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Scoop-and-Drop Vietnamese Meatball Soup
This scoop-and-drop take on Vietnamese canh taught us to stop fussing over perfectly formed meatballs. Canh is a style of light, brothy soups; ours features super simple chicken meatballs paired with tender-crisp baby bok choy. We use store-bought chicken broth and infuse it with garlic and ginger, while boosting its savoriness with fish sauce. Be sure to use low-sodium broth so you can better control the seasoning.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t skip the baking powder in the chicken mixture. The leavener creates a lighter, more tender texture in the cooked meatballs.
45 minutes
Ingredients
-
2
quarts low-sodium chicken broth
-
3
medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Directions
-
01In a large saucepan, combine the broth, garlic, ginger slices and 1 tablespoon fish sauce. Simmer over medium-high, stirring occasionally, then reduce to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Reviews
January 1, 2026
A new favorite
Have made twice, turned out perfectly both times. Great weeknight recipe, will be in regular winter rotation at our house.
November 12, 2025
What they said!
Agree with everyone, great soup, easy to make and the chicken meatballs were soft and lovely. Had leftovers with rice, then with fresh udon noodles (needed to use up), both worked great (as did the soup without them as lighter fare). Add extra fresh herbs (ala pho), I can even imagine some mushrooms, but then again, why complicate it? We needed more bok choy for the leftovers, so might start with one pound.
November 10, 2025
Straightforward and delicious!
Perfect opportunity for homemade broth, if you have it. The ginger didn't come through strongly -- you could easily double or triple the amount. I did add a couple star anise, per an earlier suggestion.
Meatballs were very flavorful, springy, tender, and cohesive. We did not encounter any fragility issue in the simmering broth.
October 24, 2025
Easy and delicious!
Love this soup and will make again. It's relatively easy to make, the chicken meatballs are delicious and the soup is satisfying and hearty. I also like the peppery-ness that come from Bok Choy. Thank you for an excellent and accessible recipe.
September 16, 2025
a keeper
I used homemade broth and added a few deseeded Thai bird chilis, star anis, and some bean thread noodles. The broth was reminiscent of Pho and the meatballs were easy, tasty, and filling. A keeper!
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