
Yes. Add cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken near the end of cooking, just long enough to heat it through. This is a good shortcut when you already have leftover chicken.
Many Mexican fideo recipes toast the dry noodles in oil before adding liquid. This recipe cooks the noodles separately for a brothier chicken soup, but you can toast the dry fideo first if you want a nuttier flavor.
Mexican Recipes
Get The Recipe!
Chicken Fideo Soup (Sopa de Fideos con Pollo)
Equipment
- 6 qt Enameled Dutch Oven
- 6 qt Stainless Steel Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 sprig thyme fresh, leaves removed
- 1 lb chicken boneless, skinless, cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 8 cup chicken broth store bought or homemade, divided in half
- 1 cup fideo cooked and drained
- 1 tablespoon lime zest fresh
- 1 tablespoon lime juice fresh
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ground
- cilantro fresh, for garnish
- Cotija cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven and saute the onion until it's soft and fragrant. Add the carrots, celery, and thyme and cook for 4 minutes.3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion, 2 medium carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 sprig thyme
- Add the diced or cubed chicken, salt, pepper and cook until the chicken changes color.1 lb chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add half the chicken broth, cover the soup pot and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and vegetables tender.8 cup chicken broth
- While the soup is simmering, boil the Fideo noodles according to the package instructions in water. Cook until al dente, still slightly firm. This will prevent them from getting too soft in the soup pot.1 cup fideo
- Drain and toss with olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Add the fideo and the remaining chicken broth to the pot of chicken fideo soup, stir and remove from heat. Stir in the lime zest, lime juice, and the nutmeg. Serve with chopped parley or cilantro garnish.1 tablespoon lime zest, 1 tablespoon lime juice, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, cilantro, Cotija cheese
Notes
- If you can't find fideo noodles, you can substitute another type of thin noodle, such as vermicelli or broken up angel hair pasta.
- You can use leftover rotisserie chicken to save time!
- To make the soup spicier, add a pinch of cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or some jalapeno slices.
Nutrition
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