vietnamese chicken noodle chop

a quick trip to hanoi

The first time I tried bun cha, I was hangry and jet-lagged. George and I had just touched down in Hanoi, coming from Manila during a break in his deployment as a SEAL, and within hours we were perched at a low plastic table on a packed sidewalk, watching an elderly man grill pork patties over charcoal.

here’s a picture of george sweating while dining in hanoi

The bun cha came out in parts — a bowl full of broth, a plate of charred pork patties, a heaping bowl of rice noodles, an absolutely massive pile of fresh herbs and leafy greens, and a small bowl of nuoc cham, a sweet and tangy fish sauce-based sauce. We looked around at the other diners to figure out what to do, quickly caught on, and started dunking and slurping away. Bun cha is a bit like a deconstructed soup where you dunk your noodles into broth and create perfect individual bites with the ingredients. It was an explosion of tart and sweet and tangy and funky, and it was unlike anything we’d ever tasted. We had bun cha again the next day, and the next day after that.

here’s another picture of george sweating while dining in hanoi

Eventually we made it to Bún Chả Hương Liên, the spot where Obama and Bourdain ate together on Parts Unknown. The walls are covered in photos of that meal, and the bun cha exceeded the hype. We ordered beers and scarfed down bun cha on our tiny stools, surrounded by locals, feeling like we were in on something special.

and another

I can’t recreate Hanoi’s humid chaos or the thrill of hunting down the best bowl of bun cha in unmarked alleyways. And since this is a place where I promise easy weeknight recipes, delivering bun cha in its traditional form, deconstructed soup with multiple elements, dirtying a whole sink full of dishes, didn’t feel right. So instead, I made us a bright, herby, tangy, noodle-y salad inspired by all those bowls of bun cha that we feasted on.

ok last one

A tangle of cabbage, rice noodles, fresh herbs, scallions, and crunchy peanuts are pulled together by a nuoc cham-inspired (just inspired — lots of deviations from the wonderful original sauce, including the addition of peanut butter) salad dressing. One bite and you're wandering the electric, crowded streets of Hanoi.

ok actual last one! if you look hard enough you’ll find george down on the street waving up at me.

In today’s recipe we use my favorite method for poaching chicken. Place your boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a single layer in a medium-sized pot and season them with kosher salt and pepper. Cover them with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 10 to 14 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (AKA until it registers at 165°F internally using your meat thermometer).

We’ll then use the delicate chicken broth you just created to cook the rice noodles, making the noodles so much more flavorful than if you had just cooked them in water, while also cutting down on excess dirty dishes.

The marinade in these Vietnamese-inspired grilled pork or chicken bowls was largely inspired by nuoc cham, so if you love this salad, you’ll love that recipe, too. And for another hearty entree salad inspired by the amazing flavors of Southeast Asia, try my Thai chicken chop.

---

Serves 4

Cook time: 40 minutes

Tools:

• Medium saucepan

• Meat thermometer

• Tongs

• Cutting board

• Chef’s knife

• Spoon

• Very large serving bowl

• Optional: Blender

Ingredients:

For the salad: