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Quick and Easy Chicken Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

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Chicken pho soup
Pho… Phu… Fo… Fuh…

Hi there foody friends, I’m thrilled to share our version of chicken pho soup with you today!

I’m pretty sure I’ve pronounced pho incorrectly for years. During my pre blogging days, it was less about the facts and more about the flavour.

To be honest though, I do want to pronounce it correctly to be respectful to the people who invented it, but it’s still very much about the flavour for me personally.

I was wrong.

A few years ago, I was visiting a buddy of mine and he told me his daughter loved the soup. He pronounced it “fuh”. I considered correcting him because i’d never heard it pronounced that way, but then discovered his family ate this soup frequently and had learned the correct pronunciation, so I kept my mouth shut. Oops… looks like I’d been wrong all along! I had always pronounced it as “foe”.

Pho Breakfast?

Pho originated in Vietnam, and is incredibly popular there. It’s one of the most popular street foods in the country. Pho is so good, and I’m not surprised that Pho has become so popular in many other parts of the world. Pho is often served for lunch or dinner in the western side of the world, however it’s actually quite popular for breakfast in Vietnam. And why not? It’s hearty, nutritious, cheap and delicious—the perfect way to start the day.

How does our recipe stack up to authentic pho?

The foundation of pho is broth, noodles, herbs, spices and meat. The meat is usually beef or chicken. Herbs and spices vary from recipe to recip too.

Our recipe follows the general structure of pho. The main difference between our soup and the traditional pho is the broth. You slow-cook broth for many hours to make the authentic version.

I believe this recipe is a great backup plan and can easily be made at home, and served up quick. Make this delicious soup when you’re in the mood for some warm comfort food on a cold day, or any day really.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not going to claim our soup is as good as the pho you can buy from a street vendor in Vietnam. However, it’s definitely a delicious alternative if you don’t live in Vietnam or if you don’t want to go out to an authentic pho restaurant.

This is some seriously delicious food. Give our recipe a try! We think you’ll “pho-ll” in love with it. Oh, and don’t forget the hot sauce. Mmm…eat well, friends!

Chicken Pho
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Quick and Easy Chicken Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

This chicken pho soup is perfect Vietnamese comfort food. It’ll warm you up on a cold winter day! This version is also quick and easy to make.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main, Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 shallots, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger root, finely grated
  • 8 cups high quality chicken broth
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 stalks lemon grass, ends cut, outer layers removed and pounded/crushed to release flavour
  • 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts (450 g or 16 oz)
  • 300 g or 10.6 oz dry rice stick noddles (bánh phở)

Garnish

  • 3 stalks green onions, sliced thin
  • 2 cups bean sprouts
  • Small bunch of cilantro
  • 1 lime, cut in 4 wedges
  • 1 chili pepper, sliced thin
  • 12 basil leaves

Instructions

  • In a medium pot, heat the oil on medium to medium high.
  • Sauté the shallots, garlic and ginger until the shallots start to soften.
  • Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and crushed lemon grass.
  • Add the chicken breasts and increase the heat to high.
  • Once the broth starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  • While the stock is simmering, use a kettle to boil about 1.5 litres of water.
  • Place the dry noddles in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water.
  • Once the noddles soften (after about two minutes), drain the noddles and set the bowl aside.
  • Once the chicken is cooked, turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the pot and shred into large pieces using a fork.
  • Using a sieve, strain the broth into a bowl with a spout.
  • Place four large soup bowls on the counter.
  • Divide the noodles equally into the four soup bowls.
  • Add the shredded chicken to the bowls.
  • Divide the garnishes equally amongst the four bowls and pour in the strained broth over all the ingredients.
  • Serve the soup hot with a side the chili garlic sauce or other favourite hot sauce.

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