Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

By RoketJSquerl

To store the leftover soup, it worked well to place the noodles, chicken, and soup in three separate containers. That way, the noodles didn’t absorb any more liquid from the soup, and the soup could be re-heated by itself.

Ingredients

• For the Soup:
• Makes 4 servings (Mine actually made about 6 medium-sized bowls, but that might because I put a little extra chicken stock and vermicelli rice noodles, as well as the addition of shrimp)
• Stems from 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 points star anise
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. white peppercorns
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, split, germ removed and thinly sliced
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 dried red chiles
• 6 C. chicken broth
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/4 C. Asian fish sauce
• 1 tsp. brown sugar (I threw in a cube of raw golden sugar instead)
• pinch of salt
• 3/4-1 lb. chicken breast, boneless/skinless
• 5 ounces Chinese egg noodles or rice vermicelli
• 4-6 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Optional Garnishes:
• fresh lime wedges, basil/Thai basil, fresh mint leaves, bean sprouts, chili oil, fish sauce, etc.

Preparation

Step 1

Put cilantro stems, star anise, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a cheesecloth sachet and add to a stock pot or dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and chiles, then pour in chicken stock and coconut milk. Season with fish sauce, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt and bring to boil.

Lower to a simmer, drop in chicken breast, cover the pot and poach the chicken gently for 15-20 minutes or until cooked. Transfer chicken to bowl to cool, turn off heat to soup (I put it on low) and keep covered. Cook the noodles according to the package. Once the chicken is cool, shred it with your fingers. Bring the soup to a boil again, then lower to a simmer and stir in chicken and noodles (and cooked shrimp, if you want to make my version). Add more fish sauce to taste and fresh lime juice (add more salt too, as the noodles may absorb a lot of the salt). Stir in some fresh chopped cilantro. Serve in bowls with optional garnishes. Smile because you are about to enjoy a delicious meal!