Healthier Chicken Pho

5 from 3 votes

This recipe was adapted from the wonderful Vietnamese Chicken Pho soup (Pho Ga) recipe at RecipeTin Eats. We started with Nagi's recipe (Quick Pho version) since it's delicious and uses chicken as the main protein with low sodium chicken broth, and from there we substituted coconut aminos for the fish sauce to reduce the sodium, as well as brown rice noodles for their higher fiber and nutrition profile. Lastly, we're specifying six portions to keep the calories lower. You can, of course, use the ingredients in the original recipe for a more traditional chicken pho, but this one is a little lighter.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Servings:

Calories: 469kcal

Ingredients

Charred Aromatics

1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil, if you have it
2 onions halved
1 thumb ginger about a 2" piece, sliced in half

Pho Soup Broth

6 cups chicken stock low sodium
1 cup water
1 lb chicken breast
1 bunch cilantro
5 star anise pods
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
3 tsp coconut aminos substituted for fish sauce, we like this brand
4 tsp sugar slightly reduced from the original recipe
1/2 tsp kosher salt slightly reduced from the original recipe

Noodle Bowls

13 oz brown rice noodles dry, thin, flat (we like this brand)
2 green onion

Toppings

2 cups bean sprouts
1 small bunch thai basil
1 small bunch mint
1 small bunch cilantro
2 limes
red chilis finely sliced
Hoisin sauce optional, to taste
Sriracha optional, to taste

Instructions

Broth

In a 6 quart pot, heat the olive oil over high heat. Place ginger and onion sliced sides down and cook for 2 minutes until blackened. Turn over and cook for another 2 minutes.
Put spices, chicken stock and water in the pot with the chicken breast. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until the breast is cooked. Remove the chicken breast and shred or thinly slice.
Simmer the remaining liquid for 30 minutes with the lid open a bit to allow some steam to escape. The liquid should be reduced to about 1 1/2 quarts. Strain the broth into a clean pot and keep warm until ready to serve.

Assembly

Place toppings out on the table.
Reheat the chicken by giving it a brief dunk in the broth.
Prepare brown rice noodles per package directions, just prior to serving. Drain very well so that the excess water doesn't dilute the broth.
Place brown rice noodles in bowls. Top with chicken, ladle over about 1/5 cups of the broth. Top with green onions.
Add toppings of choice, squeeze some lime juice into the broth, and enjoy immediately.

Nutrition