Description
Vietnamese chicken noodle soup with ramen noodles, ginger, bok choy, and fresh sprouts. It’s such a delicious and easy twist on the traditional pho soup.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb. chicken tenders, cut into thin strips
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp. finely minced fresh ginger or grated with microplane
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 Tbsp. avocado oil or other neutral tasting oil
- 6 cups good-quality chicken stock
- 14 oz. canned or fresh bean sprouts, drained
- 3 cups chopped bok choy, greens and whites
- Toasted sesame oil, to taste
- 8–10 oz. package ramen noodles
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
For Serving
- Jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
- Green onions, chopped
- Cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the chicken tenders, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, and paprika. Let the chicken marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Heat avocado oil in a heavy-duty dutch oven or a soup pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken and its liquid. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink, 3-4 minutes. Chicken will have a lot of liquid and juice and that’s okay.
- Add chicken stock. Season the stock with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, for about 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in bean sprouts and bok choy. Cook for additional 1-2 minutes or until bok choy greens are wilted and whites tender crisp. Taste the broth for salt and add more if needed.
- Remove the soup off heat. Add a light drizzle of sesame oil to the broth, about 1 teaspoon or more to taste.
- Prepare the ramen noodles according to package instructions, just prior to serving. Drain well.
- To serve, arrange the cooked noodles in a serving bowl, ladle the soup over the noodles, and top with jalapeño peppers, green onions, and cilantro.
Notes
- Substitutions: Boneless, skinless breast or boneless thighs can be used in place of chicken tenders. Can’t find bok choy? Baby spinach is a good swap. You can add a little more than 3 cups since spinach cooks down so much.
- More Toppings: Toppings are as important as the soup here. Freel free to add more, such as fresh basil leaves, fresh mint leaves, lime wedges, and hot chili sauce.
- Few Recipe Notes: This recipe is quite simple with minimal cooking time, so the quality of the ingredients does make a difference. Use good-quality chicken stock or even better use chicken bone broth. Use fresh ginger, garlic, and lime juice. Avoid anything bottled. Also, the key to delicious soup broth is to get your broth nicely seasoned. Taste and adjust salt every step of cooking. If you find your broth a little flat or lacking depth of flavor, try adding a little more soy sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 234
- Sugar: 4.7 g
- Sodium: 1156.5 mg
- Fat: 7.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Protein: 14.6 g
- Cholesterol: 23.4 mg
