How to make - Pho Ga (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup)

Ingredients

• 1 piece Whole Chicken (about 3.5‑4 lb, untrimmed)
• 12 cups Water (for broth, adjust as needed)
• 5 pieces Star Anise (whole)
• 0.5 stick Cinnamon Stick (broken into shards)
• 2 tablespoons Coriander Seeds (lightly toasted)
• 2 tablespoons Rock Sugar (or regular granulated sugar)
• 1 tablespoon Salt (plus extra to taste)
• 3 tablespoons Fish Sauce (Vietnamese brand (e.g., Three Crabs) or any good quality fish sauce)
• 100 g Fresh Ginger Root (peeled and sliced, about 3‑4 oz)
• 1 large Onion (Spanish yellow onion, halved and charred)
• 200 g Rice Noodles (thin flat rice noodles, cook 15‑20 seconds)
• 1 bunch Cilantro (roughly chopped)
• 1 small White Onion (thinly sliced for garnish)
• 2 stalks Green Onions (sliced thin for garnish)
• 1 cup Bean Sprouts (optional, rinsed)
• to taste Sriracha (optional hot sauce)

Instructions

1. Initial blanch for scum removal

   Place the whole chicken in a large pot, cover with cold water (about 12 cups) and bring to a rapid boil over high heat.

   Time: PT20M

   Temperature: high heat

2. Skim and rinse

   When foam (scum) rises, skim it off with a ladle. After 15‑20 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the chicken and rinse it under cold running water to wash away remaining impurities.

   Time: PT5M

3. Prepare aromatics

   In a small pan, toast 5‑6 star anise, ½ stick cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp coriander seeds until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Meanwhile, halve a large yellow onion and slice 100 g ginger.

   Time: PT5M

4. Char onion and ginger (optional)

   Place the onion halves and ginger slices on a hot electric coil burner or grill and char until blackened spots appear (about 3‑4 minutes per side). If unavailable, skip this step and add them raw later.

   Time: PT8M

   Temperature: high heat

5. Start the broth

   Return the cleaned chicken to the large pot, fill with fresh water (enough to cover by 2 inches), add the toasted spice bundle, rock sugar, 1 Tbsp salt, the charred onion, and ginger. Bring to a gentle simmer.

   Time: PT5M

   Temperature: medium‑low simmer

6. Simmer the broth

   Maintain a low simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, occasionally skimming any foam that rises.

   Time: PT1H45M

   Temperature: low simmer

7. Remove the onion

   After 1½ hours, pull out the charred onion (it will be falling apart) and discard.

   Time: PT2M

8. Strain the broth

   Place a cheesecloth inside a colander over a clean pot and pour the broth through to remove solids. Discard the spice bundle.

   Time: PT10M

9. Season the broth

   Stir in fish sauce (3 Tbsp) and additional salt (1 Tbsp) gradually, tasting until the broth is pleasantly salty (like seawater). Adjust with more fish sauce if needed.

   Time: PT5M

10. Shred the chicken

    Cool the cooked chicken under cold running water, then remove meat from the bones and shred by hand into bite‑size pieces. Separate white and dark meat if desired.

    Time: PT10M

11. Prepare the noodles

    Bring a separate pot of water to a rolling boil, add the rice noodles and cook for 15‑20 seconds, then drain and rinse briefly with cold water.

    Time: PT5M

    Temperature: boiling

12. Prep garnishes

    Roughly chop cilantro, thinly slice the raw white onion, slice green onions, and rinse bean sprouts.

    Time: PT5M

13. Assemble the bowls

    Divide cooked noodles among 4 bowls, top with shredded chicken, then ladle hot broth over. Garnish with cilantro, sliced onion, green onion, bean sprouts, and a drizzle of sriracha if desired.

    Time: PT5M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

350

Protein

22 g

Carbohydrates

45 g

Fat

8 g

Fiber

2 g