The best chicken soup ever: Sup Ayam! A classic Malay chicken soup that’s easy to make, perfectly spiced, and full of cozy, comforting flavours.

Say hello to the best chicken soup you’ve ever had! There’s something about a bowl of Sup Ayam that instantly feels like home. This is the chicken soup that I grew up with: aromatic, beautifully spiced, and deeply nourishing. It’s been a while since I last made this, and when I spotted some sup bunjut at the grocery store recently, I knew it was time to revisit this childhood favourite.

This sup ayam is infused with savoury warm spices, balanced by the natural sweetness of onions, carrots, and potatoes. Every spoonful is comforting, cozy, and brimming with flavour, it’s truly the kind of dish that feeds both body and soul.

It might not look like it, but trust me, it’s surprisingly easy to make at home with just a few key ingredients and pantry staples. Let’s make it!

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What is Sup Ayam?

Sup Ayam is a traditional Malay-style chicken soup loved across Malaysia and Singapore. It’s simple home cooking at its best: chicken simmered in an aromatic broth with local spices and vegetables until tender and flavourful.

Sup = Soup

Ayam = Chicken

The secret to its distinct flavour lies in the use of sup bunjut — a bundle of whole spices like star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon — that gives the soup its characteristic warmth and fragrance.

At its simplest, sup ayam is flavoured with just sup bunjut. BUT to take it up a notch, a concoction of ground spices is added in to lift it up even more. This recipe includes the blend of spices (which are easy, pantry staples!).

While every household has its own version, Sup Ayam always has the same comforting base: a spice paste of onion, garlic, and ginger sautéed until fragrant, before being simmered with chicken and vegetables. The result is an ultra flavourful soup that’s both light and hearty at the same time.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Aromatic and comforting: A perfect balance of warming spices and rich chicken flavour.
One-pot simplicity: Everything comes together in a single pot for easy cleanup.
Hearty and nutritious: Loaded with vegetables and protein, it’s a wholesome meal on its own.
Simple ingredients: Made with basic pantry spices and a store-bought sup bunjut pack.
Flexible and family-friendly: Very kid-friendly! Delicious on its own or paired with rice, noodles, or bread.

Key Ingredients to Make Sup Ayam

The Soup Base

Chicken: Use bone-in pieces for the best flavour, though boneless can work too.

Onion, garlic, and ginger: The holy trinity of Malay cooking. These are blended into a smooth paste that forms the flavour foundation of the soup. I usually have the paste version prepped and ready to go in the fridge. See my post on aromatics paste here!

Water: The base for your broth is simple, but it transforms into something special after simmering with all the spices! You can use chicken stock as well.

Salt: The only seasoning agent you need! No MSG, no stock cubes, just pure salt is the only seasoning you need.

The Vegetables

Daun sup (Chinese parsley) or celery leaves: The most important ingredient for Sup Ayam! Adds a strong, fresh, and peppery flavour to the soup, and we’ll be using the whole stalk, stem included. It’s often used as a finishing herb in Malay and Chinese cooking, such as in soups, clear broths, mee soto, bakso, and steamed dishes. If you can’t find it, celery leaves, Italian parsley, or a mix of both makes a great substitute. Daun Sup gives the chicken soup the signature, herbaceous flavour so it can’t quite be replaced by any other herb, including the similar-looking cilantro (though it will still taste good!).

Carrots and potatoes: Usual vegetables for sup ayam to add sweetness, heartiness, and body to the soup.

Tomatoes: Not a common ingredient, but tomatoes Tomatoes aren’t always included in traditional Sup Ayam, but I absolutely love adding them in. They naturally contain glutamates, which means they act like natural MSG! They also bring a gentle tanginess that balances out the warm spices and richness of the chicken.

The Spices

Coriander, cumin, and fennel powder: A trio of warm, earthy spices that gives the soup so much depth. It also thickens it. These trio are my pantry staples, but there are powdered soup spices available as well that you can use in place.

Sup bunjut (Malay soup spice bundle): A spice sachet that usually contains star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. You can find it easily at most Asian grocers. The Adabi brand is the most commonly used one, although Malaysia stocks a wider variety from different brands. You can make them at home too! See the next section!

How to Make Homemade Sup Bunjut?

Can’t find sup bunjut? No worries, it’s so easy to make your own! Store-bought versions all have their own “secret formula,” so think of this as your base blend. You can mix, match, and tweak the quantities until you land on the flavour profile you love.

Here are the spices you can use for a homemade sup bunjut:

1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2–3 cloves
2 green cardamom pods
½–1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
A small piece of dried orange peel (optional for extra aroma)

Option to dry toast the spices for a deeper flavour. Just bundle everything into a soup bag, cheesecloth or muslin bag, tie it tight, and drop it straight into your soup. Easy, aromatic, and completely customisable.

Use whole spices only, this keeps the flavour clean and prevents cloudiness in the soup.

Key Steps to Making Sup Ayam

1. Blend aromatics & prep vegetables

Blend onion, garlic, and ginger with a splash of water until smooth.

Cut tomatoes into large wedges.

Chop potatoes and carrots into even-sized chunks.

Trim parsley roots and discard. Separate stems from leaves. Cut the stems into large chunks, and set aside the leaves for final garnish.

2. Cook the spice paste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the blended aromatics and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant.

Stir in coriander, cumin, and fennel powders to form a paste.

Continue to sauté for another 1–2 minutes until the mixture is fragrant and slightly dried down.

3. Add the chicken

Add chicken pieces and stir well to coat in the spice paste.

Cook until the surface is no longer pink (no need to cook through).

4. Simmer the soup

Add the rest of the ingredients: Pour in water and add sup bunjut, salt, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and parsley stems.

Stir to combine and bring it up to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for 30–45 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and tender.

5. Finish and serve

Once chicken is fully cooked, and potatoes are tender, Sup Ayam is done!

Optional: remove the parsley stems for a nicer-looking soup.

Garnish with parsley leaves. Option to garnish with fried shallots in the pot, or on serving bowls!

How to Serve

Sup Ayam is incredibly versatile — you can enjoy it in so many ways:

Serve it on its own as a wholesome meal.

Pair it with steamed jasmine rice for a comforting, complete weeknight dinner.

Add glass noodles, rice vermicelli, or even macaroni for a heartier version.

Or serve it with bread to soak up all the delicious flavour.

Sprinkle fried shallots and a squeeze of lime on top for extra flavour.

Want some heat?

Serve with Sambal Cili Kicap, or with chopped chillies/bird’s eye chillies.

Tips & Tricks

For a richer broth: Use bone-in chicken pieces like drumsticks or thighs.
Want a thicker soup? Let it simmer uncovered for a bit longer to reduce and concentrate the flavours.
Don’t skip the sautéing step: This is what brings out the depth of flavor in the spice paste.
Balance is key: If the soup tastes too strong or salty, add a splash of water or a small piece of potato to mellow it out.

Storing & Reheating

To store: Let the soup cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To freeze: Portion the soup into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 2 months.

To reheat: Warm over the stove on low heat until hot. Add a splash of water if it has thickened too much in the fridge.

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