At the end of a long day, there is nothingrefreshing change from your typical chicken noodle soup. Here’s how to put some Vietnamese flavor in your kitchen with the classic recipe for Vietnamese chicken soup.

The History of Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

The first mention of chicken soup as a food to treat colds and other ailments was in the 15th century. It’s been around ever since and has become one of the most popular soups in the world.

Vietnamese chicken noodle soup may be a new dish to you, but it’s been popular for a while now. The earliest references to Vietnamese chicken noodle soup date back to the late 1800s. Like many other dishes, it started as a way to use up leftover bits from another dish. In this case, it was using leftover beef from making pho or beef noodles soup.

In fact, today, Vietnamese chicken noodle soup is usually made with leftover rice noodles from making Vietnamese chicken rice noodle rolls (Bánh cuốn). So, if you make those rolls on Sunday or Monday night, then this is going to be a perfect dish for Tuesday night dinner.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 12 ounces dried rice noodles
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Preparation

First, get everything ready. You’ll need a large pot for boiling the noodles and chicken, a smaller pot for simmering the broth, about 6 cups of water in each pot, and a bowl for draining the noodles.

Next, prepare the ingredients. You’ll need 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 packages of thin rice noodles (roughly 4 ounces), 1 pound of chicken breast or thigh meat cut into bite-size pieces, 1 medium white onion chopped into quarters, 3 cloves garlic minced or grated, 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves roughly chopped, 2 inch piece ginger peeled and grated with skin on (use more if desired), 2 tablespoons fish sauce (optional), 3 tablespoons soy sauce (can substitute with tamari or coconut aminos), 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

The next steps are to boil the noodles in one pot and simmer the broth in another pot. To make it easy to drain the noodles when cooked let’s turn off the heat before adding them to the pot with boiling water so they can soak for five minutes before draining.

Cooking time will vary depending on how you like your chicken noodles but generally it takes between 10-15 minutes per pound at medium heat.

Serving Suggestions

Vietnamese chicken noodle soup is a great dish to serve at parties. It’s flavorful, healthy, and it can be made quickly.

If you’re serving this soup as a party appetizer, consider adding extra protein to the recipe by swapping out the chicken for shrimp or beef. You can also enjoy this noodle soup on its own or with some traditional Vietnamese food like bánh mì, spring rolls, or even some pho.

For a hearty meal that will warm you up on cold winter days, try adding some shredded buffalo or pork meatballs to your bowl of noodles. This will give you the Thai taste of lemongrass without having to buy any extra ingredients.

Vietnamese chicken noodle soup is the perfect addition to any menu!

Source: Pho An Sushi Bar