Description
Quick Chicken Pho is a speedy and flavorful take on the classic Vietnamese rice noodle soup, featuring a fragrant spiced broth simmered with chicken, garnished with fresh herbs and brightened with fish sauce and optional extras for a comforting, nutritious meal in just 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Broth Ingredients
- 3/4-inch (2 cm) section ginger
- 2 medium-large green onions
- 1 very small (0.5 oz | 15 g) bunch cilantro sprigs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 whole clove
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups (840 ml to 1 l) low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups (480 ml) water
- About 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 to 3 teaspoons fish sauce
- About 1/2 teaspoon organic sugar or 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
Main Ingredients
- 6 to 8 ounces (180 to 225 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
- 5 ounces (150 g) dried narrow flat rice noodles
Garnishes & Extras (Optional)
- Thinly sliced green parts of green onion (2 to 3 tablespoons)
- Coarsely chopped leafy tops of cilantro (2 tablespoons)
- Pepper (optional)
- Bean sprouts
- Mint sprigs
- Thai basil
- Cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
- Thinly-sliced chili peppers
Instructions
- Prepare the broth ingredients: Peel and slice the ginger into 4 or 5 coins and lightly smash them. Thinly slice the green parts of green onions and set aside for garnish. Cut remaining parts of green onions into pinkie-finger lengths, bruise, and add to ginger. Coarsely chop some cilantro for garnish, and reserve the rest for broth.
- Toast the spices and aromatics: In a 3- to 4-quart pot over medium heat, toast coriander seeds and clove until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the smashed ginger and bruised green onion sections and stir for 30 seconds to release aromas.
- Add liquids and simmer: Remove pot from heat to cool briefly, then pour in low-sodium chicken broth. Return pot to heat, add water, cilantro sprigs, chicken pieces, and sea salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
- Cook and remove chicken: Simmer chicken in broth for 5 to 10 minutes until cooked through and firm to the touch. Remove chicken from broth and transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking, drain and let cool.
- Continue simmering broth: Allow the broth to simmer without chicken for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, achieving a total of about 30 minutes simmering time for rich flavor.
- Shred chicken: Once cooled, shred or cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and cover loosely to prevent drying out.
- Soak the rice noodles: Soak dried rice noodles in hot water until pliable and opaque, then drain and rinse.
- Strain the broth: Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer lined with muslin into a clean pot to remove solids, yielding about 4 cups of clear broth. Season with fish sauce and optional sugar or maple syrup to balance savory and sweet flavors.
- Finish the pho: Bring broth to a boil. Dunk noodles briefly in hot broth to warm or simply add noodles to bowls, then ladle hot broth over. Arrange shredded chicken atop noodles, garnish with sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, and a sprinkle of pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with optional extras such as bean sprouts, mint, Thai basil, lime wedges, or chili peppers for added freshness and heat.
Notes
- This recipe offers a fast and approachable version of traditional Vietnamese pho, designed to be ready in only 30 minutes of simmering time.
- Using low-sodium broth allows better control of the final flavor and saltiness.
- Fresh herbs and garnishes like mint, Thai basil, and lime wedges add brightness and authenticity.
- Optional sweeteners like organic sugar or maple syrup balance the broth’s savoriness, but can be omitted if preferred.
- To intensify flavor, briefly dunking noodles in hot broth is recommended though not necessary.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approx. half recipe)
- Calories: 358 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 1379 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 106 mg
