Chicken Pho: a healing bowl of broth, ginger, and zucchini noodles

A bowl of hot broth can feel like real medicine on a day your body is working hard. This pho keeps its backbone of broth and ginger and loses almost nothing in translation: rice noodles become zucchini noodles, and the bowl stays warm, gentle, and completely at home on this way of eating.

The broth itself is doing quiet work. A long-simmered chicken broth is a source of glycine and collagen, which support the gut lining, and ginger brings warmth and is studied for easier digestion and a calmer inflammatory response. The chicken breast adds lean protein and zinc, involved in immune regulation and tissue repair, and dehydrated shiitake mushrooms lend real savory depth.

Build the bowl with care: noodles first, then hot broth, sliced chicken, browned mushrooms, and a scatter of cilantro, scallion, and fresh ginger on top. Pause over the steam for a breath before the first spoonful. A beautiful bowl is part of how the meal serves you.

Ingredients

• 1 oz dehydrated shiitake mushrooms
• 5 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
• 1 yellow or white onion (about 3/4 lb), thinly sliced
• a 2.5-inch knob of fresh ginger, grated, plus extra for garnish
• 48 oz chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (choose a clean-label fish sauce)
• 1.5 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 lb zucchini noodles (sweet potato or kelp noodles also work)
• cilantro and scallions, for garnish
• sea salt

Method

Soak the dried shiitakes in hot water for 30 minutes, then drain and slice them into thin strips.

In a stock pot, saute the onion and grated ginger in coconut oil for about 10 minutes, until soft and fragrant.

Add the broth, coconut aminos, fish sauce, and whole chicken breasts. Bring it to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Lift out the chicken, let it cool slightly, and slice it into strips.

Meanwhile, brown the sliced mushrooms in coconut oil in a skillet, about 10 minutes. In the same pan or a fresh one, saute the zucchini noodles in the remaining oil until just tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

Assemble each bowl: noodles, hot broth, sliced chicken, and mushrooms. Garnish with cilantro, scallions, extra grated ginger, and a pinch of salt.

Instant Pot variation

Use Saute to soften the onion and ginger, then add the broth, coconut aminos, fish sauce, and chicken breasts, lock the lid, and pressure-cook until the chicken is done. Quick-release, lift out and slice the chicken, and finish the mushrooms and zucchini noodles on Saute or in a skillet so they keep their texture. Pressure-cook timing is untested here, so verify the chicken is cooked through before slicing.

*Adapted from a-squirrel-in-the-kitchen*