Authentic Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)
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Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)
If you enjoy phở, you will love this chicken version. Made with simpler ingredients and faster to cook, this noodle soup is equally delicious and just as comforting.
What is Phở Gà?
Phở gà, also known as chicken phở, is Vietnam’s chicken noodle soup and the quick poultry alternative to its more well-known and beloved cousin, phở bò (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup).
Phở gà consists of chicken, rice noodles, and an aromatic broth. It is much lighter in flavor than phở bò, and as a result, it is typically eaten when one is feeling unwell, like many versions of chicken noodle soup around the world.
How to Properly Pronounce Phở
Before we start, let’s get this out of the way. Phở is pronounced as "Fuh?" The tone in Vietnamese words makes a big difference in the language. So make sure you are saying Fuh in the form of a question to convey the right meaning.
Ingredients for Phở Gà
To make delicious homemade phở gà, here’s what you will need:
Chicken — We can’t have chicken phở with chicken. To make a truly authentic and flavorful phở gà, it's best to use free-range chickens. While they may be more expensive than their farm-raised counterparts, their natural diet results in richer flavor and chewier texture. However, if free-range chicken isn't available, regular chicken will still produce a delicious result. If you don’t have a whole chicken, use a combination of chicken pieces. Dark meat with bone-in and skin-on works best.
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 Phở noodles. Some phở noodles are round and some are flat. Either one will work.
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 Phở Gà are generally much less than the beef version. I’m only using dried coriander seeds here. Coriander is just another word for cilantro. We will be toasting this in the oven as well to bring out their aroma before adding them to the stock pot.
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 — Fried shallots, ground black pepper, chili peppers and lime wedges.
Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)
How to Make Phở Gà?
Step 1. Wash the chicken and roast the aromatics
Before making the stock, it's important to clean the chicken thoroughly. One effective method is to give it a thorough rubdown with coarse sea salt then rinse well. This not only removes any film or residue on the chicken but also eliminates any unpleasant odor. Some people choose not to wash their poultry as it is not recommended by Western food safety standards. Ultimately, the decision whether to wash the poultry or not is up to you. Skip this step if preferred.
In the oven or toaster oven, roast the shallots and ginger at 400°F for 15 minutes or until you see charred edges. Dry toast the coriander seeds in a small frying pan until fragrant. Add coriander seeds to a spice bag.
Step 2. Make the broth
In a large pot, add chicken, shallots, ginger, coriander seeds, and water to the pot. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to an iced bath and then slice the meat into thin pieces. Return the bones back to the pot. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Remove all solids then season the stock to taste.
Step 3. Prep all the other Ingredients
Cook the rice noodles per packaged instructions and prepare the garnishes and other vegetables.
Step 4. Assemble the bowl
Add cooked rice noodles to a bowl and shredded chicken. Ladle in hot broth. Garnish with cilantro, green onions, yellow onions, fried shallots, chili peppers, and a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper for a beautiful finish. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
If you enjoy this, you might also like
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 Noodle Soup (Phở Gà)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prep the aromatics. Roast whole unpeeled ginger and shallots in the oven at 400°F for 15 minutes. Set aside the shallots. Slice the ginger into thick coins then set aside. Dry toast the coriander seeds in a small frying pan for one minute or until fragrant. Add toasted coriander seeds into a spice bag or wrap in cheesecloth then set aside. If you have neither, no worries. You can add toasted coriander directly to the stockpot that you can strain out.
- Bring a large stockpot with 4 liters of water to a boil (make sure it will fit the chicken without overflowing). Add chicken, ginger, shallots, and coriander. Cook for 30 minutes on a low simmer.
- Check for doneness. Pierce chicken with a chopstick in between the joint of the breast and leg. If water runs clear, chicken is done. Transfer chicken to an ice bath. The iced bath will gelatinize and firm up the skin. When cool enough to handle, slice chicken into thin strips. Return all bones back to the stockpot. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes on a low simmer.
- Remove all solids from the stock pot and discard. Season stock with salt, fish sauce, rock sugar, chicken bouillon powder, and MSG, a little at a time to your liking. Like all noodle soups, you want the flavors to be strong and bold because once noodles are added, the flavor will mellow out quite a bit.
- To serve, add a handful of cooked rice noodles to a bowl. Add chicken. Ladle in broth and top with a bit of white/yellow onions, green onions, cilantro, fried shallots, and a sprinkle of black pepper. Serve with lime wedges and chili peppers/jalapenos on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
1071Fat
25Sat. Fat
7Carbs
171Fiber
6Net carbs
165Sugar
12Protein
37Sodium
4317Cholesterol
115The values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.
