Chicken Zoodle Pho

Serves 2

The Vietnamese noodle soup called pho (pronounced FUH) has enthusiastically been adopted into the American diet. The traditional soup takes hours to cook and contains rice noodles. This light, fresh, and fast Whole30 version featuring zucchini noodles has the same soul-soothing effect but takes just 30 minutes to put on the table.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces)
• 2 cups Whole30-compliant chicken broth or Chicken Bone Broth
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons Red Boat fish sauce
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1½ cups packaged zucchini noodles; or 1 small zucchini, spiralized
• ½ cup packaged shredded carrots or 1 medium carrot, shredded
• ¼ cup sliced green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish if desired
• ½ cup fresh bean sprouts
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until well-browned on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. (The chicken will not be cooked through at this point.) Remove the pan from the heat. Carefully add the broth, ginger, fish sauce, and pepper flakes. Return to the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly.

Add the zucchini noodles and carrots to the hot broth. Cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes.

Using two forks, coarsely shred the chicken. Add the chicken back to the pan and gently stir in the green onions and cilantro. Top servings with bean sprouts, mint, and additional cilantro if using.