Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a flavorful broth filled with noodles, thin slices of meat, and a little salad of fresh herbs and tender greens sitting on top. In the United States, it’s developed a cult following, and my family is just as crazy about it. They loved the tender chicken, flavorful broth, and customizing their bowls with the toppings they wanted. When my husband came home from work the first night we had it, my three-year-old ran up to him and excitedly said, “Dad! We had fffff for dinner!”
Prep time 15 minutes
Serves 6
21/2 quarts (2.4 liters) chicken broth
3 star anise pods
1-inch (2.5 cm) knob of ginger, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons (45 ml) coconut aminos
1 tablespoon (20 g) honey
1 teaspoon (5 ml) fish sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt
11/2 pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, partially frozen
2 medium zucchini, spiralized into thin noodles
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup (20 g) chopped fresh basil
2 to 3 limes, cut into wedges
Additional toppings: shredded carrots, sliced jalapeños, mung bean sprouts, chili garlic paste
1 Pour the chicken broth into a 4-quart (3.8 liter) slow cooker. Add the star anise pods, ginger slices, cinnamon stick, garlic, coconut aminos, honey, fish sauce, and sea salt.
2 Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, until broth is flavorful and fragrant.
3 Meanwhile, prepare the chicken by slicing it as thinly as you can with a sharp knife. Chill until ready to use. Finish preparing the herbs, lime wedges, and additional toppings.
4 About 20 minutes before serving, remove the ginger, cinnamon stick, and anise pods from the broth with a slotted spoon. Add the thinly sliced chicken and zucchini noodles, and stir the soup around. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the zoodles are tender.
5 Ladle the soup into bowls and top with desired herbs, limes, and toppings.
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Easy chicken pho with zoodles is a grain-free bowl of fragrant broth that tastes like it simmered at a pho shop all day. Star anise and cinnamon perfume the slow cooker broth while thin-sliced chicken and zucchini noodles cook gently in the last twenty minutes. Herbs, lime, and jalapeño on top make every bowl your own.
Pro Tips
- Slice the chicken breasts while partially frozen. A half-frozen breast cuts paper-thin against the grain, and thin slices cook tenderly in the hot broth in minutes.
- Fish out the star anise, cinnamon stick, and ginger before adding the chicken. Left in too long, the spices turn the broth medicinal.
- Add the zoodles only for the final twenty minutes. Any earlier and they dissolve into the broth instead of holding their noodle shape.
- Set out the toppings in small bowls — herbs, lime, sprouts, jalapeño — and let everyone build their own bowl the way pho is meant to be eaten.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use regular noodles instead of zoodles?
If you are not eating grain-free, rice noodles are the classic choice. Cook them separately and add them to the bowls so they do not cloud the broth.
What can I use instead of coconut aminos?
A splash of soy sauce or tamari in slightly smaller quantity works, though coconut aminos keeps the broth paleo and adds a subtle sweetness.
How long does this pho keep?
The broth keeps four days refrigerated and freezes beautifully. Store the zoodles and chicken separately so the noodles do not go soggy.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Additional toppings: shredded carrots, sliced jalapeños, mung bean sprouts, chili garlic paste
- 1 Pour the chicken broth into a 4-quart (3. 8 liter) slow cooker.
- Add the star anise pods, ginger slices, cinnamon stick, garlic, coconut aminos, honey, fish sauce, and sea salt.
- 2 Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, until broth is flavorful and fragrant.
- 3 Meanwhile, prepare the chicken by slicing it as thinly as you can with a sharp knife.
- Chill until ready to use.
- Finish preparing the herbs, lime wedges, and additional toppings.
- 4 About 20 minutes before serving, remove the ginger, cinnamon stick, and anise pods from the broth with a slotted spoon.
- Add the thinly sliced chicken and zucchini noodles, and stir the soup around.
- Cover and cook for another 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the zoodles are tender.
- 5 Ladle the soup into bowls and top with desired herbs, limes, and toppings.
