Mild Chicken Rice-Noodle Soup
By Mira Sefton
Calcium & vitamin D +
Canned salmon (with bones)Sardines (with bones)Fortified oat milkOmega-3 fats +
SalmonSardinesCanned tunaA soothing chicken and rice-noodle soup built without onion or garlic bulb, with soft carrot and a clear, gentle broth.
Some days you want a bowl of soup that asks nothing of your gut. This one is built around a clear chicken broth, soft rice noodles and tender chicken — the kind of meal that feels like a warm blanket rather than a test.
The usual trouble spots in a noodle soup are onion and garlic bulb (both high in fructans, a carb that ferments quickly and brings on gas), plus chilli and a lot of strong fish sauce. Here you get the same savoury, warming flavour from garlic-infused oil, the green tops of spring onions and a little ginger — all much easier on most pouches.
Rice noodles are naturally gluten-free and slip down easily once cooked soft. Peel and cook the carrot until it's properly tender, and you've got a soup that's low on particle load and big on comfort.
Ingredients
- 1 litre onion-free chicken stock (or low-FODMAP stock)
- 500 ml water
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 300 g)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp garlic-infused oil
- 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 2 spring onions, green tops only, finely sliced
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
- 150 g dried rice noodles (vermicelli or flat)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- A small handful of fresh coriander, chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
Method
- Pour the stock and water into a large pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the whole chicken thighs and the sliced carrot. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the carrot is soft.
- Lift out the chicken, set it on a board to cool for a minute, then shred or slice it into bite-sized pieces.
- Stir the garlic-infused oil, grated ginger and soy sauce into the broth. Taste and add a little salt if it needs it.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot and keep it warm on a low heat.
- In a separate pot or bowl, cook the rice noodles to packet instructions until soft, then drain.
- Divide the noodles between four bowls and ladle the hot broth, chicken and carrot over the top.
- Finish with the spring onion greens, a few drops of sesame oil if using, and a little coriander.
Gentler swaps
- Ginger too warming? Halve it, or leave it out — the broth is still lovely.
- Soy sauce too salty or you're soy-free? Swap for a splash of onion-free stock concentrate and a pinch of salt.
- Noodles sitting heavy? Use a smaller portion (about 30 g dried per person) and add more broth and carrot.
- Want more veg? Soft, peeled courgette rounds simmered until tender are gentle; add them with the carrot.
For the family
Cook once — your gentle version, plus how to pep it up for everyone else.
Everyone shares the same pot: clear chicken broth, soft carrot, shredded chicken and rice noodles. That base is gentle enough for you and tasty enough that no one feels short-changed.
Keep the pot mild and serve yourself first. Then let the family pep up their own bowls at the table. Set out little dishes of fresh sliced chilli, a splash of fish sauce, a squeeze of lime, extra coriander and some sliced raw spring onion (the white parts too).
They can stir these straight into their bowls for a bolder, more punchy soup, while yours stays calm and clear. Same pot, same meal — just a few finishing touches that stay off your plate.
Scores are modelled estimates, not medical advice. Everyone's gut is different, and tolerance changes over time. Reintroduce foods one at a time, and follow your own medical team's advice.