Phở Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Pho Soup)

You can make this aromatic, deeply flavorful, and authentic pho ga or Vietnamese chicken pho soup at home! Made with roasted aromatics, a handful of spices, and a whole chicken, this Vietnamese chicken noodle soup will be your go-to comfort soup of the season.

Course Lunch & Dinner Recipes, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Vietnamese

Keyword chicken pho, chicken pho broth, chicken pho recipe, chicken pho soup, pho chicken noodle soup, pho ga, pho ga recipe, Vietnamese chicken noodle soup

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 50

Servings servings

Calories 366kcal

Author Megan

Equipment

Ingredients

Spice Mix

Broth

3 large yellow onions large wedge cut
1 daikon about 16 inches, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
½ lb ginger peeled and sliced vertically
1 whole chicken + 1 large chicken breast
4 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
6 pieces (95 g) palm sugar
1 ½ tablespoon salt
18 cup (4.5 quarts) water
2 tablespoon fish sauce

Serve

1-2 packages pho rice vermicelli noodles preferably fresh
Cilantro diced
Green Onion diced
White onion thinly sliced
Thai Basil
Bean sprouts
Ngo Gai (culantro)
Sliced Jalapeños optional
Limes sliced
Hoisin Sauce
Sriracha

Instructions

Aromatics and Spices

Roast the spices. Place all of the spices on a medium skillet over medium heat. Lightly toast the spices, stirring occasionally until fragrant about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool, then place the spices in a tea bag.
Broil aromatics. On a foiled-lined baking pan, add the wedge-cut onions, 2-inch daikon pieces, and sliced ginger. Broil at 450 degrees until the tops of the onion and ginger are slightly charred, about 15-20 minutes.

Broth

Parboil the chicken. Add the whole chicken and chicken breast to a large soup pot and cover it with water until it covers the chicken. Bring to a boil and immediately remove the chicken and pour out the water. Rinse the chicken. This step allows you to get a clean broth.
Cook the broth. In large 8 qt soup pot, add the rinsed whole chicken, chicken breast, daikon, onions, ginger, chicken bouillon powder, salt, palm sugar. Then add water leaving about 1 inch off the top of the pot. Heat on high heat until the broth reaches a boil, then continue boiling for 3 minutes. Skim the scum off the top of the broth.
Sit for 45 minutes. After 3 minutes, immediately turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the broth sit for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Once cooled, slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Add spice mix. Add the spice mix tea bag and 1 cup of water. Heat over high heat until the broth reaches a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from the broth. Make sure the spice mix only stays in the broth for up to 45 minutes max!
Add to taste. Once the spices have been removed, add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and any additional salt to taste. Then using a spider strainer, remove all the aromatics out of the broth.

Serve

Cook the noodles. Cook the pho vermicelli noodles according to the instructions on the packaging.
Assemble. Portion the noodles into a bowl, then add the broth, sliced chicken, diced cilantro and green onion, and a dash of black pepper. Serve with a side of herbs, bean sprouts, jalapeños, and limes. And lastly, top with sriracha and hoisin sauce.

Notes

Pre-made spice kits. If you do not want to buy a pack of each spice individually, there are pre-made spice kits that are sold online. These work just as well as making your own spice kit from scratch and will save you some time.
Broil aromatics in batches. For a more even char on all of your aromatics, you can alternatively broil your onions, daikon, and ginger separately.
Parboil the chicken. Parboiling the chicken first and then rinsing the chicken dramatically saves you time skimming the scum off the top of the pho ga broth. It also ensures a clean broth. I recommend watching the chicken closely and draining the water the second it reaches a boil and then thoroughly rinsing the chicken before placing it back into the pot.
Turn off the heat after 3 minutes of boiling. When you add all the pho ga broth ingredients to the stockpot, set a timer for the second the chicken pho broth reaches a boil. You only want to boil the chicken for 3 minutes to prevent it from overcooking.
Only steep the spice mix for 45 minutes max. When you add the spice mix, set a timer for 45 minutes. Since you have to bring the soup back to a boil and then simmer it for 30 minutes, different cook times may vary. However, the rule to remember is that the spice mix can only be in the chicken pho broth for 45 minutes.
Add fish sauce and salt to taste. Once you remove all of the aromatics and spices from the pho ga broth, add fish sauce and salt to taste. These are the finishing touches that will be based on your taste palette, so add a little at a time.
Storage Instructions: This chicken pho noodle soup is best served immediately. However, you can make this pho ga recipe ahead and store this chicken pho recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition