Description
Quick Chicken Pho is a vibrant and aromatic Vietnamese rice noodle soup made with tender chicken, toasted spices, fresh herbs, and a clear chicken broth. This recipe provides a fast and flavorful version of the classic pho, ready in just 40 minutes, perfect for satisfying your craving for authentic tastes with minimal effort.
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 (Optional)
- Bean sprouts
- Mint sprigs
- Thai basil
- Cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
- Thinly sliced chili peppers
- Pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the broth ingredients: Peel and slice the ginger into 4 or 5 coins and gently smash them with the flat side of a knife or meat mallet. Thinly slice the green parts of the green onion to reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons for garnish and cut the remaining parts into pinkie-finger lengths. Coarsely chop 2 tablespoons of the cilantro leaves for garnishing and set the remaining cilantro sprigs aside. Set all these aside for later use.
- Toast the broth spices: Using a 3- to 4-quart pot over medium heat, toast the coriander seeds and clove for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the ginger slices and green onion sections, stirring for about 30 seconds to release their aroma.
- Add broth and simmer: Remove the pot from heat briefly, then pour in the low-sodium chicken broth. Return the pot to the burner, add water, cilantro sprigs, chicken pieces, and salt. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and gently simmer.
- Remove chicken when cooked: After 5 to 10 minutes of simmering, check if chicken is firm and cooked through by pressing lightly; it should slightly yield. Remove the chicken from the broth.
- Continue simmering the broth: Let the broth simmer without the chicken for an additional 15 to 20 minutes to develop flavor, totaling around 30 minutes simmering time.
- Shred the chicken: Transfer the cooked chicken to a bowl and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Drain well, let cool, then shred or cut into bite-size pieces. Cover loosely to keep moist.
- Soak the rice noodles: Soak dried rice noodles in hot water until they become pliable and opaque. Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside.
- Strain the broth: Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer lined with muslin into a clean pot to achieve a clear broth. Discard the solids. Adjust seasoning by adding fish sauce and optional sugar or maple syrup to balance savoriness and sweetness.
- Finish the pho: Bring the strained broth to a boil over high heat. If desired, dunk the noodles in the hot broth briefly (5 to 60 seconds) to warm and infuse flavor, then divide noodles between two bowls. Arrange the shredded chicken on top, garnish with reserved green onion, cilantro, and pepper. Taste and adjust saltiness one last time. Ladle hot broth over the noodles and serve immediately with optional extras like bean sprouts, herbs, lime, and chili.
Notes
- This recipe provides a delicious quick take on traditional Vietnamese chicken pho using a direct simmer method instead of long simmering bone broth.
- Using boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs allows for quick cooking and easy shredding.
- To achieve a clear broth, be sure to strain well using muslin or a fine mesh sieve.
- Customize garnishes such as bean sprouts, Thai basil, mint, lime, and chilies for authentic flavor and freshness.
- Soaking noodles in hot water softens them quickly and avoids overcooking in the broth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about half recipe)
- Calories: 358
- 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
