Vietnamese-Style Noodle Bowls with Chicken

An entire meal in one bowl is a brilliant system. That’s one reason the bowl trend has taken off and shows no signs of declining.

Another is the ease. You can put a bowl together without any heavy lifting, and at the end of your assembly line you have happy eaters.

Here is a riff that I like to do on Vietnamese “bún” – one of the original meals in a bowl! This is a cold salad of vermicelli rice noodles, chicken, fresh herbs and vegetables, and a tangy rice vinegar dressing.

Vermicelli noodles are now widely available at most grocery stores, or you can find them online. When shopping, make sure to get vermicelli noodles made with rice, not mung beans.

The two noodles look similar, but mung bean noodles tend to be sticky once cooked and are better suited to other dishes. Rice vermicelli separates into fine threads after cooking, which are easier to pick up with chopsticks or a fork.

The meat for making bún is often grilled, but for an easy weeknight meal, I like to just cook it in the oven. First I coat the chicken with a mix of oyster sauce and hoisin (a combination that I like), then I bake it covered with foil. This helps keep the chicken moist as it cooks.

When it’s done, I sear the breasts quickly in a skillet to caramelize the outside and add some charred flavor.

By the way, if you do want to grill your chicken, I recommend using bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Cook it without sauce over high heat, then transfer to low heat, baste with the sauce, and finish cooking.

The chicken noodle bowls are finished with a simple rice vinegar dressing seasoned with ginger, and garnished with fresh mint, cilantro, scallions, and chopped peanuts. (Many bún recipes use lime in the dressing, but I like squeezing fresh lime over the top instead.)

You get crunch and sweetness, a hit of vinegar, a soft pillow of noodles, and bites of caramelized chicken – all in one bowl. This is a “meal in a bowl” at its best!

Vietnamese-Style Noodle Bowls with Chicken Recipe

If you need to make this recipe gluten-free, be sure to check your bottles of hoisin and oyster sauce to make sure they are gluten-free.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 piece (1-inch) fresh ginger, cut into 2 thick slices
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound or 1/2 kilo)
• 8 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
• 2 carrots, grated
• 2 cups fresh bean sprouts (6 ounces or 170 grams)
• 1 jalapeno or other chili pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 lime, quartered, for garnish

Special equipment:

• 8x8 baking dish or other small baking dish
• 12-inch nonstick skillet or well-seasoned cast iron skillet

Read More: Vietnamese-Style Noodle Bowls with Chicken