5-Ingredient Spicy Wonton Soup Recipe
We've all been there — exhausted after a long day, scrolling aimlessly through a food delivery app until something manages to spark enough interest to order. On some occasions, we've managed to prepare ourselves for this very moment enough that our freezer is stocked with frozen entrees from Trader Joe's. Other times, our freezer is barren of anything but frozen veggies and a bag of wontons, and our grocery money gets spent on delivery. That bag of wontons isn't just for late-night snacking, though — it can become a full meal in under 20 minutes with just a handful of other ingredients.
This spicy wonton soup recipe, developed with Michelle McGlinn, uses just five ingredients you likely have lying around already, especially if you frequently make Asian-inspired cuisines. Inspired by the spicy, silky wontons at Chinese dim sum restaurants, this soup is the perfect combination of fiery heat and meaty savoriness, complete with crunchy green scallions. A warming soup that is even better (and cheaper) than takeout, this wonton soup makes even the busiest weeknights feel like a breeze.
The 5 ingredients needed for spicy wonton soup
The first ingredient you will need for this spicy wonton soup is, of course, frozen wontons. If your grocery store doesn't sell these, try a grocery store that specializes in Chinese cuisine. You can use any type of dumpling, such as chicken and vegetable, mushroom, or our favorite, pork and spinach. You can also swap wontons for dumplings, which use a slightly thicker dough but can be boiled just the same. From there, you'll just need scallions, soy sauce, chili oil, and chicken broth, plus some oil for sauteing.
Step 1: Heat the oil in a pot
Heat the oil in a deep pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Step 2: Saute the scallions
Add the scallion whites and saute until they're fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add soy sauce and chili oil
Just as the scallions begin to brown, add the soy sauce and chili oil. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Step 4: Simmer the broth
Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
Step 5: Cook the wontons
Drop in the wontons and cook until they're softened and floating, about 5 minutes.
Step 6: Serve with scallions
To serve, top with scallion greens.
What pairs well with wonton soup?
5-Ingredient Spicy Wonton Soup Recipe
Our spicy wonton soup, which takes less than 15 minutes, uses just five ingredients and is the perfect combination of fiery heat and meaty savoriness.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 scallions, white parts chopped, green parts thinly sliced and reserved
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup chili oil
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups frozen wonton (About 20 wontons)
Directions
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 scallions, white parts chopped, green parts thinly sliced and reserved
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup chili oil
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups frozen wonton (About 20 wontons)
- Recipe:
- Heat the oil in a deep pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the scallion whites and saute until they're fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Just as the scallions begin to brown, add the soy sauce and chili oil. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
- Drop in the wontons and cook until they're softened and floating, about 5 minutes.
- To serve, top with scallion greens.
How can I adjust the heat level in spicy wonton soup?
The heat level in this spicy wonton soup depends on two things: The type of chili oil you have and how much of it you use. Our chili oil is store-bought and made with chile extract, meaning the spice is fairly concentrated and gets spicy fast. If you make your own chili oil, you can better control the spice level. The ¼ cup suggested in the recipe is a little over medium heat, which can be made milder by using half of the amount of chili oil. If you've already added the chili oil and find it too spicy, you can try adding more broth to dilute the spice, or add a squeeze of lime, a swirl of honey, or a few spoonfuls of rice vinegar to neutralize some of the spice.
On the other hand, if you don't think the soup is spicy enough, try adding a store-bought chili crisp as a garnish to crank the heat up a notch. You can also saute fresh chiles with the scallions to infuse the broth with more spice, or simply add another few splashes of chili oil to increase the level of heat.
What other ingredients can I add to this soup?
This super-simple soup is a great way to clean out your freezer, but further, makes a delicious and warming base for a variety of other ingredients. For example, you can add noodles to make it a heartier soup. We recommend adding ramen noodles directly into the boiling broth with the wontons, or pouring the soup over softened rice noodles for a soup more like a pho. You can also use soba noodles, vermicelli, or plain angel hair pasta for similar results.
Other ways to add ingredients to this soup include tossing in some mushrooms, eggplant, garlic, bok choy, and even squash. For mushrooms, eggplant, garlic, and squash, we recommend sauteing them first for better flavor, then continuing with the recipe as written. For bok choy, spinach, or any leafy green, we recommend adding them at the end and stirring just until they're wilted, when the leaves are bright green and soft. As for additional toppings, we recommend a sprinkling of sesame seeds, a small sheet of nori, and a soft-boiled egg for a more filling, flavorful soup without any extra cooking.