What do you get when you combine a love for noodle soup with sheer laziness? This recipe for a lazy (wo)man’s chicken pho. I love this recipe because it’s super easy, fresh, delicious, and high in protein. I made it up one night after my husband was sick and we had ordered him a “thai chicken noodle soup” that tasted a lot like pho. If you got a hankering though and can’t get to a good place for a bowl, this will definitely hit the spot – and you can make it all in under 20 minutes (promise!). My husband, my biggest fan (and critic) even says: “the flavors are spot on!” every time we have it.
Traditionally, pho broth is patiently and slowly simmered for hours and is a concoction of beef bones, oxtails, flank steak, charred onion, charred ginger and spices. For a more intense flavor, the bones may still have beef on them. According to wikipedia, “pho was originally sold at dawn and dusk by roaming street vendors, who shouldered mobile kitchens on carrying poles. From the pole hung two wooden cabinets, one housing a cauldron over a wood fire, the other storing noodles, spices, cookware, and space to prepare a bowl of pho.
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The Lazy (Wo)man’s Chicken Pho
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
30 minutes or less chicken pho recipe.
Ingredients
- Vietnamese rice noodle sticks (any width will work; I like mine between the fat and super skinny ones; exact, I know)
- Chicken broth (I get mine in a box from Whole Foods; 3 cups)
- Ginger (1 tablespoon)
- Garlic (1 tablespoon)
- Olive Oil (1 tablespoon)
- Chicken breast (1/2 lb; this is one chicken breast chunk)
- Fish sauce (a couple of squeezes from the bottle to taste)
- Fresh herbs (I use whatever I already have in my fridge since I use fresh herbs everyday: mint, basil, green onions, cilantro)
- Optional: thinly sliced red onion (if you rinse under hot water it will water down the pungent onion flavor)
- Toppings: Hoisin sauce, fresh limes, sirracha hot sauce
Instructions
- I start by mincing fresh ginger and garlic into tiny bits and pieces, which I then saute in a pot with olive oil. I then pour in 3 cups or so of chicken broth, a few splashes of fish sauce and bring to a rapid boil (be careful with the amount of fish sauce you use, the flavor becomes more concentrated, thus saltier, once boiled).
- Boil the noodles for a few minutes, rinse, and dry in a colander. Poach the chicken breast (takes about 7-10 minutes) in a small pot. Shred the chicken when its done (I find blowing on it while you shred keeps you from burning your fingers off!). Prepare/cut/rinse all toppings including herbs, lime, and thinly sliced onions and viola, it’s ready for dinner.
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of rice noodles should I use, and do I boil them in the broth?
Use Vietnamese rice noodle sticks, medium width works best, somewhere between the super thin (bun) and the wide flat ones. Boil them separately in plain water for a few minutes, then rinse and drain in a colander before adding to your bowl. Cooking them directly in the broth muddies the broth and makes the noodles starchy and clumped. Rinse well; they’ll finish cooking in the hot broth when you pour it over them in the bowl. 
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead of poaching a raw breast?
Yes, rotisserie chicken is an even lazier shortcut and it works well. Skip the poaching step entirely, just shred the meat and add it directly to your bowl. The broth still gets its flavor from the sautéed ginger and garlic, the fish sauce, and the fresh herbs, so the swap costs you nothing. Use about half a pound of pulled white and dark meat. The one thing you may need to adjust: rotisserie chicken is saltier, so go lighter on the fish sauce.
Why does my broth taste flat, what am I missing?
The flavors that make this taste like actual pho are all in the toppings and finishing: hoisin, sriracha, and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice added at the table. Without those, the broth will taste like seasoned chicken stock. Also make sure your ginger and garlic hit a golden-brown color before you add the broth, if they’re pale and barely cooked, the infusion is weak. And don’t skip the fish sauce; add it to taste before the boil and hold back if the broth is already salty.
