Just the scent of this soup is healing.
You start by sauteing garlic and ginger in sesame oil then add chicken, vegetables, both and noodles. As the aroma of sizzling ginger fills your kitchen, things start to look up. A small smile plays at the corner of your lips and you’re reminded, once again, in the great power of cooking. I’m a firm believer in the power of homemade chicken noodle soup and bubble baths to cure just about anything.
This isn’t just any old chicken noodle soup.
Call it pho. Call it chinese chicken noodle soup….call it whatever you like, I’m convinced this Asian-themed soup is both medicinal and delicious.
In my book, there’s a chapter dedicated to the time when I was studying abroad in Paris and fell horribly sick. There’s nothing worse than being sick away from home, and being in a foreign country where all you can say is “I’ll take a table for four, please” is downright awful. I remember so vividly coughing and sneezing my way through a morning writing workshop before being led by the arm by one of my professors through the winding streets of the Left Bank to Chinatown.
Together, we made our way past bustling vendors selling seafood, meats and produce on the sidewalk and quaint tea shops before settling down at an outside cafe where she treated me to a steaming bowl of spicy chicken pho, bits of jalapeno and garlic floating in a swirling yellow broth. The soup tasted unlike any chicken noodle soup I’d ever had and as I slurped noodle after noodle off my spoon, my head began to slowly clear.
Since that day four years ago, I’ve experimented with a few different recipes until I finally nailed it with this one. If you’ve made my recipes before, you know how much a spice lover I am so if spicy isn’t your thing, add only half the jalapeno (or omit it entirely!). As for me, I like to load up my bowl with plenty of the thin spicy slices as well as drizzles of sriracha at the end. Cilantro is also a nice touch and blast of fresh flavor in your bowl.
And finally, you can use really any form of noodles you like here. I’ve made this before with rice noodles with great results but chose to use chinese noodles this time because that’s what I had on hand.
Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
serves 6
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4th tsp salt
6 cups chicken broth
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
3 green onions, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 baby bok choy, chopped
5 oz chinese noodles (about half a package)
sriracha sauce for serving (optional)
chopped cilantro for serving (optional)
Directions:
Heat the sesame oil over medium high heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add the minced garlic and ginger and briefly saute for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and bok choy, sprinkle with salt, and saute for another three minutes until chicken has turned white but not completely cooked all the way through.
Add the chicken broth, jalapeno and green onions to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes until chicken is done.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles in boiling salted water, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Add the rice vinegar and soy sauce and stir. You can add a little more salt if you like, but taste first because soy sauce already contains a lot of salt! Add the noodles to the pot and serve with chopped cilantro and sriracha sauce on the side.
Time:
45 minutes
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{ 79 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks absolutely amazing! I am also a firm believer in the power of chicken noodle soup as a healing medicine, and I love spicy food, so this soup looks like a dynamite combination! I don’t think I can wait until I am sick to try it though.
Oh I love all of these flavours – this looks so wonderful and fresh!
Such a yummy looking soup!
This bowl is perfect for today’s weather
Jenna the soup looks and sounds wonderful. I like heat and would take the full on jalepeno amount and thank you for not flooding it with tons of added salt.
I don’t doubt this is both medicinal and delicious as you mentioned! YUM!
Looks delicious! And I have every.single.ingredient. for it right now!
I think “pho” is a vietnamese specialty and not chinese.
hey anne,
You are right, Pho is vietnamese! and this recipe is very similar. I think you might be pointing this out b/c she first had it in chinatown…? the noodles are called ‘pho’ in vietnamese and ‘fan’ in chinese, i believe. good noodle soup can be found in many places, and thankfully today here on Jenna’s site.
i remember making an asian chicken noodle soup when i was in high school…it was SO good, i can’t believe i haven’t made it again!
I have a similar noodle soup recipe in mind for later in the week. It’s one of my favorite forms of comfort food.
I love, love, love chicken soup! I prefer chicken veggie soup to chicken noodle soup though – and like to think it helps me get better eeeeeven quicker!
. Favourite vegetable to add is chard, which I hate generally but love in chicken soup. Weird. I think it would go great in this soup though!
Can it be made without soy sauce? And, wait – are you sick again?! You get sick a lot for a healthy girl
Nope–you should add the soy sauce because it adds to the authentic flavor of the soup. And nope, I’m not sick right now either.
Thanks – and glad your not sick. It’s that time of year for it.
How cool! I love it
Mmm this sounds so yummy! I agree – being sick in another country is terrible, especially when you don’t speak the language. I can’t wait to read your book when it comes out!
Sounds perfect for a winter day or from when recovering from a cold. This is right up my (Asian) alley, Jenna! haha..by the way, ginger has some sort of medicinal effect in Chinese culture (or so they say). My mom would always make me drink ginger infused water (sounds so gross, and I hated it) but it’d make you sweat a lot (gross, huh?) but it’d “sweat out” the bad toxins in your body and would make you feel better almost instantly. I still swear by airborne though
I only did the ginger water to appease my mom when I lived with her lol
Interesting! I’ve heard of ginger helping the stomach but never anything else. Thanks for letting me know!
Oh I agree about the ginger stuff! When i get sick (especially with a sore throat and cold) I brew black loose leaved tea with freshly grated ginger and keep drinking that. I swear it makes me better faster
I made this because 1. I love pho and this seemed like a similar recipe and 2. I’m sick, maybe I’ll add the leftover ginger to the mass quantities of tea I’ve been drinking!
I LOVE PHO. I am so excited about this recipe!
One of my favorite winter meals!
I am such a fan of pho! I first had it in Seattle and have been hooked ever since!
I would love to have a bowl of this for lunch. The weather here in Minnesota is getting colder and colder! It is soup season!
Looks really yummy. I love that you add sriracha sauce. Best hot sauce ever.
Hey Jenna:
Taking a slightly geographic turn in my reply to this post, to thank you for the awesome Butternut Squash Red Lentil Curry soup (hello India!) that I made yesterday. I love Indian food, but am not a big spicy fan. My husband is a big fan of spicy, so we meet in the middle with his hot sauce collection
Anyway, I made that soup yesterday and he loved it. I mean, loved it to the point that he was actually jealous that I had leftovers to take for lunch today, and he had to eat whatever was ordered in for them at work. It was SO good!! Thanks!
so glad you liked it! I make that butternut squash soup all the time when I’m craving something simple and nurturing!
Spice is the best remedy for a cold
I’m not sick right now but still wishing I had some sort of Asian noodle on handle to make this.
I have been all about the Asian flavors lately. I’m not sick, but I know I’d still enjoy this!!
Love chicken noodle soup. My Mom makes it every Thanksgiving weekend and it’s one of my fav meals of the Holiday
this soup looks delicious!! i can’t wait to try it out!
That looks delicious – too bad it’s so unseasonably warm out right now!!
I love love love that you added the “Pin It” option…I’m constantly pinning your posts and this makes it even easier!
This looks amazing! I’ll have to bookmark it so I make it soon! What a nice professor you had in Paris! I was once sick at school and a teacher told me I should drop the class…scarred me for life! haha
Mmmmm that looks so soothing and comforting! I bet the spice adds extra healing powers.
I love pho. It has to be the best soup ever!
This looks lovely. Living in SF, I have so many pho options around but I have always, always wanted to try to make it at home…and now I will! Thanks for the inspiration.
I love pho! I happen to have all of these ingredients at home except the noodles. Where can I find those Chinese noodles.
I’m looking outside my window at grey and snow and leafless trees…and this soup looks and sounds AMAZING! I think I can even smell it…
Girl, this is my FAVORITE type of soup. The hot broth. The slippery noodles. ALL THE HEAT. I’m a spice lover too. GIVE ME THE HEAT.
calming down.
This looks incredible. I’m with you.. I love spice. My husband makes the best chicken soup and we always always add fresh cilantra, thinly sliced onion and jalapeños.. sooo good! I can’t wait to share this with him!!
The addition of bok choy in this not-quite-traditional chicken noodle soup is absolutely genius. I am really obsessed with it right now, so I’ll have to try this ASAP!
This sounds SO good. I adore these flavors!
Ahh I love asian-inspired flavorings in a soup setting. A beautiful thing indeed. Cute story too, very vivid and well told!
Found this on pinterest. I’m in love
My hubby and I make this any time someone has a cold…it’s the absolute best.
I LOVE Chicken Noodle Soup! Add in Asian flavors and I’m sold! I’m definitely going to make this asap
So many of my favorite things here…I will definitely be making this in the near future! It reminds me of my favorite local Pho place, Pho Vietnam on Stony Pt Road-have you tried their chicken Pho yet Jenna? If this is at all similar, I am going to be a very happy girl indeed. Many is the time I have requested their take-out chicken Pho when I was sick-seriously the combo of spiciness and chicken broth works like magic. The only thing missing here is the mung bean sprouts and basil that they also give you to sprinkle on your soup, along with the jalapenos and hot sauce that you’ve included.
Simply inhaling the pungent aromas as I made this soup was soothing for the soul! Thank you for this and many other recipes of yours I have tried. As I cooked, I wondered how a vegetarian version with veggie broth and edamame (instead of chicken) would taste; do you think it’s worth a try? P.S. I cannot wait for your book!
This soup looks truly soothing and delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Great post! I will definitely be trying this one. I love pho and when I first found out I was pregnant it was one of the only things I wanted to eat for a while. I made my husband take me to Pho Vietnam or Goji all the time! Also, I now have a use for all the bok choy growing in my garden!
Oh, my husband would love this soup. I’ll have to surprise him with it this weekend when he has loads of homework!
Tried it – delicious! Ginger and jalapeno pepper as ingredients had me wondering about the outcome, but I was pleasantly surprised. The jalapeno peppers (thinly sliced, as the recipe says) kind of disappear into the flavour of the soup, without making the soup overly spicy. Highly recommend.
Immediately after reading this post, I fell in love and had to make it. I made this soup last night, and it.was.insane. So so good. Warm and comforting, and spicy enough to clear anyone’s sinuses. I added some mushrooms (because I had some to use up) and could not find chinese noodles at my grocery store in the ghetto so I used thin spaghetti. It was still delicious and I have added it to my recipe box, thank you!!
This looks really good! Skinny Fat Kid doesn’t love soup, but he loves soba. I think this will fit the bill!
I made this soup tonight and it was fantastic! The spices are perfect, and it’s such a cozy meal. I forgot to pick up bok choy, so I used spinach instead, which worked well. Definitely going into the winter recipe rotation.
I made this for dinner last night and it was PERFECT for a snowy winter night. I loved it! I am definitely hanging on to this recipe. Thanks!
Jenna, I made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING! Just like every other recipe of yours I’ve tried, it was a winner with tons of flavor!
Thanks!!!
Made this for dinner last night – so delicious! I forgot how much I love bok choy. It was a perfect winter meal, and I can’t wait to attack the leftovers tonight!
I love all the flavors going on in this soup, it reminds me of a soup u make too. But just a note for those hoping it will taste like pho…it won’t. Pho is compromised of many spices including cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise to name a few. It never contains soy sauce, garlic, or sesame oil either. This sounds like a wonderful chicken noodle soup though so i can’t wait to try it
thanks for sharing.
Wow just made this tonite. Used spinach instead of bok Choy only cause I didn’t have any. I aslo let the mushrooms cook the last 5-10 min..The kids even loved it!!! Very nice-thanks for sharing!
Made this tonight. Actually I’m currently eating it. This is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever made!! I’ve never made an Asian soup before. I added some thinly sliced mushrooms when adding the jalapeno and green onion. I put mushrooms in everything.
So, so, so good. I like it spicy too! I’m guessing that you took your photos before adding the Sriracha because my broth turned orange in my bowl. After serving up my second bowl I had to get the rest into the fridge before I just kept eating it all evening. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow night!!
Making this right now. For real.
Been down with a cold all week and craving this soup! Finally got up the energy to make it, and I’m convinced it’s healing me with every bite. So delicious!
I’ve made this soup and it was absolutely delicious. I’ve written about it on my blog today . Hope that’s ok.
As Scrumptious as it looks. I added edamame, bean sprouts and mushrooms for perfection! Flat leaf parsley is a good substitute for cilantro. Enjoy!
I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. I made it tonight after a long day at work and what an easy and enjoyable meal it is. Definitely adding this to my regulars!
I love your site and your story…and this is the best soup I have ever made! I have made it several times with slight modifications. It’s delicious and healing, like you said. I always feel better after I eat it! Thanks for the recipe!
in Hanoi, Vietnam, we tried it with coconut milk and lemongrass: this gives Pho a bit sweeter, but balanced,taste. Try it also with beef meat, or fish, or even just vegetables.
And of course, basmati rice to pick up with chopsticks!
Most Pho recipes have fish sauce in them, and that just ruins it for me. Can’t wait to try this one!
I got some bok choy in my community basket this weekend and didn’t know what to do with it yet. Thanks, I’m going to try this recipe tonight!
I love pho, the best I ever had was at a little Vietnamese restaurant in Los Gatos, my hometown. But I moved away and it recently closed. The broth was the best part, the leftovers would be become gelatin in the fridge overnight; I have no time to make homemade broth like that but the soup can be replicated pretty well without. I’ve been sick for days and I was combing my Pinterest dinner board for something comforting tonight. I’m going to make this! But I think I will use tofu instead of the chicken. I hope it comes out just as great!
I made this tonight. Wow! The whole Family loves it. Delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
I found this on Pinterest. It was amazing!! Thanks for posting!
I loved this soup!! I followed the directions exactly and the flavor was amazing; it was fresh and nourishing without being too heavy! Thank you so much for sharing–I’ll be making this again for sure.
I made this soup last night and it was a big hit! It’s a little spicy, but that’s how we like our food. My 2 teenagers and husband thought this soup was great. I’ll be making it again for sure.
you know… this is the FIRST time i’ve read anything about “pho” from a non-asian blogger’s blog – and it gets me SO excited! not only that, i talk about it ALL the time where i have to then explain it… but this post does it seamlessly! definitely bookmarking for easy reference.
i LOVE it too..! especially when i’m sick or am not feeling the best. i absolutely heart its healing properties. even if it’s all in my head. but billions of people can’t be wrong
eheh.
just had to comment..! ;D
dorothy
msorothyd (at) yahoo
theymaysaythatimadreamer.blogspot.com
I just veganized this with tofu and vegetable broth and it definitely cured what ailed me…so comforting!
I adore Pho. I dated a Vietnamese fellow and his mother was an amazing cook. She made Pho for me just about every weekend and it’s hours of boiling bones and the anise and cinnamon someone mentioned previously. This might get you in the ballpark, though my in estimation it seems a few blocks away. But if you don’t have a sweet little Vietnamese woman tucked away in your kitchen or a Pho shop, this might get you close enough. I’m sick and I may have to give it a try! I don’t have bones to boil.
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