Ginger, cinnamon and star anise give this chicken soup its fragrant broth. Put the herbs and lime on the table so everyone can finish their bowl as they like.
This version keeps the original recipe's flexible approach to vegetables. Choose a few from the list rather than buying everything.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, about 1.6 kg
- About 2 litres water, or enough to cover the chicken in a snug pot
- 2 white onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed, optional
- A 5 cm piece of ginger, sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 3 star anise
- Up to 2 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste
- 300 g rice noodles, optional
- About 4 cups prepared vegetables: carrot, zucchini, bok choy, capsicum, broccoli, green beans or snow peas
- Fresh coriander, Vietnamese mint or Asian basil
- Lime wedges
- Sliced chilli and crisp shallots, optional
Method
- Put the chicken, water, onion, garlic, ginger and whole spices in a large pot. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a steady simmer.
- Cook until a food thermometer reaches 74°C in the inner thigh near the breast, without touching bone. Check doneness with the thermometer rather than relying on a fixed cooking time. NSW Food Authority — Cooking temperatures.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean dish. Strain the broth into another pot and discard the cooked aromatics and spices.
- Return the broth to a simmer. Add firmer vegetables first, followed by tender leaves and snow peas, and cook until they are as tender as you like.
- Remove the chicken meat from the bones and shred it. Return it to the simmering broth. Add fish sauce gradually, tasting as you go.
- Cook the noodles according to their packet directions. Divide between bowls and ladle over the soup. Finish with herbs, lime and optional chilli or shallots.
Check ingredient labels if cooking for someone with a food allergy; choose alternatives that fit their existing advice.
For another meal idea, try our chicken and vegetable stew.
The photograph illustrates chicken soup; it is not a photograph of this exact recipe.
Sources
Read 15 October 2026. Sources support the adjacent general information; clinic sources verify the current appointment menu.
- NSW Food Authority — Cooking temperatures — Australian food-safety guidance; accessed 2026-10-15.
