Vietnamese Chicken Pho Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)
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Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)
Chicken Pho (Pho Ga) is the little cousin of the popular Beef Pho.
Pho is what we think of when we think of Vietnam. It’s Vietnam’s most famous export. If you want the simple version of Pho, Chicken Pho is your go-to.
Chicken Pho is just as delicious and comforting but it’s made with simpler ingredients and faster to cook.
Chicken Pho consists of chicken, flat rice noodles, and an aromatic broth. Often served with a platter of fresh herbs and lime wedges on the side, you can customize it to your liking.
Compared to Beef Pho, Chicken Pho has a lighter flavor profile, making it a perfect choice for chilly or sick days.
What You Will Need
Chicken — For this recipe, I’m using a whole chicken.
To make a truly authentic and flavorful Chicken Pho, traditionally, free-range chicken is used. Its bones and the texture of the meat are chewier, just how the Vietnamese like it. However, they are also more expensive. It’s currently running for about $16 for a free-range chicken.
You can also a combination of chicken parts. Dark meat with bone-in and skin-on provides the best flavor for the stock.
Flat rice noodles — You can get them dry in the dry goods aisle or fresh in the refrigerator section. They are easy to find as they are often labeled as Pho noodles.
Aromatics — Ginger and shallots. If you don’t have shallots, use yellow onions instead. These are the aromatics that we will be roasting in the oven to add a roasted flavor to the broth.
Spices — The spices in Chicken Pho are fewer than the beef version. I’m only using dried coriander seeds here. Coriander is just another word for cilantro.
Don’t have coriander/cilantro seeds? No problem. Simply use the fresh bunch of cilantro from the grocery store. Don’t like cilantro? No problem too. Simply omit.
Seasonings — To get that authentic flavor, I will be flavoring the broth with sea salt, fish sauce, rock sugar, chicken bouillon powder, and MSG. The last two are optional, but highly recommended.
Garnishes — Yellow onion, green onions, and cilantro. Thinly slice and place them on top of the bowl for a beautiful finish.
Additional accompaniments — Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), shredded cabbage, Thai basil, fried shallots, ground black pepper, chili or jalapeno peppers, lime wedges, hoisin sauce, and sriracha chili sauce.
Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)
How to Make Phở Gà
Step 1. Roast the aromatics
In a small toaster oven, add ginger and shallots on a baking tray and roast at 400°F for 15 minutes. Lightly dry toast the coriander seeds at the bottom of the stock pot that we will be using to make the broth (about 20 seconds).
Step 2. Make the broth
To the pot with the toasted coriander seeds, add chicken, roasted ginger, roasted shallots, and water. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer, uncovered, for one hour.
Remove the chicken. One cool enough to handle, hand shred the meat and set aside.
Remove all solids with a fine mesh strainer until nothing remains but a clean and clear broth.
Season the stock to taste.
Step 3. Prep all the other Ingredients
Prepare the garnishes and other vegetables, if using. Cook the rice noodles per packaged instructions.
Step 4. Assemble the bowl
Add rice noodles to a bowl and shredded chicken. Ladle in hot broth. Garnish with your choice of toppings for a beautiful finish. Serve with your choice of vegetables, herbs, lime wedges and sauces.
Tips for Success
Use a big pot. You will a pot big enough fit the whole chicken and all the extras without overflowing. A 6-quart stockpot for this recipe will do. If you have a smaller pot, it’s ok too. Just don’t put all the water in once. Make the stock with the reduced water and once the chicken has shrunken and some liquid has evaporated, add the rest of the water.
A gentle simmer while making the broth keeps it clear. In Vietnamese cuisine, a clear broth is a happy broth.
Make the broth on the salty side. Once broth hits plain rice noodles, it will be diluted. If you add other vegetable toppings such as bean sprouts and shredded cabbage, which have a high water content, it will further dilute your broth. It’s best to over season the stock and make a salty broth. The final product will then be perfect.
Prepare rice noodles right before serving. These are the type of noodles that you DO NOT want to prepare in advance. These pho rice noodles are extremely delicate. They will break into short segments if overcooked or left to long in hot broth.
How to Eat Chicken Pho
There's no strict right or wrong way to eat pho. The beauty lies in personalizing the experience to your liking but here is my suggested approach on how to eat pho:
First, take a sip of the broth to appreciate its purest form. No adjustments.
Customize the taste if needed. Feel free to squeeze in a bit of lime juice for acidity, a squirt of hoisin for a savory sweetness and sriracha for a spicy kick. Many young kids, including mine, skip this step entirely, which is a sign of good broth.
If you enjoy the vegetables provided, add them to the bowl. If you don’t like them, leave them out. I like to add a handful of bean sprouts, a ton of basil leaves, and chili/jalapeno peppers.
Prepare a small plate with hoisin and sriracha chili sauce on the side to dip the chicken meat.
For me, it’s a three-step eating process. First, use chopsticks to grab noodles with all the herbs and vegetables and enjoy that first bite. Dip chicken pieces in hoisin and sriracha sauce for the second bite. Finally, follow with a sip of broth. Repeat until done.
Still too Complicated? Try This Quick Version!
Skip the raw whole chicken and use store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Hand shred the meat and set aside as toppings.
Use the liquid and bones for the broth and simmer on low for 20 minutes, season to taste and follow the recipe as usual.
Related Recipes
If you enjoy this, you might also enjoy…
Vietnamese Chicken Soup with Glass Noodles (Mien Ga)
30-Minute Pressure Cooker Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (Instant Pot Pho Ga)
Vietnamese Chicken Porridge (Chao Ga)
Vietnamese Chicken and Bamboo Noodle Soup (Bun Mang Ga)
Hanoi Noodle Soup with Ham, Chicken and Shrimp (Bun Thang)
Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)
Vietnamese Chicken Pho Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Roast whole ginger and yellow onions in the oven at 400°F for 15 minutes. Set aside the onions. Slice the ginger into thick coins. Dry toast the coriander seeds at the bottom of a large stock pot (about 20 seconds) until fragrant.
- To the stock pot with toasted coriander, add chicken, ginger, yellow onions, and water. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook, uncovered, for one hour.
- Remove the chicken. One cool enough to handle, hand shred the meat and set aside. Remove all solids with a fine mesh strainer until nothing remains but a clean and clear broth. Season the stock to taste.
- Prepare the garnishes and other vegetables, if using. Cook the rice noodles per packaged instructions.
- Add rice noodles to a bowl and shredded chicken. Ladle in hot broth. Garnish with your choice of toppings for a beautiful finish. Serve with your choice of vegetables, herbs, lime wedges and sauces.
