30 Min. Ginger Garlic Chicken Soup for Two (My Customizable Soup System)

Updated: March 2026

This 30 Minute Ginger and Garlic Chicken Soup for Two is an Asian-inspired chicken soup that’s not tied to any one tradition, but built on the deeply satisfying aromatic flavors of ginger, garlic, and savory broth. I had a hard time turning it into an “official recipe” because it is more a soup system than something that should be followed to the letter. I especially love it when I am feeling run down and on the verge of picking up whatever germs walked in the door with my school aged child!

It is what I make when I want something healthy, yummy, and actually satisfying FAST! It’s loaded with ginger, garlic, and and greens in a broth that tastes like self care. But you can take it in so many directions from there! Don’t like mushrooms? Leave them out! Have some summer corn? Toss it in! No cabbage or bok choy? Toss in some spinach or kale. If it’s handy, I will squeeze in a bit of lime juice or grate in a little fresh turmeric. Sometimes I will add splash of coconut milk and top cilantro if I have it.

Why You’ll Love This Ginger Garlic Chicken Soup System

• It’s FAST! You can make it from scratch in 30 minutes which means it is weeknight friendly!
• It has tons of sinus clearing ginger and garlic, very welcome when you are feeling run down.
• It’s absolutely delicious, looks elevated, and feels cozy without being heavy.
• It’s CUSTOMIZABLE and friendly to all kinds of substitutions.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast NOT thighs. I get it. I am meh on chicken breast too, but chicken thighs release impurities during cooking that will result in a cloudy soup if not removed by skimming. It is possible to do that, but it is more time consuming and requires more attention than I want to pay for a quick throw together soup.
• ginger- about 1 tbsp grated using a microplane
• garlic- 1-2 cloves, grated using a microplane
• shiitake mushrooms, but I sometimes use regular mushrooms or those cute little beech mushrooms
• chicken bone broth, this is what truly gives the soup body. Sometimes I make my own, other times I use this brand.
• napa cabbage, but plain green cabbage will work in a pinch
• toasted sesame oil
• fish sauce, or plain salt if you don’t like fish sauce. You could also stir in gochujang or miso paste.
• sliced chilis or chili crisp
• rice- I prefer jasmine or brown rice, but you can also use rice noodles

Here are some Variations & Add-Ins:

This soup is very forgiving as to substitutions. In the summer, I love adding a bit of corn. If I don’t have cabbage or bok choy, I’ll throw in some spinach or kale. If it’s handy, I will squeeze in a bit of lime juice or grate in a little fresh turmeric. Sometimes I will add splash of coconut milk and top cilantro if I have it. Play around with it and make it your own!

Can I use rotisserie chicken?

Sure! If you do this, just start the recipe by sautéing the onion and mushrooms and go from there!

Ginger Garlic Chicken Soup

Recipe by thesal28_wp

Course: SoupsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2-3

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Since March 2020, this soup has been in HEAVY rotation in my house. It’s a streamlined version of my very popular One Pot Homemade Chicken Soup, and contains lots of immune boosting ingredients that also boost flavor. This soup gets another hit of flavor from a dash of toasted sesame oil at the end (my favorite brand is La Tourangelle). Optional, but recommended, a few sliced chilis to give the soup an extra bit of nose clearing goodness, which is always welcome when battling a case of the sniffles.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil), divided

• 1 1b. boneless, skinless chicken breast (see note above for why I don’t use thighs)

• Kosher salt

• 2-3 green onions, white part only, sliced (slice and reserve one green onion top for garnish)

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or grated using a microplane grater, to yield 2-3 tsp

• 1 inch knob of ginger, minced or grated using a microplane grater, to yield 2-3 tsp

• 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced

• 3 cups chicken bone broth (I typically use this brand of bone broth)

• 4 cups napa cabbage, sliced thinly OR baby bok choy

• 1 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste

• 2/3 cup cooked rice (I like jasmine or brown)

• 1 carrot, julienned or sliced

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

• 1 serrano chili, sliced, for garnish (optional), or chili crisp

• Kosher salt

Directions

• Heat 1 1/2 tbsp grapeseed oil (or your preferred neutral oil) in a medium (4 qt) stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle the chicken generously with Kosher salt and add the chicken to the pot. Once the chicken is browned, flip over and brown the other side.  Stack the chicken on one side of the pot and add the green onion and shiitake mushrooms. Season the onion and mushroom lightly and cook, stirring frequently for a few minutes. You may need to add a tiny bit more oil. (I used to remove the chicken from the pot in earlier versions of the recipe, but I’ve gotten lazy. You may still do this if you like!)
• Add the bone broth, along with 3 cups of water to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the ginger and garlic, then immediately reduce the liquid to a bare simmer. Keeping the liquid at a bare simmer, cook the chicken for about 10-15 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the pot and allow it to cool until it can be safely handled. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, dice it into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the chicken back to the soup.
• Taste the soup and season it taste with fish sauce (add it 1 tsp at a time, because it is very salty) or Kosher salt. Add the cooked rice and carrot. Simmer the soup for another 5 minutes to meld the flavors. Right before serving, add the cabbage or bok choy to the soup. Garnish the soup with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, sliced green onion, sesame seeds, and chilis or chili crisp, if desired.

Notes

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