Creamy Chicken Sopas

Dice the carrot, finely chop the celery stalks and leaves, shred the cabbage, dice the onion, and mince the garlic.

Melt the butter with the oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Adding a little oil to the butter raises its smoke point and prevents it from burning at higher heat.

Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 30 seconds.

Add the garlic and continue sautéing until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Add the diced chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the outer layer turns light brown, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the chopped celery stalks and leaves and cook for 1 minute.

Add the diced carrot and sauté for another minute to release its natural flavor.

Pour in the chicken broth, stir well, cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Then 3 min of waiting

Once boiling, add the elbow macaroni and stir to combine.

Pour in the evaporated milk and stir to mix.

Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently until the macaroni is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Then 10 min of waiting

Keep the heat low so the soup simmers rather than boils hard, which prevents the milk from curdling.

Remove the lid, turn the heat up slightly, and add the shredded cabbage.

Stir continuously and cook until the cabbage is tender, about 2–3 minutes.

Season with the ground white pepper and salt to taste, adjusting the seasoning as needed.

Add the hard-boiled eggs if using, gently stirring them into the soup until warmed through.

Ladle the hot sopas into bowls, garnish with chopped scallions or parsley, and serve warm.