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Easy Sesame Chicken and Noodles in Spicy Broth…best for those nights when you’re craving spicy, warming, Vietnamese-inspired noodle soup, but want something made quickly at home. Crispy caramelized chicken in a sweet, spicy, tangy sesame chile sauce, atop noodles in a steaming, spicy broth. This quick chicken and noodle bowl can be made and ready in under an hour. Not only is this easy and healthy, but it’s also delicious and so full of winter color!
Hey, hi, and happy mid-week! You guys know those days when nothing else sounds good other than comfort food? That was 100% me on Monday. You see, I’ve had a lingering decision that needs to be made as soon as possible…and it’s hard. I’m not one for making big decisions and tend to overthink them. Anyone else the same way?
Thankfully I have cooking to help mend the stress a bit. It’s still my happy place, and what I turn to when I need to just zone out and not think about things. Enter this chicken noodle bowl or maybe more like a noodle soup. It’s kind of a cross between the two. The way I make this dish is heavy on the noodles, light on the broth. It’s a delicious bowl of healthy comfort food.
Definitely best for nights when you just need something easy to create that’s totally comforting.
The Inspiration.
As I mentioned above, I really wanted a cozy meal, but at the same time, I wanted something that was fresh and colorful.
A classic Vietnamese Pho is made with thin slices of beef, noodles, and a very steaming hot broth. The broth is poured over the raw slices of beef. The heat from the broth cooks the meat. If you’ve ever had Pho out at your favorite restaurant, you know how delicious it is. And just how warming and comforting it can be.
I love the idea of Pho at Home, but didn’t want to work with raw beef. I wanted something a bit lighter. So I tried to recreate a pho with crispy roasted chicken, noodles, and broth. It’s just as delicious, but slightly lighter, and simpler to make at home!
The details.
Start with roasting the chicken. I like to toss the chicken in a little soy sauce and honey to help it caramelize in the oven. When it comes out, it’s perfectly tender, sweet, sticky, and spicy.
While the chicken is roasting, make the broth. The key to the broth is all in the garlic, ginger, and spices. I use a mix of star anise, cinnamon, and chile peppers along with garlic and ginger. It’s incredibly flavorful but really easy to toss together.
When the chicken is done, simply assemble each bowl. I like to add the noodles first, then the chicken, and finish with the steaming broth so everything is warm throughout. As you’re putting the bowls together, and then pouring over the broth, you’ll quickly realize just how delicious everything is going to be all together.
The toppings.
The last things to add are all the toppings, which are KEY if you ask me. But then we all know how much I love my toppings. I go heavy on the fresh herbs, using a mix of Thai basil, mint, and cilantro. I add lots of fresh Fresno peppers, a drizzle of sesame oil, and then squeeze over a zest of lime.
You can’t skimp on the toppings! They bring this bowl to life.
This looks like a meal that took all day to prepare, right? But it’s the easiest! Perfect for crazy cold winter nights. Or even those dreary spring weeknights when it’s cold out and you just want a cozy but healthy dinner.
Hoping you guys love this one as much as I do! I’m already excited to make this again tonight. It’s snowing here today, so this is the perfect recipe!
Looking for healthy winter dinners? Here are a few to try:
Weeknight Thai Chicken Meatball Khao Soi
30 Minute Spicy Miso Chicken Katsu Ramen
30 Minute Creamy Thai Turmeric Chicken and Noodles
Lastly, if you make this Easy Sesame Chicken and Noodles in Spicy Broth be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Sesame Chicken and Noodles in Spicy Broth
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 710 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs, cut in half
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or additional soy sauce)
- 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon chile sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, plus more for serving
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 6 slices fresh ginger
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1-3 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 Fresno or jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, and sliced
- 2 cups chopped kale, bok choy, or baby spinach
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- bean sprouts, mixed herbs, chiles, and limes, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. 2. On a baking sheet, toss the chicken with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, the chile sauce, and sesame oil. Bake 15 minutes, then remove and add 2 tablespoons honey, toss the chicken. Bake another 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and shred it. Switch the oven to broil. Broil 1-3 minutes, until caramelized 3. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, combine the broth, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 2 teaspoons honey, the onion, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, and Fresno pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, or until ready to serve. Just before serving, stir in the greens. Taste, adding more soy, fish sauce, and or honey, if needed. 4. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain. 5. To serve, divide the noodles between bowls. Add the shredded chicken, then ladle the broth over top. Arrange the sprouts, herbs, and any desired toppings on top. Then squeeze over lots of lime juice and enjoy!
This post was originally published on February 10, 2021
Made this for dinner and we loved it! It was very spicy, but we all like spice, so that was fine (especially on a nasty cold February day. . . ), but if we were to have guests, I’d probably roll back the amount of Fresno pepper I used (didn’t add all the seeds but still!) and maybe reduce the amount of chili sauce. Also, it might be easier eating if I strained the broth before adding the greens–my husband got a few slices of ginger! I will remember this one for any time we want a good warming meal. Thank you!
PS: Just realized that dessert after this healthy meal is going to be your mom’s Special K bars, which are a.may.zing. Thanks for those too!
Hey Rebecca,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
This one was yummy. Good flavor and even better the next day.
Hey Joey,
I so appreciate you giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Made this tonight. Followed the recipe exactly as written. Wow. SO good. Not surprised though because that’s the norm on this blog, man. Will definitely be making it again. You must be one of the hardest working food bloggers out there, Tieghan! Thank you!
Hey Destinie,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Thanks for your kind message:) xTieghan
I absolutely love pho and can’t get it here, this was pretty close! I found my noodles were pretty bland- is this because I blanched with cold water after cooking? They didn’t seem to take on much of the flavor.
Hey Chris,
So sorry to hear this. Rice noodles are pretty bland, but these really should have absorbed the flavoring of the broth. xTieghan
Looks like this could be easily adaptable to whole30 friendly w/ a swap of the noodles for something like sweet potato noodles and cutting the honey. Excited to try!
I hope you love the recipe Karia! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan – I’m excited to try this ! I will be making tomorrow and I totally understand that you created your own version of a Pho like meal or Asian stew dish.
Thank you for always being so positive and don’t let others bring you down ! You’re doing great stuff!!
Hey Dot,
Thanks so much for your kind message! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
This was sooooo good. I will definitely keep this recipe in rotation. I didn’t have star anise on hand, so I added a little Chinese five spice. I’ll have to try to find some star anise for next time!!
Hey Sara,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Hubs said it was a restaurant quality meal (but maybe that’s pandemic lockdown speaking 😉 Seriously though, the broth is delicious. Spice level = perfect. I could just drink it straight on cold winter days! A tad on the salty side for me (but I don’t like a ton of salt) so next time I’ll swap out some of the chicken broth for water. I’ll add more chili to the chicken next time too (but I like a little heat). All that said even the pre-nagers ate without complaint! 12/10 from us! Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Kerry,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
Just made this, while it doesn’t look like yours, the taste is incredible! Thank you!
Hey Linda,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
Wow, Tieghan! I have been a long-time lover of your recipes, but this may just be one of my favorites! The chicken is so insanely good I kind of just want to eat it by itself, but the broth is incredible too. This is definitely a keeper!
Hey Chelsea,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
Made this last night and it was delicious. Reminded me of our last (distant now ) in Vietnam where we had a fair few pho’s. The flavours are so well blended and tastes so fresh .
Hey Andrea,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe— one of my new favorites! Wanted to share some of the tricks I did that worked really well:
First, I marinated the chicken overnight. I also used boneless skinless chicken thighs. Those two things I think really elevated the crispy factor.
Second, I used my Instant pot for the broth and it worked SO well. I put it on high for 5 minutes, let it depressurize for 10 minutes before releasing the valve.
Third, I when I added the hot water to the rice noodles to allow them to steep, I also through in the bok choy. That way the bok choy got soft but wasn’t soggy.
Hey Hayden,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
This is the one of the most delicious dinners I have ever made! Thank you 🙂 Perfect for our -20 weather we are having in Minnesota this weekend.
Hey Natalie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
I made this Pho tonight. So delicious on a cold winter night. I used Chinese Five Spice vs Star anise and cinnamon because it was what I had on hand. It was a good substitute.
Thank you for your great recipes!
Alex
Hey Alexandra,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
When are we going to get the book: “HBH: Tieghan’s Winter Bowls” ? 😉
Lol love this! Thanks Sienna! xTieghan