Cooking Adventures

Using a stock pot, saute 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces) in a little oil until browned.  Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Set chicken aside, and then add 1 large onion (chopped) and saute until wilted.  Add 16 oz cherry tomatoes (cut in half) and 4 garlic cloves (minced), and saute until wilted.  Add 1 liter low-sodium chicken stock and 2 Tbsp fish sauce (see Note 2 below), scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add chunks of 3 peeled chayote and cooked chicken.  Bring to a boil, cover pot, and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 10-15 minutes).  Separately, cook about 4 oz clear noodles (here, I used Korean sweet potato noodles, or dang myun), drain, and rinse.  Place noodles in a soup bowl, then cover with the soup.  This recipe is from The Adobo Road Cookbook by Marvin Gapultos, with modifications (I cooked the noodles separately to prevent them from getting soggy).

Note: In lieu of 3 chayote, we have used 3 large zucchini or 3-4 yellow squash, cut into ½ inch thick quarter slices or half-moons.

Note 2: For a brothier soup, we often increase the liquid to a total of 6 cups chicken broth and 2 ½ – 3 Tbsp fish sauce.