Easy Sesame Chicken and Noodles in Spicy Broth.
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 did a chicken 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!

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Easy Sesame Chicken and Noodles in Spicy Broth
For nights when you’re craving spicy, warming, Vietnamese noodle soup, but want something made quickly at home.
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!

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Hi Tieghan!
I completely understand about the decision-making difficulty, I’m the same way. You’re not alone! It’s really, really tough, but you’ve got this 🙂
Meanwhile, I want this pho right now and it’s 8:15 am haha. It’s looks absolutely incredible, and your photography skill is always impressive.
All the best!
Hey Judy,
Good to know I’m not alone in that department:) Lol I hope you give the recipe a try sometime, thanks for your kind message! xTieghan
What kind of chile sauce do you like for this recipe?
Hey Ellie,
You can use something like Gochujang or sriracha as your chile sauce. I hope you love the recipe, let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Love your recipes and your photos! You are so talented!
Stay true to yourself and most decisions are easy. When I
over think a decision it usually isn’t the right one. Keep up the great work you do, your posts make my day!
Thanks so much for your kind message and following along Louise:) xTieghan
This looks delicious! Quick question, do you shred the chicken before you broil it or after the recipe lists it both ways?
Hey Janine,
I shred the chicken after, as stated in step 2:) I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Thank you so much for this recipe! We had most of the ingredients on hand so we made it last night. It was a hit! Even my little picky eaters enjoyed it. We’ll definitely be making it again.
Hey Emily,
I am thrilled you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
What is your recipe for the chili oil?
Hey Sally,
Here is the recipe for the chili oil: https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/better-than-takeout-dan-dan-noodles/
I hope you love the recipe, let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hello! I have really been enjoying your recipes! I have a question about this recipe (which looks delicious)!
Step2 instructs to shred the chicken before broiling. Step 4 instructs to shred the chicken at service. Which do you recommend?
Thank you, and keep these excellent ideas coming!
Hey Lisa! You want to shred the chicken in step 2, before you broil. Recipe is all fixed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This was so good and easy to make. We loved how flavorful the broth was! The perfect meal for our negative temperatures here in the Midwest! 🙂
Hey Tayler,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Delicious. Maybe even better Day 2. The smell is amazing and the taste beautifully complex.
Hey Christina,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Hi! While I do generally love most of your recipes, this one rubbed me the wrong way. I appreciate that you love Asian food as a whole and want to recreate recipes at home and understand you probably don’t have legitimate Asian supermarkets to get real ingredients from. However as friendly input, this recipe, and I noticed with a couple other ethnic dishes recently, have been extremely appropriated and Americanized. It would be nice if you did a bit more research and try not to pass these off as genuine because looking at this from where I’m sitting, this is not Pho at all.
Hey Jen,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I understand where you are coming from and have decided to change the recipe title. It was never my intention to offend or hurt anyone or the culture. I will make sure to be much more conscientious when deciding on recipe titles in the future and be sure to do more research. Thank you for kindly bringing this to my attention, I really appreciate you voicing your concern. xTieghan
The chicken by itself is excellent! I made as directed and it was perfect for a cold winter night. I’m looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Hey there,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
I made this tonight & it was sooo good! It’s freezing here in MN so it really hit the spot 🙂
Do you ever post macros for recipes?
Hey Liz,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! So sorry I do not post macros at this time. Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I really appreciate how accessible most of your recipes are and your photos are great! But this recipe is straight up cultural appropriation. This is in no way pho, with the seasonings you’ve opted for, and the method itself. I understand as a recipe writer you need to put your own twist on common recipes to keep it interesting, but this is inappropriate and misleading. I wish you had done a little more research on this iconic traditional Vietnamese dish and rephrased your blog post to emphasize that this is simply a chicken noodle soup with Vietnamese influences. Cool but, this isn’t pho in the slightest.
Hey Jennifer,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I understand where you are coming from and have decided to change the recipe title. It was never my intention to offend or hurt anyone or the culture. I will make sure to be much more conscientious when deciding on recipe titles in the future and be sure to do more research. Thank you for kindly bringing this to my attention, I really appreciate you voicing your concern. xTieghan
This was really easy and took the exact time she said it would in the recipe which I broth has a nice slow cooked taste for a quick meal and roasting the chicken is easy and delicious!
Hey Emma,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Hi, I really LOVE so many of your recipes, and I appreciate what you’re doing, but this is not pho. And to call it pho (even chicken pho) is not only appropriation, it’s honestly hurtful. This recipe does not reflect the actual ingredients of Vietnam that go into pho, all of the time and work that goes into pho or the actual flavors OR presentation even of pho. I understand that you’re trying to draw on some of those flavors, but to call it pho gives the wrong impression to readers who aren’t familiar with the dish, and it’s inappropriate. I see that I’m not the first (or even the second) person to make this comment. I’m disappointed to see that you haven’t replied to those comments below. Please reconsider and do more research when naming and describing your dishes going forward. Thank you!
Hi Diane,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I understand where you are coming from and have decided to change the recipe title. It was never my intention to offend or hurt anyone or the culture. I will make sure to be much more conscientious when deciding on recipe titles in the future and be sure to do more research. Thank you for kindly bringing this to my attention, I really appreciate you voicing your concern. xTieghan
When are we going to get the book: “HBH: Tieghan’s Winter Bowls” ? 😉
Lol love this! Thanks Sienna! 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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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 is delicious!
Thanks so much!!
Hi, I think it’s great that Vietnamese food & culture inspired you to come up with this recipe, but it is misleading and inaccurate to say you made chicken pho because you wanted something lighter than beef pho. Pho is also traditionally made with chicken, which you do not describe. This is harmful because people who do not know what Pho is will think your recipe is Pho or similar to traditional Pho and posting a recipe inspired by another culture without doing enough research is damaging to the history of the dish. Your reply to commenters “I will make sure do be much more conscious when deciding on recipe tittles in the future and be sure to do more research“ … changing the title does not solve the problem. Writing accurately about the cultural origins of the recipe & saying that your final recipe was an Asian noodle soup dish inspired by multiple Asian cultures would be more respectful. You could also link to recipes you drew inspiration from like maybe Andrea Nguyen of Viet World Kitchen. I hope you will consider editing this post to be more accurate for any future readers.
A classic Vietnamese pho is also made from chicken, it’s called pho ga. There are more types of Pho than the Pho you’re describing made of beef. Pho is never made with soy sauce or honey. This completely changed the dish and is more of a Chinese inspired dish rather than a Vietnamese dish. At this rate you might as well have bought a routisserie chicken from your local supermarket to save time on roasting chicken, then used the bones from that to make the broth, would’ve been a little bit more authentic than your version. I’m sure your recipe is delicious but please do more research before you post recipes inspired by another person’s culture. It is insulting and you’re spreading misinformation. Especially with such a large platform such that you carry, one would expect you to have a little bit more integrity.
This is an abomination. This is not pho at all. You don’t even realize that pho ga is already a dish; you seem to think pho tai is the only version of pho. Pathetic. Food bloggers like you are a disgrace and an embarrassment to chefs who actually care to learn about other culture’s cuisine. You should be ashamed of yourself for this blatant appropriation.
“Cultural appropriation” lol. Listen to yourselves. Where do you think the baguette for Bahn Mi came from? Hint: not originally vietnam. Food is boundless. No race or culture owns it because it is art.
Some of you are generating pho outrage over nothing and should be ashamed.
Stay strong, Tieghan! Don’t let them bring you down over this.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for your positive feedback and kind message:) xTieghan
Delicious soup! Love all your recipes but soups especially
Hey Elizabeth,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a go! I am thrilled it was enjoyed. xTieghan
I mean if you are going to apologize for cultural appropriation, can you at least use spell check? It’s like disrespect on disrespect on disrespect. You could have easily taken this down. Or offered to donate 50% of whatever you made to an organization who is helping the racism in the community you are making money off of for your cute blog. Couldn’t you have simply posted something about soup? To you, this might be a recipe but that alone shows your privilege. Take this down and show you are actually an ally and not just one when it is convenient.
This was great. Would make the chicken again and have that as the main protein for a different meal. It was that good!
Hey Rachel,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a go! I am thrilled it was enjoyed. xTieghan
I love your recipes and I don’t want you “cancelled” or for you to stop doing what you’re doing but for the love of god, proofread your canned apology before copying and pasting it in response to every comment calling out your racially insensitive actions. It makes you look like you didn’t care enough to actually put time/effort/care into your apology, which doubles down on the crappiness of the situation.
The flavors just taste off.
Hey Anna,
So sorry about this! Let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
This recipe looks fantastic, can’t wait to try it!
Hey Eric,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
It’s hilarious that there’s a comment highlighting how this is no big deal because the vietnamese didn’t invent baguettes for banh mi. That was a byproduct of a PAINFUL period of colonialism during which natural resources weee exploited, people were impoverished, and a small mostly French upper class reaped all the benefits. The fact that Half Baked Harvest responded to that comment with gratitude is highly cringey and illustrates how she reallly doesn’t get it!
Please do not call this Vietnamese Pho, you will never find sesame oil in “pho topping” or garlic in the broth. You may call this “noodle soup” but please not Vietnamese Pho. I am Vietnamese and I find this quite offensive.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tanyachen/half-baked-harvest-pho-criticism
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tanyachen/half-baked-harvest-pho-criticism
Hi Tieghan, I loved your recipes and your blog. However, please understand that the way you have handled this controversy is extremely painful to your Asian readers. Unfortunately, you’ve managed to alienate a good portion of your followers by your response, or lack thereof, to their cries for acknowledgement. I hope you can understand that. Nobody is perfect and nobody is expecting you to be perfect. We’re hoping for a perfectly imperfect, human, response to this, something that shows that you are acknowledging your mistake. Silence only makes things worse, and your copy/paste replies are truly cringe. Look to Alison Roman, who was in a very similar situation, and review her response. Take note.
Hi, I’m Vietnamese American. I have followed your site for years and generally enjoy your posts. I’m sure this dish is tasty but it’s problematic to call the dish “Pho.” Pho is not just any noodle soup. There are inherent components of a broth that make it “pho” vs another noodle soup. These ingredients do not include sesame oil, honey and soy sauce, etc. Please consider editing your post further and removing the mention of “Pho” and “Vietnamese-inspired.”
Some of your less informed readers will actually think this is pho. It is inappropriate to ascribe a different meaning to a dish with centuries of history & culture.
Please consider just calling it “spicy chicken noodle soup,” and remove any association with “Pho” which this is clearly is not.
Fuck you
Great Recipe. Go ahead and call it Pho. EVERY Vietnamese restaurant I’ve been to serves phở gà (chicken pho).This nonsense about cultural appropriation is complete garbage. Looks like a few people have very little to worry about in their lives. Way too much time on their hands. Wonder if these critics are wearing a ao dai? Maybe they should remove their blue jeans and other western garments. Do these critics stroll their appropriated streets in black pajamas and kuli hats? Enough already. Thanks for all you hard work and sharing your recipes!
Hey Harp,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xTieghan
Amazing Recipe that broth OMG so delicious! Thank you for posting
Hey Bonnie,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xTieghan
Zero Stars being rated. Your blatant DISREPECT for the Vietnamese Community is disturbing & disheartening. I honestly second the “eff you” shared at this point. Days have gone by with no response from you. Not even a half assed apology of any sort because it is OBVIOUS that you feed off of the praise of others & feel you have done nothing wrong.
Having your parents build a barn in their backyard while they also manage your famous brothers career is NO EXCUSE for racism, nor for being a public figure and doing nothing to address your actions or again, LACK THEREOF.
Being honest – Your blog is LARGELY composed of recipes that belong to another culture. A culture clearly not your own. Tonight it was Middle Eastern People & Schwarma. You however cant be bothered to capitalize Middle Eastern – and I am also deeply uncertain what “TITTLES” are….your blanket statement issued to everyone that doesnt fan girl you is a true show of your white entitlement. Your mom is your manager and is saying nothing so this speaks volumes of your family and its values.
You can and should take notes from Alison Roman & even Bon Appetit and the ways they handled their similar situation. No one said you have to be cancelled but being honest – your lack of respect for the cultures you exploit is enough for me. Im more than grateful for having never purchased a cookbook and I do hope someone in mainstream media gets a hold of this & AGAIN EDUCATES YOU. Not that you need or deserve that opportunity again.
I am not a “friend” who is here to back up your behaviors. I am not a fan girl with some typically white name and attitude to praise you for making up your own Pho that isnt anything close to Pha.
You are making a decent living on a blog that showcases SO MANY OTHER CULTURES RECIPES – AND unless you’re Santa and can travel the world in record time, there is NO WAY YOU HAVE AN INKLING OF THE NEEDED RECIPE FORMAT FOR THEM. You absolutely had to pull inspiration from someone and somewhere. You owe it to that person or persons to give credit where due.
ENJOYING FOOD is not the same as it being deeply embedded in your culture. GET IT TOGETHER & be less of a garbage human. GROSS.
I’m Vietnamese and I absolutely love this take on Pho.
I bet almost every country’s cuisine has had some influence, including the Pho dish itself.
Happy I discovered you from the frontpage of Yahoo. You are a talented cook!
Hey Tuan,
Thank you so much for your super kind message and following along! xTieghan
DO BETTER. you are being racist in your refusal to address how your actions are hurting many people in both the food and asian community. stop ignoring the backlash because it will only get worse if you don’t address and change your behavior. also this is bland as fuck.
I’m Vietnamese but I love your delicious creation. I will try. Thanks Tieghen xxx
Thank you so very much:) xTieghan
Can’t you handle the situation better? People are calling you out as racist, enough to understand your political standing and your sense of responsibility.
My husband and I made this last night and wow, it is so tasty and hearty! I am a Vietnamese-American who has eaten authentic pho my whole life and the broth somehow smells exactly like pho, tastes pretty darn close to the real thing, and yet can be whipped up in a fraction of the time. I would never attempt to make pho at home, so I very much appreciate this weeknight, pho-inspired version – we were so impressed! Don’t knock it until you try it!!
Hey Jane,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Happy Friday! xTieghan
Hi,
Wow, I am extremely disappointed on how you handle this. I don’t support cancel culture but this does not feel right when you just copy paste your reply to those who have been raising attention on how you write and name this recipe. You are not even correcting your audience (the ones who tried out the recipe and comment on here as Pho). I do believe when you said it was an accident that you call this dish Pho, but after being pointed out, you intentionally ignore and do nothing about it
Since this call out happened, I was still following and wanting to support you, but it has been awhile and nothing has been addressed from your side.
So for now, I will pause on supporting you and your team until something is done about this.
You probably won’t regret loosing follower because you already have a huge fan base. But please know you are hurting the Asian and Vietnamese in particular. You are taking away the oportunities of those who are experts in this cuisine. I hVe notice I have never seen on your blog or IG once recommending another cooks/chefs. It’s the intention we can all see that you only care about your benefits
You are going to continue benefiting from this and it is such ashame and sad because you can be better but you choose not to.
You’re a badass, Tieghan! Ignore all of the haters. They can’t stand anyone who is successful and creating value, day in and day out. It’s easy to sit back on your couch and criticize– and these are some of the lamest criticisms I’ve ever heard. Stay strong and don’t change a thing! You’re awesome.
Hey Indi,
Thanks so much for your kind message and reading along:) Have a great Sunday! xTieghan
Reading through all the comments and trying to take in all the differing viewpoints on this issue of food appropriation, I felt really torn because creatively, it makes sense to find inspiration from other cultures and cuisines. But I do understand the frustration and anger felt by some, particularly those who are Vietnamese, seeing a dish that is historically and culturally significant to them on a very popular and prominent blog and realizing that the recipe is completely inauthentic, a misrepresentation of what their culinary traditions actually are.
I came across the below quote this morning from Deb Perelman’s blog, Smitten Kitchen, and I think she really hits the nail on the head about why someone might be angered by misrepresentations in regards to cultural cuisines.
“But my roadmap rules have always been that I want to know the difference and to be able to talk about why I’m making the changes I have. It goes without saying that all of us can, and should, make the exact food we want to eat in the exact way that we want to make it, but also try to imagine how we might feel if someone told me they made our grandmother’s famous chicken soup recipe but they don’t use chicken or noodles and also changed all of the vegetables, they just call it our grandmother’s chicken soup. We’d say “wait, what?”
I have always enjoyed your take on recipes but this take of yours on Vietnamese pho is inaccurate and completely misleading to those who did not grow up with the Vietnamese culture. For all who read this, Vietnamese pho can be chicken and beef which are both prepared differently. The broth should be clear and aromatic. I’ve seen the comments below that you’ve changed the title of your recipe but you still have NOT changed the search engine optimization. As you are still deflecting and ignoring these comments from the community, please change your search engine optimization so we can allow true and authentic pho recipes to be displayed when people google for recipes.
So i’s not “Pho” in classic terms. Call it anything you want, it’s delicious.
I hope you love the recipe Alan! xTieghan
Okay, so now we can’t call our own versions of pizza a pizza, or a taco a taco??? With this recipe, it never occured to me that you were trying to rewrite the thousand year old Pho recipe…rather just putting your own spin on it.
Just keep doing what you are doing, Tieghan. You don’t owe an explanation of your recipe titles to anyone.
Thanks for your kind message, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Beautiful recipe!
Thanks Jenny! xTieghan
Oh. My. God. People need to GET A LIFE. Appropriation…. Please. This is nothing more than the usual cancel culture looking for a reason to get upset. As usual.
The only problem is, you’re coddling them and backing down. There is NOTHING wrong with anything here. What’s next – cancel Dr Seuss?
The term “Cultural Appropriation” is over-utilized these days and people get upset or offended by this far too often. It’s just food and people can cook what they want and how they want. Maybe…just maybe changing the title is is the correct thing to do but no one should ever be upset or offended by giving a dish a name even though it’s not really original. Being from New Orleans, I laugh when people make dishes such as Blackened but they think it’s a seasoning when it’s actually a process of cooking. I’ve also seen RED gumbos that made me question reality for a second. But never once did I get upset or offended. They just don’t know how to create the dish properly. Why should I care? It’s just food and no one is being oppressed by it. Sorry, not sorry.
Call it what you want. Real Vietnamese actually don’t care what you call this. We have more important things in our lives to be concerned with. It might not be what we consider authentic pho but we really don’t care. Those screaming racism should probably learn the definition. It’s starting to lose its meaning the way it’s so freely thrown around nowadays.
hey can you just respond to me with that pathetic copy pasted “apology” that you probably didn’t even write? I also want to feel special
If they interview me, I wouldn’t say I’m hurt. I’d say I find it stupid. It’s like eating sushi and calling it the best Chinese food there is. Or eating spaghetti and saying it’s the best French food you have eaten.
I think people needs to stop saying they’re hurt but point out the stupidity of the person doing the work. You wouldn’t point out a dolphin and say it’s a fish. It’s a mammal in the ocean. Just because you throw a bunch of broth with spices and chicken together doesn’t mean you made pho ga. That’s stupid. I’m not hurt. I think you’re dumb for mislabeling it.
Take time and learn what’s pho ga and what’s not. Don’t be stupid.
I never comment in a public manner, either with positive or negative comments. It’s just not my way. However, I just today saw all the “chatter” about the original name of this dish. Having been a reader of your blog, an owner of your two wonderful cookbooks and a frequent tester of your recipes, I feel like I know you–at least your public self. You are a very talented chef. You are a very good and kind person. You are a great family member. You are very creative. I hate that you are in the news for the wrong reason. None of the “meanies” matter and please continue doing what you do best–being a kind and generous human.
Love all your recipes I’ve tried so far, I love that they have great flavors with a small ingredient list. They are just a joy to cook!
I can’t wait to make this one while I wear my kimono!
Hey there,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Chinese is so peaceful in comparison after so many dishes ******* beyond recognition they are still pretty chill about it.
Call this dish whatever you want. People will cry, whine, become victims and be offended by any little thing. It’s trendy to throw out the “racist” card at every turn, and the pathetic will remain so. You don’t owe an apology for anything, you wrote a recipe on YOUR site, you didn’t say you invented the damn dish origins! They can run crying to another website and continue their victim mentality there. It’s food, you are hurting NO ONE. Make your food, live happy, and keep sharing with us!
Tieghan,
I had never heard of your blog until all of the “cultural appropriation” nonsense brought it to my attention. I just want to say that I am sorry you are being subjected to this scrutiny, especially on such a large scale. Your food looks delicious and based on your responses to comments, you seem like a kind person. I hope you will not take all of this personally and allow it to impact your creativity in making what looks like amazing food! I can’t wait to try this recipe! Hang in there!
I generally like most of your recipes, however this one needs to be edited more. You changed the title but there are still parts of the recipe where you’re still referring to your dish as pho. It just seems a bit half-assed in making edits and not completely checking over the work. Also, the url is also still “halfbakedharvest.com/chicken-pho”, really misleading for anyone who sees that.
So sorry to hear about the problems caused by you calling this recipe pho, don’t all recipes have a shortcut? Anyway, that story is how I found you so I guess they failed at beating you down lol. I’m on alow fodmap diet and can’t digest honey, and don’t know much about Asian food. What should I use this weekend as a sweetener? Brown or white sugar, or will maple syrup work? Agave, molasses, and honey are off limits, but I’m already working on a shopping list.
Some of ya’ll are unbelievable. I have never seen anyone lose their minds over soup. This girl took a food that she loves, put her normal Tieghan spin on it and incorrectly labeled it. That’s it. And it has sent some of ya’ll into a full on rage. Over noodles. She is not a history teacher, nor is she a cultural expert. She is a FOOD BLOGGER. I am embarrassed for you that you would act this way over something so trivial. It’s hilarious and ironic that the side that preaches tolerance and acceptance is the least tolerant, the least accepting and the most hateful. She apologized, changed the name and it’s STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH for you! What will be good enough? The answer is nothing, because even you don’t know. And Frank hit the nail right on the head: “What’s next, cancel Dr. Seuss?”. Yes Frank, that’s EXACTLY what they’ll do. That’s exactly what they did. Ya’ll need to do some soul searching and figure out why you have so much hate in your hearts, and why soup will push you over the edge to attack someone. One response: “Fuck You”?! Really? Over NOODLES. Just despicable and very sad.
Tieghan, I am so sorry that you have had to experience the new “cancel culture” of this insane generation. I thought your response was thoughtful and I even thought you took it a step further and changed the name, which you didn’t have to do (quite frankly, you didn’t even have to apologize as this is your blog and you can call YOUR dishes whatever the hell you like). Keep your head up. The 1% has a very loud, angry and irrational voice, but they are the minority. The MAJORITY of people are sane and support you. Keep making delicious food, Pho and whatever else you choose!
All the over-sensitive readers could have just commented that this isn’t authentic “pho” and left it at that. Throwing in ridiculous buzzwords and phrases like “cultural appropriation” just cheapens the whiny argument being made. Grow up. It’s soup.
So it’s Faux Pho, and I’m here because you made it to Yahoo “News”? Maybe people are upset that you’re switching up their classic meal. Maybe they’re afraid that their beloved traditional meals, whether copied precisely or altered severely, will become mainstream. The magic seeping from the source into a world of strangers. It happens. The world is changing. It seems, scrolling through obnoxious messages here, that people claim to be upset that you used the name “PHO” and the term “Vietnamese-inspired”. Fair enough. How about you remove all of that and call this “Tieghan’s Own Noodle Soup”. If you’d done that from the start, what are the chances the comments would be, “Are you kidding me? This is a rip-off of Vietnamese Pho soup!” It’s sad to me that you are someone who has an interest in the outside world, ventured into the cuisine of other cultures, attempted to share your love for them, and are then attacked for that. You could have sat yourself down at McDonald’s and eaten a tray of crap and been left alone. Maybe people are especially upset because your FAUX PHO looks better than their TRUE PHO.
I am sorry you have to deal with the negative comments and reviews. I think it’s perfectly appropriate for someone to point out that it is not a traditional preparation, and therefore could benefit from a name change, but to give a one star review based on the name of the recipe and not on the taste of the dish itself is unnecessarily harsh. I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but I am definitely going to. Looks delicious.
You really didn’t stand up against the racist comments here. That’s the bare minimum anyone can expect from such a platform.
Looks like a tasty dish. Don’t worry about the rude comments at least some of the people making rude comments have made foods from other cultures that aren’t traditional and by their standards and critiques of you would also be considered cultural misappropriation. The other blogger that criticized you changes a lot of other dishes that aren’t originally from her culture. Were a mixed family of Filipino, Americans and we appreciate sharing dishes and making changes and trying new things. Ignore the Americans commenting on here to because they think because they read a story that most Asians are angry but it’s not the case. Thanks for sharing your love for cooking with everyone.
I wish the ‘Reply’ links were working so I could individually respond to some of these absurd comments. People are so lost inside their own heads and selfishness that they demand Tieghan has no other life than to appease them. Would anything appease them? They’ll hold a grudge because that’s how they operate. Stop demanding her to do what you want, when you want. It’s called having a temper tantrum and temper tantrums don’t look good on adults. No one knows this young lady’s current circumstances. Allow her time to process and consider the correct response. If she ends up choosing not to respond, then that is her right. She doesn’t owe anyone anything. It would likely mean that this is all pettiness to her and beneath her. I’m not sure I would respond if it were me, except maybe to tell people to contact their local Vietnamese restaurant for authentic Pho. She did nothing racist, she said nothing racist, so get over yourselves. It seems to me that she is well aware of what Pho (which I have never eaten and don’t think I knew about until today) tastes like. She made her own version of it. If that makes it “NOT PHO” then tell her- which you have- “That’s not pho.” and move on with your petty, uppity, jealous, unfulfilled lives. Take up a hobby. Shall we attack Hawaiians who introduced pineapple and ham on an Italian (excuse me, Chinese) dish?It’s called variation. It’s what makes the world go round. I think that she should write, “I am sorry that I called this Pho and Vietnamese inspired. It is actually called Tieghan’s Faux Soup and is inspired by myself. I should never have involved anyone else.”
Jeez, tell the babies to grow up. You did not offend anyone you made a little error. Remind the babies that the internet is a harsh enviroment and it offended them then turn it off.
Absolutely delicious Pho!!!
Sad that a woman was offended by the name of your soup. LOL. You should have kept the name, in my opinion. Ever put pizza sauce on French bread with some cheese and pepperoni? Well my guess is that’s now going to upset some fragile French and Italians.Keep doing what you’re doing, you’ve got fnstaitc recipes and not everyone has 4 days to make a soup just s they can call it Pho. I’ll keep looking for more wonderful recipes from your blog!!
Made this tonight and it was amazing! I don’t like spicy food but my husband does, so we made half the chicken without sriracha for me. We both loved it.
Hi! I’ve never followed your blog before but read about the criticism on the news. People have lost their minds! Ignore them!!!! Stop apologizing for your take on a dish! It looks great and I will try it now just because of the controversy to support you! Being Italian, I see takes on dishes all the time that are laughable, maybe even gross to me.lol! But offensive or culturally hurtful? lol! Who even has time or energy for that kind of nonsense! Carry on girl! You got this!
Thank for this Pho recipe. Original Pho is gross…thanks for finally making this dish eatable.
I think Marc Chandler and Ashley stated it absolutely perfectly. Tieghan, you have forever positively changed my cooking life and no amount of negativity or criticism will ever change that. All the love for you.
Absolutely delicious! Have made it 5+ times – swapped star anise for pernod and added more veggies. 10/10
Hey Kate,
I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a try. Have a great week! xTieghan
I think there is a middle ground here. This is a business and you need to be cognizant of your customers’ comments. The business I work for has our customers come in and critique our practices and sometimes we have to change the way we do things. It is called continuous improvement. We actually hire a 3rd party every year to evaluate our business and at the end, we need to provide information on how we intend to improve. But they are kind about how they provide their feedback to us and don’t make us feel like we are doing things on purpose just to disrespect them or make a inferior product to be malicious. I truly do not think this recipe was meant to offend – could have the response been more sincere, probably but hindsight is 20/20. The less than stellar comments on the blog shouldn’t be viewed as “if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all” because then we never grow and become better, but they should be issued in a respectful manner. Our whole world could use a little more compassion, and be a lot less harsh.
I have food allergies so I can no longer eat my favorite soup in the world Pho. There are similar tastes in this soup and I am so happy! You have given me something back that I have been missing. This inspired by pho soup will be a frequent visitor to our house! Thank you very much for the recipe!
If you make this, be sure to get the thicker rice noodles (as pictured)! It’s definitely worth making a trip to a local market to get some of the star ingredients here like Thai Basil, good rice noodles, and even the fresno peppers. I already had Star Anise, Cinnamon, fish oil, etc on hand, but didn’t have those things and I know that the dish would have been 10/10 had I opted for them. I didn’t follow the recipe to a T (accidentally, I’m an awful cook) and my husband had regrets about that-hahaha!But overall it was very good!
Hey Meghan,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend☀️ xTieghan
This was such a clean and complex dinner. The Star Anise was spectacular and adding the fresh basil, cilantro, and lime at the end put it over the top. For a cold Eastern PA night, it warmed us through and through. I added the star anise to the chicken too as well as mushrooms to the broth. What an amazing recipe. Keep them coming! We love your creativeness.
Hey Christine,
Thanks for making this recipe! I am so glad it was a hit! xTieghan
I finally had a chance to make this and it is amazing!
Hey there,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Are we seriously going to sit here and call this chicken pho
Well as the song goes “Haters gonna hate”. I think you are wonderful Tieghan. The recipe is delicious. It’s soup, let’s all show some love and stop throwing around all your hateful comments. Don’t we all have better things to do than hate on Tieghan over soup? She’s a lovely lady. Apparently all the haters have never made one single mistake or misstep in their entire GD life. Self righteous assholes are perpetuating hate when they could be choosing love, just ignore it. People, just make the F’ing soup and enjoy every delicious minute of it. Well done, it’s excellent, your recipes speak for themselves. Much love and positivity.
Made this for dinner tonight. So easy to make and so delicious. The broth is fantastic. Yum!
Hey Angie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious!! I can’t believe how quick and easy it is and yet so amazingly yummy. I loved this so much that I will definitely be making this often and I don’t cook a lot of repeat recipes.
I am sorry that so many people have been so incredibly unkind, mean spirited, racist and hateful over this wonderful soup. The hypocrisy is astounding. To compare a recipe name to violence against Asians is selfish and only serves to diminish the real tragedies and real racism taking place in this country. People are injured and afraid because of a recipe for a pho inspired noodle soup? That’s ridiculous.
Everywhere you look you see recipes named after the original but with a twist. Just this week there was a recipe for Spanakopita without philo dough. Not a single complaint. Is California Pizza Kitchen racist for having Thai chicken pizza on the menu? If Banh mi is so painful, why are Banh mi restaurants owned by vietnamese with mainly vietnamese clientele? These arguments are hypocritical. It is wonderful that we can be inspired and create amazing food from cultures around the world, shining a light on international cuisine.
I love pho. It is my favorite food. I’ve gone through stretches where I go out for pho 5 times a week and even twice in one day. While this broth was different from others I’ve had, the same is true for most pho restaurants I have visited. This was tastier than many pho restaurants (I am very picky about pho and only like a couple of places). I’ve never heard of injury from someone eating bad pho and thinking they don’t like pho as a consequence. It happens. Yet people are claiming injury if anyone might think this is traditional pho.
This recipe has inspired me to try more of your creations! I’m looking forward to the next one!
equally offensive as the whole pho-gate is your lack of removing the star anise from the broth. NO ONE wants to chomp into woody tough star anise pods when eating soup/noodles/whatever….. it’s not ALWAYS about the pretty picture. don’t leave inedible things in your photos!
Terrible recipe – what was this supposed to be? This is not in any way reminiscent of any particular Asian noodle dish. The flavors clash and its a heavy dish. Half-Baked attempt to capture pho-like flavors. Fail.
rip off pho